Boulevard Plaid Habit - Canadian Whisky Barrel-Aged Imperial Brown Ale

Il-Gotten Booty has seriously cut down his alcohol consumption in the last few years, but every so often he heads on down to the local purveyor of spirits to try a few of the new brews. Of course I (let's drop the haughty use of the third person) am a sucker for bourbon-barrel-aged stouts - this isn't bourbon aged, it Canadian Whisky aged, and it's not stout, but imperial (that means extra alcohol) brown ale. It's a nice twist though on one of my favorite styles.

According to Boulevard, this brew started it's life as a double-mashed brown ale that was then aged for 18 months in Canadian Rye Whisky barrels. There are evident notes of vanilla and some nice boozy heat from the 12.5% ABV. It pours a medium brown with a lacy tan head. As it warms up to room temperature maple and brown sugar aromas make their appearance. Maybe even a little black pepper. Dark fruits such as raisins, figs and dates dance out during the final acts.

This is a surprisingly appropriate winter warmer. I give it an IGB score of 8.5/10.