April 17, 2015

Jackie O's Pub & Brewery Bourbon Barrel-Aged Brick Kiln

Brewed By: Jackie O's Pub & Brewery in Athens, Ohio  
Purchased: 375ml/12.7oz single bottle bought at And Beer in Athens, Ohio; 2014 
Style/ABV: Smoked English Barleywine, 11.8%
Reported IBUs: ?

Make me a beautiful barrel-aged Barleywine. About Jackie O's Pub & Brewery:
Jackie O's is a brewery and brewpub based out of Athens, Ohio. The brewery was founded in 2007 by Art Oestrike and his friend, and brew master, Brad Clark. In 2012 when the production facility expanded, brew master Sean White joined the company. For more info, check out their website or Facebook.
The bottle for the Barrel-Aged Brick Kiln reads: "Starting back in the early 1800's the brick industry was a catalyst for economic development in Southeastern Ohio for nearly 100 years. The brick kilns of Athens Brick Company stood just down the street from our current production facility. Brick Kiln Barleywine style ale is brewed in the English tradition and it's deep mahogany hue is accompanied by rich caramel and raisin notes. Aging in bourbon barrels for an average of 11 months contributed a rich caramel/vanilla/coconut character. Share with friends and loved ones." 
Jackie O's Pub & Brewery Bourbon Barrel-Aged Brick Kiln

This pours into a hazy, murky, dark red-brown body, kicking up a centimeter of protesting head. This brings the murk and has that barrel-aged treatment look. 

This smells amazing with raisins, cherries, chocolate-coconut pastries, intense bakery sugars, coconut, macaroons, layers of molasses, and dense sugars. The barrel is present, and this feels like an appreciable contender. 

Mmm this is fantastic stuff. This hits those notes of macaroons, coconut, treacle sweetness, raisins, cherries, light sherry/oxidation, and subtle barrel character. There are subtle coatings of chocolate in here, and this dials the sweetness up to just the right amounts. Hawt damn.

This is full-bodied, but well-carbed and easy enough to drink. You would never guess this is 11.8%. This has fantastic palate depth and good complexity. It's teetering between Above-Average and Divine, with the barrel character and base beer complexity being the only thing holding this back from something like a Goozie Inlets Barleywin or a Bruery Bois. Still, this brings a ton of bold barrel character with lots of subtle raisin, cherry, coconut, and macaroon notes. The finish is perfect, and the beer is not overwhelming. I highly recommend this.

Rating: Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. Jackie O's has their barrel-aged beers down, and this one is no exception. Pick this up and drink it without any food. This is yummy stuff.

Random Thought: Jackie O's was definitely one of the better parts of being in Ohio. 

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