When Founder's first announced the 4th release in their Barrel Aged Series I practically jumped for joy. The idea of an imperial malt liquor aged in bourbon barrels seemed to satisfy both College Sean as well as Adult Sean. Some of my favorite nights in college came from walking to the corner store near my friends apartment to purchase a 40 oz. bottle of Mickey's Malt Liquor or Old English 800 and pairing it with a Friday night of vintage video games. Based on that previous sentence I am sure you can tell I was a pretty cool guy back then. Years later, I find myself far removed from my college experience, my days of drinking a 40 oz. bottles of malt liquor are few and far between. The main reason for this is malt liquor is not typically enjoyed for its flavor. It is enjoyed because it is inexpensive, can be purchased in a large quantity and has a higher ABV than your basic lager. Frankly, most of it is gross. I think Magnum 40 for example, reminded me more of gasoline than an actual alcoholic beverage. I spoke affectionately of Mickey's Malt Liquor earlier, but it is terrible. Aside from the cool grenade-style bottles it comes in now, I can't remember anything else nice about it. I actually found Old English 800 to be drinkable, but steer clear of it because the day after drinking it is always unpleasant. This blog seems to have gotten away from me because I am spending more time giving you reasons why malt liquor is terrible and not telling whether Founder's DKML(Dick Kicker Malt Liquor) is worth a purchase or not. I guess the easiest way to answer that is, it is and it isn't. It depends what kind of drinking experience you are looking for. If you are looking for a polished alcoholic beverage, you are in the wrong place. If you are looking for a unique spin on a style typically ignored by beer enthusiasts, you might find something you love here.
DKML delivers on exactly what the bottle promises. It is a big, boozy, barrel aged malt liquor. The alcohol is not hidden at all and in this case I loved it. This is an aggressive punch in the mouth or better yet a kick “where you most expect it” as the bottle promises. Toasted bread, sweet corn, a pleasant fruitiness greeted my palate before the barrel notes of oak, bourbon, vanilla, coconut and lots of booze came through in the finish. The 14.2% ABV hits the hardest in the finish but it is there the whole time. The barrel aging shines the most in the flavor and transforms this beer. It is hard to explain that a beer hit every flavor note you wanted it to, but in this case it did. I did not expect a world class beverage here, I expected barrel aged malt liquor and that is exactly what I got and I loved it
.
Everything about DKML worked for me. It is a messy, boozy, aggressive brew that I feel will get “love it or hate it” reactions from anyone who drinks it. There is no middle ground with DKML. I absolutely loved it and I am happy to sing its praises. However, for everyone like me, there is someone like my wife who thought this was one of the worst beers she has ever had. Obviously, she was too cool to spend a Friday night in college drinking a 40 and playing vintage video games to appreciate what Founders accomplished here. Or maybe, my wife realized that this is by no means an easy drinking beverage. She explained it was gross, boozy and one sip was more than enough, but at least it gets you buzzed quickly.. When she heard it cost around 15 dollars a 4-pack, she thought I got ripped off for buying it. Naturally, I rejected that notion and told her I thought DKML was one of the most unique beers I had tried in awhile. As I finish this blog, we remain a house divided.
Sean's Rating: 4.5/5
Alicia's Rating: 1/5
Rating Scale:
1. Repugnant and undrinkable
2. Acceptable but forgettable
3. Good, worth a purchase
4. Excellent, a step above the norm
5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!
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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!
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