Singlecut Barrel Aged Heavy Boots of Lead

Last week, I had a whole election night beer tasting blog planned out and was going to post it Wednesday morning. Then I took one look at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. and felt it would easily get lost in everyone's election reactions. Now that things are starting to slightly cool down, social media seems like a kinder, gentler place to be. I felt it was time to return with a big beer. By chance I happened to walk into one of my favorite bottle shops and stumble upon a bottle of Singlecut Beersmiths Barrel Aged Heavy Boots of Lead. I unfortunately did not have the base beer to compare it to, as I drank that back in March. I remembered it being quite enjoyable and I looked forward to seeing what a year's worth of aging would do for it. I also liked the idea of infusing the barrel with whiskey-marinated maple syrup. All in all this sounded like a really interesting beer. So I popped the top and poured the rich, dense black liquid into a glass. I watched the thick brown head almost crest over the top of the glass. I tried to contain my excitement but I had a feeling that with 16.9 fluid ounces and an 11% ABV I was going to be in for quite an experience.

The aroma of Singlecut Beersmiths Barrel Aged Heavy Boots of Lead was surprisingly sweeter than I expected. I got a lot of rich chocolate, roasted notes and vanilla up front. There were also hints of oak and whiskey but I couldn't seem to find the maple. The first sip of Barrel Aged Heavy Boots of Lead blew me away. I got a bit of everything. It was roasty, full of chocolate, with vanilla up front. I swear I thought I got a bunch of maple too before a dry, spicy oak finish. At this point, I wanted to drop everything and go grab another bottle before they were gone. However, my gut told me to put a pin in that idea. Pro wrestling and football were about to start. More importantly I needed to see how this big stout warmed up.

As Barrel Aged Heavy Boots of Lead began to warm, the flavors dramatically changed. The maple sweetness I thought I got was gone. Sadly, the chocolate & vanilla sweetness I enjoyed so much in those first sips, also seemed like a distant memory. What I did get was a lot of roasted malt up front, a bit of smoke and a whole lot of oak tannins in the finish. It became a very dry, oak-dominated beer the longer I waited to take the next sip. Normally I love a huge barrel presence in an imperial stout, but it did not work for me here. I fully understand this beer could be a bit polarizing. I could see many beer drinkers thinking this was fantastic. I am not in that group. It was a solid beer but not what I'd hoped it would be. When a beer emphasizes the addition of whiskey-infused maple syrup and does not deliver on that, it's disappointing. Perhaps buying another bottle to age would be interesting. I'm just nowhere near motivated to seek this out again.

Overall I would rate Singlecut Beersmiths Barrel Aged Heavy Boots of Lead a 3/5. This is probably the highest rating I have given to a beer I was not particularly crazy about. It's not a bad beer, it's just not as good as it could have been either.

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　

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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!

Original vs, Variant (Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot vs. Weyerbacher Insanity!)

A little over a month ago, I reviewed Grimm Double Negative Imperial Stout. In that review I stated that I felt that the original Double Negative Imperial Stout was better than both the Bourbon Barrel Aged and Maple Bourbon Barrel Aged variants. Then the week after, I reviewed the passion fruit variant of Oskar Blues Pinner Throwback IPA. That got me thinking about adding a different spin to my usual review format. Instead of just reviewing a beer and/or beers, I would pit the original beer versus its variant in a showdown for the ages to once and for all decide which one is better. While the next time I decide to do this I will go to a bottle shop and pick 2 beers, for this review I am looking no further than my personal collection.

For several months, I have been staring down bottles of Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot Barleywine and its whiskey barrel aged variant Insanity each time I opened the fridge. I kept telling myself I was going to use them for a later review when the time was right. I would then grab any other beer in the fridge and forget about them until the next time I was faced with the same dilemma. For some reason I was comfortable doing this because barleywines only seem to improve with age. Also, since I had yet to have either beer, a side by side comparison of these 11.1% titans seemed to be the only way to enjoy them. Well the time has finally come and I could not be more excited.

Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot & Weyerbacher Insanity look almost identical. They are a murky reddish-brown with an off-white head. There is a small amount of sediment in the Insanity but that is the only visible difference. The aroma and flavor however could not be any more different. Blithering Idiot is pretty much your standard barleywine. It's full of caramel and dark fruits. Immediately noticeable are fig, plum and raisin. There are some nice flavors going on here but the syrupy sweetness to Blithering Idiot becomes difficult to enjoy by the end of the glass. What really counts against it is there is almost no hop presence to provide balance here. As it warmed I found myself liking it less and less. Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot is a big, strong beer. It kind of works, but not nearly as well as it should.

On the other hand Weyerbacher Insanity is a bit more balanced. The whiskey barrel aging is right at the forefront. Whiskey was the first thing I tasted before getting notes of vanilla, plum, raisin, and fig with a nice oak finish. I was not crazy about this initially. I felt the whiskey just overwhelmed the beer. As it warmed, I found myself really enjoying Insanity. The strong oak, vanilla and whiskey flavors settled down nicely, providing a nice balance to the sweetness of the base beer. This is a really nice barleywine. Easily one of the better beers I have had from Weyerbacher.

For my first Original vs. Variant Battle, I have to give round 1(could be considered round 3) to the variant. Barrel aging took the fairly mediocre Blithering Idiot Barleywine and turned it into something nice. I am not telling you to run out and buy Insanity immediately. If you happen to come across it however it is well worth a purchase. It would compliment a cool fall night perfectly. Just drink it slow, let it warm up a bit and enjoy the journey.

In the battle of Base Beer vs. Variant, the winner is the VARIANT! (Weyerbacher Insanity Barleywine).


To discuss this blog or all things beer follow me on Twitter, Instagram & Untappd at @ACraftyLook

For more beer reviews go to: http://acraftylook.blogspot.com

Thanks for reading. Sláinte!