Beer Review - Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

“I’ve never bought a beer in America before!”

My buddy was sincere. The awesome thing about Epcot’s World Showcase is there are so many food and drink options, that pints that seem familiar are ones that you can skip. And unless it’s a quick sandwich from Regal Eagle, like my buddy, I often skip over The American Adventure.

While wandering with our families, my buddy wanted a drink. At that moment, Block & Hans Fine American Ale was right beside us on the walkway in Epcot’s The American Adventure. He saw the phrase Bourbon Barrel and he wanted a try. So we each grabbed a caramel-colored draft from the list of six craft beers. Among the six there were beers like Orange Blossom Brewing’s “Orange Blossom Pilsner”, 3 Daughters Brewing’s Beach Blonde Ale, and Golden Road Brewing's’ “Mango Cart Wheat Ale” which can all generally be found in other locations within Walt Disney World. You could get a flight. But nothing here overlay screamed special beer.

Let me get back to the beer I grabbed. Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company’s “ Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale” is an 8.2% ABV and 19 IBU Strong Ale. The beer has some sweet caramelly tones from the combination of the style and the time spent aging in a bourbon barrel. The flavor is not overly strong, it does not hit you with whiskey tones. But it feels like it has been kissed lightly by time aging in a barrel after brewing. Honestly, it’s easy to drink, with the 8.2% ABV also not becoming apparent as I was willing to have another. It’s definitely better for me than a lager as the barrel and style impart just a tad more flavor.

I do chuckle. As “Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale” was over a decade for me a beer that I gave a 5 rating to on Untapped. Today, I give it a 3.0 rating. The reason today is that it is professionally made and meets my expectations of a Strong Ale. It is tasty. But it’s also not a game-changer that I would ever seek out intentionally when there are still so many great beers out in the wild. I would like to see the barrel be more pronounced to raise my rating. Just remember, your opinions can and will change.

Strong Ale is a beer that is as it says, strong. It is an ABV of more than 5%. But let’s be honest, so many craft beers are now over 5. So really you are looking at 7 to 11% ABV. A barleywine (meh) and old ale (which I more strongly equate to strong ale due to its sweetness). But a Strong Ale with some sweetness in the brew is fantastic after living in a barrel. But I really do look for the Old Ale callout to know that the beer has some sweet tones on its own.

“Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale” is a year-long beer that you will likely find in any market. Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company is a Lexington, Kentucky-based brewery and distillery that has been around for over 20 years. This brew has been sold since 2006, and in a chaotic beer market that is some staying power. Often with barrel-aged beer, the source of the barrel is a big selling point. Here, I assume they are using their own barrels from spirits that they make in-house. So no special statement is made about the barrels. I’d assume that the used barrel is from the Town Branch label that Lexington Brewing and Distilling bottles.

Who Drink This? I mean, for those who are wandering right next to Block & Hans, this is the beer I’d likely select from the list of widely available beers. But in most cases, I would keep wandering to another pavilion to try something more difficult to obtain outside of Epcot. If you want to begin to play with a barrel-aged brew, this is a good starting point. It has sweetness and it's not overwhelming in barrel character. So it’s a fine place to start. I’m a barrel-aged beer Disney adult. But for me, I want to have a more pronounced barrel character.