This beer pours out just a bit darker than I expected from the term "ale", but it still is a very attractive and golden amber to copper, depending upon the light. The off-white head pours out at about three fingers, but settled down to a thin film after only a about a minute or two. I would have liked the head to stick around a little bit longer, but this is still quite a nice looking ale.
Since I've got a few bottles, I'm going to highlight some of the differences that I notice as the beer warms up. A couple of the bottles were left out for varying times, and two were consumed cold. All temperatures were taken with the same infrared thermometer in the same shaker pint glass to make them as consistent as possible.
At about 40-45 degrees F: A strong caramel malt aroma - slightly sweet, with a bit of toffee, toasty bread, and vanilla as well. A surprisingly sweet taste, with lots of the malt flavors coming through,and only a hint of the smokey bourbon barrel notes coming out toward the finish. The finish is fairly quick, with a hint of the vanilla and oak flavors - slightly suggestive of the burn you can find in some whiskeys and bourbons.
From about 45-55 degrees F: The aroma is still pretty malt heavy, with a strong caramel malt sweetness. Even at this cooler temperature, though, the subtle bourbon barrels influence can be felt (and smelt,) with a prominent vanilla and a little smoke, oak, and even a hint of apple. At this temperature the taste is pretty clean and malty - the bourbon flavors are there - a bit stronger than before, but the strong caramel, toasty, toffee malt is quite prominent. A hint of the burn from a good bourbon is present in the finish, along with the vanilla and a bit of oak.
At about 60-65 degrees F: Things start to get more interesting! I'm not sure if this is temperature dependent or if it was me, but this bottle produced a lot more head - almost half a glass worth. It did settle down pretty quickly, but it was certainly noticeable. The first thing that I notice at this slightly warmer temperature is the although the malt aromas are still present, the bourbon notes are quite a bit stronger. Lots of vanilla, some maple syrup, oak, and a bit of char all become much more present in the aroma. Similarly, the taste become much more bourbon barrel focused. The malt flavors are still there, but they definitely play second fiddle to the bourbon at this temperature. The fruity and apple flavors were also a bit stronger at this warmer temperature. There is still a little bit of the bourbon 'burn' in the finish, but it's not any stronger or any more assertive than it was at a slightly cooler temperature. If you like bourbons (or want to get a 'lighter' bourbon experience), this is a much better temperature to shoot for. The finish is still quite clean and is mostly char/smoke from the barrels. No hint of the 8+ ABV (at any temperature), so be warned!
The body is medium - it pretty much straddles the line between a crisp, clean pale ale and a more full-bodied porter or stout. Part of me would like it to pick a side - a bit more body and this becomes a nice and warming fall or winter beer; a little less and it becomes something more suited for a summer evening when a whiskey is a bit too much.. As it is though, it's certainly well done, and it helps to remind you of the 8.2%ABV - which, again, quite well hidden.
Lots of bourbon flavors in a beer style that seems to support rather than compete with them. If you like whiskey, bourbon, or just good and interesting beers, you should definitely give the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale a fair shake. You won't be disappointed!
