Rahr & Sons Bourbon Barrel Aged Winter Warmer
We take recently emptied barrels and refill them with our Winter Warmer English-Style Dark Ale. We then age this majestic ale for 10 weeks, resulting in a skillfully balanced, ambitious blend of dark malts and English hops, complimented by dark fruit, raisin and vanilla characteristics. The oak is very apparent, adding additional depth and complexity - yielding an ale that is large in personality. So raise a glass of holiday cheer!
3.8
195 reviews
Fort Worth, United States
Community reviews
12 ounce can poured into a snifter. The beer is a near black with a khaki head of foam. Sweet and boozy with notes of toffee and caramel. Sweet throughout. Big body and medium carbonation. Delicious beer.
Can. Nice bourbon barrel note to the aroma, little vanilla. Dark brown color with a reddish tint, off white head that fades quick, no lacing. Flavor has a very nice barrel note to it, slightly sweet, vanilla tone, very well rounded and smooth. Med to full body, creamy mouthfeel. Terrific barrel aged beer!
Enjoying a few local brews while in Texas and this one definately stands out. Very big beer with great bourbon taste. So good I think I am going to have a second. Someone call me an Uber.
The Rahr bombers have been a hit with me. First time out of the box with this one. Jeez, very nice. Complex. It displays great, dark brown with a healthy, lacy head. Smell is swell, all woody and spice. The taste is malt heavy, oak laden, a little caramel sweetness and a potent alcohol kick. Good job Fort Worth.
3 year aged bottle shared. Pours a deep, mahogany brown with 2 fingers of foam. Toasted caramel light vanilla and cream soda. Good brown ale, but not much barrel character.
Bottle shared by alexsdad06. Poured clear dark brown color with medium tan frothy head that mostly lasted with good lacing. Medium to heavy toasted dark malt, dark fruit and wood aroma. Medium to full body with a smooth texture and soft carbonation. Medium to heavy toasted dark malt flavor with a medium to heavy dark sweet finish of moderate to long duration. This is a solid interesting brew.
22 oz bottle from crajun shared with Tmoney99. Pours a cola brown color with a small beige head. The aroma and flavor have caramel, light spice, cocoa, dark fruits, vanilla, oak, smooth, solid enough.
12 oz can from Tavour shared with DrSilverworm. Pours a hazy brown color with a medium sized khaki colored head. The aroma and flavor have sweet malts, dark fruit, bourbon, vanilla, chocolate. Can read 10%.
Bomber pour with a nice, tan, puffy head. Aromas are dark fruits, vanilla bean, brown sugar, slight hops spice. Tastes are also on the sweet spectrum, with very little, noticeable bourbon accents. Not much of anything, but it does have a decent flavor. Just a bit too light in the overall mouthfeel and taste department for this style brew. Needs more bourbon "bite" and more "warmer" like the label says.
The aroma is of bourbon, vanilla. You can taste the bourbon with an additional oaky flavor. There is also a hint of sweet caramel at the end of the sip.
Etched glass bottle - Pours dark brown tan head. Nose/taste of bourbon, vanilla, caramel, dark fruit, raisin and oak - Medium body.
Bottle at tasting. Dark brown pour. Aroma of raisin, vanilla and chocolate. Taste of bourbony vanilla raisin, malt and red fruit. Good stuff.
sample at big texas beerfest pours black with a thin tan head. Aroma is light barrel, oak, vanilla, roast. Flavor is licorice, and light barrel elements of vanilla and wet wood. Enough roast to make the body interesting and the barrel is finessed enough to not be overbearing.
Black with fairly thick off-white head. Aroma is dark fruit and a little alcohol. Coffee is less prevalent than in the regular Winter Warmer. Bourbon barrel aging seems to mellow the coffee bitterness.
full review: https://buzzinggeek.wordpress.com/2015/01/18/beer-review-bourbon-barrel-aged-winter-warmer/
My nasal cavity might have been malfunctioning though, because it was quite difficult for me to get the little aroma I did.
The flavor was sweet malts with the palate being creamy and soft. Great brew!
Pours a deep, dark brown with little as far as head.....aroma of bourbon, toast, caramel,....taste is woody malt, raisins, bourbon, a touch thin, coffee and slight bitterness in the back end.....pleasant but not overbearing, a genuine winter warmer and it really opened up on warming.
2013 bottle thanks to crajun. Brown pour with a small head that fades to a ring. Aroma is very fruit and has a strong barrel influence. Raisins, dates, black cherries, vanilla, oak, and a little caramel. Tastes has a light candi sugar sweetness. Almost tastes like a quad. Strong dark fruit and raisin presence, lots of vanilla too. Some burnt caramel. Medium to full body. This is a nice, smooth sipper.
Bottle shared by ygtbsm94. Thanks Brad.
2012 vintage.
Mohagany body with a thin beige cap. Bourbon, oak, vanilla aroma. Sweet and chocolate tones followed by malt and vanilla. Light to medium in body with soft carbonation. Delicious.
Sample @ Great Arkansas Beer Fest. Brown pour with a small off-white head. Bourbon dominates the nose. Vanilla and hot caramel. Taste has some mellow chocolate. Hot bourbon. A bit of spice. Raisins. Full body, active carb.
Pours a deep brownish black from the bottle with thin bubbly tan head that leaves moderate lace. Aroma of smoke, roast, slight vanilla sweetness. Taste is like a big fruity sweet graham cracker, hints of vanilla and sweet smoke on the back end. Interesting, nice play on the winter warmer style, the booze is actually well hidden.
Dark roasted malts, bourbon, wood, and hints of dark fruit greet the nose while a dark brown pour produces no head or lacing. Wood, dark roasted malts, a coffee-like bitterness, bourbon, and notes of dark fruit in the finish. Medium-full body and medium carbonation. Round mouthfeel improve as it warms. Overall, this beer had all the elments I’m a sucker for, roastyness, dark fruit, bourbon, and a touch of wood. Well done.
Botttle from 2013. Poured 2014. Thin head. Black body. Sour sweet, licorice, chocolate. Thick body. Little to no carbs. Well balanced. Syrupy chocolate light coffee some bourbon. All around great beer minus the lack of carbs.
Draft. Deep clear amber color, thin wispy white head. Aroma of big bourbon, cocoa. Taste has more bourbon that overwhelms the beery characteristics.
Pours dark black, with very little head smooth vanilla and chocolate, finishes a little boozy.
Sampled at 2011 RBWG. Pours dark amber with a thin tan head. The nose is dark fruits, molasses, vanilla and bourbon. The taste is light spice, light chocolate, red fruits, caramel malt and bourbon. Medium mouthfeel.
Had at the Great Arkansas Beer Festival 2014. Pours a dark brown. Thin tan head. Aroma is bourbon and toffee, caramel. Flavor follows with some bourbon but mostly caramel and oakiness. Nice beer.
I used to really like this beer, the 2010, 2011, and 2012 versions were great. In 2013, there were many issues, and very inconsistent from bottle to bottle. One bottle I had, had a lot of bourbon in it, while another bottle had barely any. Just not what I expected after years of consistency. Ruined the beer for me.
(Backlog) Draft. Brune pour with tan head. Bourbon, oak, spice and sweet aromas. Flavor is lacking, light bourbon, dark fruit and alcohol tones.
Says 2013. Wanted to age it but it was my last beer on a Sunday morning. Oak. Nice reddish color. Tan head. Not a lot of booze flavor but its there. Dark Malts. Caramel. Espresso.
Bomber courtesy of Secret Santa. Thanks! Pours a dark brown color with a thin fizzy tan head. Fair head retention. Aroma of toffee, bourbon, wood, vanilla and a bit of apple. The taste is toffee, wood, apples, vanilla, bourbon. Thin-medium bodied, low carbonation, slight booze.
humm diddly This is an old log that I’m filling in so I do not remember the specifics of the tasting.