The Judges:
Myself, Ryan Turner (@rjjturner), Dan Weiser (@badger_alum1) and Kristin Turner
The Competitors:
Olde Hickory Seven Devils, Founders Backwoods Bastard, Thirsty Dog Wulver, Tyranena Shaggin’ in the Wood, Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Scotch
The Rules:
The beers are blinded so none of the judges know which beer is in each glass. Each of the judges will pick their favorite brew based solely on personal preference. Each judge ranks the beers in order 1-5 and then points will be tallied, lowest score is crowned the champion. Here are the results:
The Results:
1. Central Waters Bourbon Barrel Scotch – 6 points
2. Olde Hickory Seven Devils – 9 points
3. Thirsty Dog Wulver – 10 points
4. Founders Backwoods Bastard – 16 points
5. Tyranena Shaggin’ in the Wood – 19 points
Personal Reaction:
I have to start at the top with another victory for the barrel program at Central Waters. They won the Bourbon Barrel Barleywine Taste-off, which featured some heavy hitters so I have to really commend the work they are doing in Amherst, Wisconsin. The scotch from Central Waters collected two first place votes and two second place votes. I had it as my second favorite beer on the day because it had so many layers of flavor that played perfectly with the barrel flavors. It even had a touch of sweetness at the end, which I am starting to recognize more and more in scotch ales. The first time I had that beer it has almost an old ale type of flavor to it, which might be that sweetness at the end. My favorite beer of the day was Wulver, which was very close to Central Waters. This beer epitomized what I look for in a Wee Heavy, an almost harsh booziness that cuts the onslaught of maltiness. Really beautifully done in my opinion and the reason most rated it lower was because of the booziness. I thought Olde Hickory and Backwoods Bastard both highlight the barrel, but didn’t provide a solid enough base beer as support. At 8%, Seven Devils was much more successful and everyone seemed to agree. I had always been a fan of Backwoods Bastard, but it really didn’t compare to the 3 beers above it. The flavor fades away far too fast, maybe at almost a year old it should have been consumed sooner. Not much to say about Tyranena other than it was out of its league and it had a coffee flavor that did not belong.