Olde Hickory Brewery Seven Devils
Seven Devils weighs in at 8% ABV. It is a bourbon barrel aged Scottish Ale. Olde Hickory describes it as a rich, smooth malt blended with the complex flavors of bourbon and as like drinking a candy bar. It pours a dark caramel color and generates a thick head that unfortunately dissipates quickly. The predominate smells of this are caramel and bourbon. It has a strong bourbon taste that masks almost everything else. It tastes very much like a sweetened glass of a classic American Bourbon. The candy bar comment is justified as this beer is what a bourbon candy bar must taste like. It certainly hints at it's roots as a Scottish Ale but those flavors have a lot to fight through to really be appreciated. This beer tastes like the barrel still had some bourbon left in the bottom when they put the beer in for aging. This is a seasonal that I assume they release in late January or early February based on the enjoy before date of July '13. This is a beer I'm not going to recommend to a general crowd, although I think you'll be hard pressed to find a generally accessible bourbon barrel aged beer. I'm a big fan of bourbon barrel aged beers and this one is a bit over the top for my tastes; still a great beer but they could have dialed the bourbon flavor back just a touch. If you are a fan of the style this is one you should pick up now while it's still in season. It would certainly hold it's own against other bourbon aged beers. If I were splitting the bottle with a friend and I had the choice between this and a more expensive beer like Bourbon County Stout (I know it's not available in Carolina but I'm from Chicago so it's something I'm very familiar with) I would confidently choose the Seven Devils. It has a similar sweetness, lower alcohol, and similar bold bourbon flavor.
Seven Devils weighs in at 8% ABV. It is a bourbon barrel aged Scottish Ale. Olde Hickory describes it as a rich, smooth malt blended with the complex flavors of bourbon and as like drinking a candy bar. It pours a dark caramel color and generates a thick head that unfortunately dissipates quickly. The predominate smells of this are caramel and bourbon. It has a strong bourbon taste that masks almost everything else. It tastes very much like a sweetened glass of a classic American Bourbon. The candy bar comment is justified as this beer is what a bourbon candy bar must taste like. It certainly hints at it's roots as a Scottish Ale but those flavors have a lot to fight through to really be appreciated. This beer tastes like the barrel still had some bourbon left in the bottom when they put the beer in for aging. This is a seasonal that I assume they release in late January or early February based on the enjoy before date of July '13. This is a beer I'm not going to recommend to a general crowd, although I think you'll be hard pressed to find a generally accessible bourbon barrel aged beer. I'm a big fan of bourbon barrel aged beers and this one is a bit over the top for my tastes; still a great beer but they could have dialed the bourbon flavor back just a touch. If you are a fan of the style this is one you should pick up now while it's still in season. It would certainly hold it's own against other bourbon aged beers. If I were splitting the bottle with a friend and I had the choice between this and a more expensive beer like Bourbon County Stout (I know it's not available in Carolina but I'm from Chicago so it's something I'm very familiar with) I would confidently choose the Seven Devils. It has a similar sweetness, lower alcohol, and similar bold bourbon flavor.
