Talk about a tasteful blend.
Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar has combined its penchant for whiskey with Aeronaut Brewing Company’s mastery of hops to create a barrel-aged beer.
The result is an approachable craft brew that strikes the right balance of bourbon and beer.
Background
From its expansive selection of whiskey to a downloadable app that enables guests to reap rewards for ordering it, Rosebud is big on brown spirits.
The Davis Square fixture recently gave a Buffalo Trace bourbon barrel to its neighbor, Aeronaut, which used it to age a toasted brown ale for 100 days. The beer was unveiled last night during a special event at Rosebud.
How’s it Taste?
I have mixed feelings about barrel-aged beers. I usually love the first few sips, with their rich complexity and oaky whiskey notes.
But by the time I’m halfway through the glass, I’m ready to be done. Barrel-aged beers tend to be overly boozy and aggressive in flavor, with the whiskey notes often overpowering the other flavors.
The Rosebud/Aeronaut collaboration is different.
The beer is far more drinkable than others I’ve tried. The whiskey notes are prominent but not dominant, and the flavors of oak and vanilla complement the nuttiness of the brown ale.
It’s also less potent than other barrel-aged beers. With an ABV of 5.1%, the up-front blast of booziness that you get with so many high-ABV beers is refreshingly absent.
The barrel-aged collaboration beer is available at Rosebud and Aeronaut, on draft and in cans. Get it while it lasts!
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