Winter Beer Month: Fremont Bourbon Abominable

And so yet another Winter Beer Month ends. It's been fun, hasn't it? Of all of the great beers reviewed thus far, perhaps we've saved the best for last.

This wasn't always the plan. Originally I was going to do a review of this year's Ninkasi Sleigh'r release. It was going to be really sweet, too. Somehow I was going to work in Slayer the band and perhaps have the whole thing written as if I were Satan. Sorry to disappoint, but it's Josh's fault that I axed the plan. He had the gall to show up with a bottle of Fremont Brewing's Bourbon Barrel Abominable Winter Ale and then share it with me. What a jerk!

What makes this beer so special? If you haven't noticed yet, we kind of like bourbon-aged beers. We also dig Fremont Brewing. Combine those two and you know you're in for a treat. From Freemont:

Bourbon Barrel Abominable Winter Ale, aka BBomb, is aged in 15-year-old American Oak whiskey barrels. 2012's limited release is a blend of 15- and 7-month-old bourbon-aged Abominable Ale. BBomb achieves distinct bourbon, oak and vanilla flavors from barrel aging, balanced by chocolate roast malt, Noble hop aroma and subtle spice. Warm up to it. Don't Be Afraid To Be Abominable.

I'm not afraid to be abominable! Bring it on.

Brewery: Fremont Brewing
Style: Bourbon-Aged Stout
BeerAdvocate.com Rating: 98 community / 89 Bros
RateBeer.com Rating: 99 Overall
Serving: 22oz Bottle
ABV: 11%

Appearance: BBomb pours jet black with only a super thin lace of tan head that quickly dissipates. If any beer truly lives up to the used motor oil analogy, this is it.

Smell: Sweet aromas like caramel and brown sugar arrive first. Lot of vanilla and bourbon behind it.

Taste: It's almost like a vanilla sugar cookie with chocolate on it and then laced with bourbon. Josh and I got big hues of chocolate, vanilla, and toffee. Interestingly enough, vanilla starts the experience, gives way to the other flavors, and then comes back as the taste dissipates off of your palate. It's thick, boozy, and sweet enough to the point where one is definitely enough. Think of this as less a winter warmer and more of a winter passer outer.

All in all, this is a phenomenal winter beer with an incredibly small release. This particular bottle had to be procured through a colleague that lives in a different part of Seattle than Josh, so you may not have much luck at this point. If you do, snatch it up and have a glass while just relaxing at home on a cold evening.