Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

So, this past summer I was in Kentucky and had some Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale (see this site: http://www.kentuckyale.com). This is the best Ale I have ever had... unfortunately you cannot get it outside of Kentucky! Has anyone ever had this and if so, do you know of any home brew clones out there? I need this stuff again!

http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/bourbon-barrel-porter-extract-kit-1.html

Might be close.

Nah the porter probably won't be too close..about the only thing they would really have in common is bourbon flavoring with bourbon infused oak. Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale is just regular Kentucky Ale (which is described by the brewer as a combination of an English Pale and an Irish Red) aged in various bourbon barrels (the last time i heard it was Woodford Reserve). The regular ale is pretty mild in flavor and almost no hop character. Recently though it has been tasting cloyingly sweet and a bit yeasty/funky...I dunno what's up with it, might have something to do with the fact they fired the master brewer there (the one who came up with the bourbon barrel ale and the Kentucky Ale Light) and started to focus on making bourbon instead of beer. Altec brewing company in Lexington KY ages their Kentucky Ale in bourbon barrels for 6 weeks (i think that is what the guy said on the tour a few years ago). I really love the beer, but a lot of people claim it has way too much bourbon character and tastes kinda like a boilermaker..

I'm going to try and come up with something that will taste similar to this brew... do you have any idea how much oak chips soaked in bourbon I should try using? I have no experience with this type of thing at all thanks.

Ya it is a very good beer, we go down to Lexington, KY. every year and I usually bring back 2 cases of beer that I can't get here and 1 of them is the Kentucky bourbon barrel ale.

I tried a beer by Weyerbacher the other day called "Heresy" its an imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels, the bourbon really came through. I didnt particularly care for it but if you like Bourbon you might.

I've been on the Lexington Brewing Co tour before and they said that Bourbon Barrel Ale is simply their Kentucky Ale (English pale ale/Irish red hybrid) aged in once-used bourbon barrels for 4-6 weeks. So you're basically looking for a recipe for Kentucky Ale. All I know is that it includes imported malts and a little bit of wheat.

I like to use cubes and age for a longer period. I soak them until they no longer soak any bourbon. I use 3 oz of cubes and secondary for 6-8 weeks depending on base beer.

earwig-

you ever end up trying to make this? i'm up in ohio and we're the only other state this is sold in besides kentucky. i found it to be a really interesting beer. i'd be curious to know how yours turned out if you gave it a try.

I just attempted to make this beer by first creating a Kentucky Ale clone. It's only been in the bottle for a week but I changed the recipe a bit:

BeerSmith Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Bollocks ESB v2
Brewer: Michael
Asst Brewer:
Style: Extra Special Bitter
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.25 gal
Boil Size: 7.25 gal
Estimated OG: 1.053 SG
Estimated Color: 10.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 36.2 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
8.50 lb Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 85.00 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 10.00 %
0.50 lb Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM) Grain 5.00 %
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [4.50 %] (60 min) Hops 16.3 IBU
0.50 oz Fuggles [4.20 %] (Dry Hop 12 days) Hops -
1.00 oz Fuggles [4.20 %] (45 min) Hops 14.0 IBU
0.50 oz Fuggles [4.20 %] (30 min) Hops 5.9 IBU
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
1.05 tbsp PH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 60.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs British Ale (Wyeast Labs #1098) [Starter 4Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, No Mash Out
Total Grain Weight: 10.00 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Medium Body, No Mash Out
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Mash In Add 13.20 qt of water at 167.6 F 153.0 F
-----

After two weeks in primary I racked about 2 gallons into a Mr Beer keg with 1.5oz. of American oak chips that had been soaking in 200 mL of Maker's Mark for 4 weeks. I kept tasting and adjusting as the days passed and ended up using 3 ounces of oak chips and 8.5 ounces of bourbon total to make a Bourbon Barrel Clone. I think that was too much oak but I will post here in a couple of weeks to report how it turned out.

hibbleton-

i feel like oak chips soaked in bourbon aren't going to give you the taste you're after. i say this because bourbon is aged in charred oak barrels which is what the kentucky ale is in turn aged in.

i read about a lot of people trying to get a bourbon taste and getting a really aggresive oak taste like you mention and i feel like that is why.

i have no experience oaking beer myself, but i feel like if you were to get oak cubes and not chips and torch them with a propane torch or something and then soak them in bourbon you would get a much more realistic taste.

i don't think you want uncharred oak to ever touch your beer (or your bourbon) at all.

I am drinking a bottle right now. I fell in love with this beer when I got it on tap at a restaurant in Dayton, OH. Best. Thing. Ever. I would really like to know how this turns out. I do like the regular Kentucky Ale as well. And I'm a fan of anything bourbon. Sooooo, you do the math.

Can you get it anywhere around Youngstown? If not, when you make it down to Columbus or Dayton I'll point you in the right direction.

But the damn Ohio taxes, stuff ain't cheap.

BTW, I'm adding this to my 'planned' list right now.

ha yeah, we have a great beer place that has this on draft right now. it's called vintage estates wine and beer and they have a monster selection and some really awesome stuff on draft all the time.

if you're ever in youngstown you should stop there.

The best bourbon barrel is BBC Bluegrass Brewing Company.

SCARYLARRY said:

The best bourbon barrel is BBC Bluegrass Brewing Company.

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AMEN!!

The bourbon ale was absolutely amazing the first time I had it on draft. I must admit though that the drinkability was not there for me. After two my pallet was tired of the flavor. After that experience I have noticed the flavor has changed to get progressively more sweeter with a stronger vanilla note especially when bottled. I did read where someone mentioned a change the brew master but at the same time if the same bourbon barrels are not used everytime that may impart different characteristics upon the beer. If I were to clone this beer I would go with bourbon made closer to lexington such as woodford reserve, knob creek, etc. Makers is a fine bourbon but I feel that it will have too much bite and woodford would lack in that bite and would add part of that vanilla note.

I just tried a bottle of my Bourbon Barrel Ale clone and it isn't even close. You can barely notice the oak or bourbon and there's no vanilla taste. If I did it again I would used charred oak cubes and more bourbon (probably Woodford Reserve as mentioned above). If it gets better with age I'll let you know.

I was at a bar in the Lexington airport a few weeks back and got to try the Bourbon Barrel Ale. It was pretty good, but not excellent. A little too much vanilla for me. All I know is I had a couple and was walking a little crooked to my gate.

Had a friend bring me a 4 pack. $10 for 4. I wouldn't buy it again. It tasted, IMO, like a light Pale cut with 15-20% whiskey. I didn't think the beer was bold enough to support the whiskey.

ha, i think it is a really interesting beer. i almost have to be in more of a mood to drink bourbon than beer to drink it.

hibbleton said:

I just tried a bottle of my Bourbon Barrel Ale clone and it isn't even close. You can barely notice the oak or bourbon and there's no vanilla taste. If I did it again I would used charred oak cubes and more bourbon (probably Woodford Reserve as mentioned above). If it gets better with age I'll let you know.

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Did it at all taste like the original Kentucky Ale?

Just want to throw this out there, I am going to do a bourbon imperial stout for my wedding, and I was looking about the Interwebs and found a craft distillery in NY called Tuthilltown Spirits that will sell you a used 3 gal. bourbon barrel for $76. I am going to age half the batch in that and then blend it back together. They prime the barrel for you before they ship it and everything. They have 7 gal. and maybe larger barrels as well. I've had their 4-grain bourbon, it's god-awful expensive and sinfully tasty.

If anyone wanted to get really serious with a bourbon ale clone, this is how you'd do it.

cwaite37 said:

I am drinking a bottle right now. I fell in love with this beer when I got it on tap at a restaurant in Dayton, OH. Best. Thing. Ever. I would really like to know how this turns out. I do like the regular Kentucky Ale as well. And I'm a fan of anything bourbon. Sooooo, you do the math.

Can you get it anywhere around Youngstown? If not, when you make it down to Columbus or Dayton I'll point you in the right direction.

But the damn Ohio taxes, stuff ain't cheap.

BTW, I'm adding this to my 'planned' list right now.

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Belmont Party Supply in Dayton carry Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. It is amazing stuff. It is kinda like a Beam and Beer only better.

Anybody ever get something close to the Kentucky Bourben Ale. Had this again recently on a visit to Lexington for the Horse Show and was reminded of this thread.I would love to brew this one.

Anybody? Come on Yall sure you aint got nothin for me.

hibbleton, so how did this end up turning out. I am very interested in brewing this soon. Any pointers are appreciated.

I brewed hibbletons recipe with a few mods.
8.25 MO
1cry 60
1 wheat
1oz fuggle @ 45
.5 @30
.5. @20
British ale
6 oz medium toasted oak chips soaked 2 wks in Woodford Reserve 1 pint.
1 tblspn vanilla extract at kegging
2 wk primary then oak and Bourben for 3 wks.

Tasty brew. Not as dark as the real deal, maybe 3-5 less SRM. Real close. Still aging on oak in the keg at wk 6.

cavalier distributing has the rights to distribute Kentucky Ale products... if you can find someone in your area that has this vendor you should be able to order it.

BradleyBrew said:

cavalier distributing has the rights to distribute Kentucky Ale products... if you can find someone in your area that has this vendor you should be able to order it.

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I live on the Tn/Ky border, as far as i know they only distibute in Ky and parts of Oh, so it's just a 30 min drive for me. But at $10.99 a 4- pack it's to steep for a decent/good beer. I've paid less for great beers. My wife came back with some today so I could taste test side by side. Cheers.

I had a bottle of the Northern Brewer Bourbon Barrel Porter last night, and it might be the best beer I have ever had. And i am not a porter guy. My buddy said no more until Thanksgiving. Guess I will have to brew my own.

steveO, 6 oz of oak! Wow! I was thinking 2-3 oz of medium toast. I am definitely interested to here how this turns out. I think I will be brewing next weekend so I will have to get this ironed out. Are you planning on adding the bourbon, or just the bourbon soaked oak?

Well I moved it around a little and it stirred all kinds of Sh@t up. Seems the gelatin in the keg did not do as well as I thought either that or I still have a few more pints to pull before it clears.
I then preceded to the side by side taste test. You can definitely tell which one is homebrew and which one is the real deal from the looks. They both have the same flavor and slight aroma. The only real difference in taste is that the homebrew does not have as much vanilla flavor. Weird because I thought I used too much oak( 6 oz) for 3 wks and counting. So I think I'll add a couple of ounces of vanilla extract to the keg and see if it needs more.
I'll keep you posted on if it clears up or not. Cheers

Stevo2569 said:

So I think I'll add a couple of ounces of vanilla extract to the keg and see if it needs more.

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If you have not used vanilla extract in beer before I can say from experience that a little goes a LONG way and it is forever, or near forever! I added 1oz to a 5 gallon batch of beer, granted it was a lighter style beer and I now have 4 gallons of vanilla bubbly liquid. IMO I would start with 1/4 - 1/2 oz and taste it. It is easy to add more but pretty hard to remove. YMMV. GL.

Zamial said:

If you have not used vanilla extract in beer before I can say from experience that a little goes a LONG way and it is forever, or near forever! I added 1oz to a 5 gallon batch of beer, granted it was a lighter style beer and I now have 4 gallons of vanilla bubbly liquid. IMO I would start with 1/4 - 1/2 oz and taste it. It is easy to add more but pretty hard to remove. YMMV. GL.

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Good idea. Thanks

I like to have both. I think the KBBA is balanced pretty well. I read somewhere that the KBBA is in the Bourben barrel for 3-6 wks. So maybe it's my oak( American white oak).

You were right Union.
After 7 weeks on the oak the vanilla finally came through nice. We drank the last growler this past weekend and it was very close to the KBBA. Too bad it's all gone. Everyone loved it and I have had several request for it again, so it looks like I'll be doing a 10G batch next time.

Had it while in Louisville last week. Speaking of which, there are some incredible beer bars downtown. But this one was OK, not great.

Stevo, how much vanilla extract did you end up using? Your recipe called for a TBLSPN but you also thought Zamial's idea of adding less vanilla was a good one. Did you stick with 1 TBLSPN?