Shotgun Wedding

I found myself in Bardstown, Kentucky--Bourbon Capital of the World--with the Bitter Wife and two great friends. After an afternoon spent touring a distillery, I needed a bit of a break from the Kentucky Brown, so we ducked into the 3rd Street Tap House for a quick brew.

I selected a pint of Shotgun Wedding, a 5.3% alcohol vanilla brown ale brewed by Country Boy Brewing, in Lexington, Kentucky.

 

My pint poured hazy, with an amber-brown hue and thinnish layer of off-white head. It had a warm, toasty malt nose with smooth vanilla tones and some caramel sweetness. The flavour is incredibly mild, but sweet. It has a malt focus with understated vanilla bean notes. It finishes sweetly, with a slightly toasted quality and just a hint of bitterness.

I thought that shotgun wedding was pretty decent, though not really anything to write home about. It was mellow and approachable, but a bit too sweet for a second.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Home Sweet Home

Brewed with honey malt and vanilla beans and packed into a 650mL bottle, Home Sweet Home fairly jumped off the shelf and into my arms. This wheat ale, from Whitby, Ontario's 5 Paddles Brewing Co., contains 5.5% alcohol.

Home Sweet Home is a very pretty beer--brassy, slightly hazy, and topped with a blanket of white head. It is possessed of a sweet and smooth nose that blends honey with fresh grains. Notes of vanilla become more evident in the flavour, which is extremely sweet and a bit syrupy.

This beer is unique, particularly as a flagship brew. It has a nice, mellow vibe that is complimented by its appearance and folksy name. My biggest complaint has to do with over-sweetness, but really, when you're dealing with a vanilla-honey ale, sweetness is probably to be expected. The beer tasted fresh and pleasant. It's worth a trip to a local beer vendor.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Leather Interior

According to the tap list at Bar Hop, Redline Brewhouse's Leather Interior is a brown ale with vanilla beans and toasted almonds. It sounded like a dessert to me, and given that I was stuffed to the gills with brunch, I figured I'd give it a whirl. At 5.4%, this beer outta Barrie, Ontario, wasn't overly potent--just warm.

My 15oz glass of ale showed up looking pretty--chocolate brown with ruby highlights, under a fog of creamy head. The nose had a large molasses presence built around a roasted malt body, and, most notably, a huge vanilla tone. The flavour starts like a classic brown ale; all roasted malt business. But as each sip progressed, rich notes of vanilla and mocha became evident. 

Innovative and nicely executed, Leather Interior left me feeling mellow and satisfied. This beer had a smooth, creamy mouthfeel that really suited its flavour profile. It wasn't necessarily a great choice for a sunny, summery afternoon, but I was pleased to have it. A bit more booze could have helped the cause a bit, though, by amping it up to a true dessert beer. Also worth noting, this beer had the potential to be too sweet, but managed to stay on the happy side of that particular line.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.