In the before time, the long long ago, beers would be referred to by the price per hogshead. This was widespread practice, but Scottish Ales are still referred to by their Shilling categories, even after Shillings became an obsolete form of currency. 90 Shilling was generally the Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy designation, so I’m not sure what 88 Shilling means, but hey, it seems close enough. Also a pretty sweet price for 50+ Imperial Gallons of beer, but then, inflation is a bitch. Brewed in South Florida and aged in bourbon barrels for 13 months (usually hard to tell how long is best for beer and many other factors are involved, but 13 months seems like more than most, and I know that sometimes those extra few months make a big difference…), let’s take a closer look at this one:
Due South The Bourbon Barrel Aged 88 Shilling – Pours a dark brown color with copper highlights and a finger of short-lived off white head. Smells of toffee, caramel, dark fruit, and just a little of the bourbon, oak, and vanilla trinity. Taste is a little less impressive, feinting towards rich caramel but not fully following through as the flavors drop out into a more fruity malt character, with the bourbon and oak pitching in and doing their best, but not quite elevating this to where it needs to be. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, a little thinner than expected for a BBA beer, appropriate carbonation, maybe even a little dry (which may be the culprit here, even if it’s still very nice), quite approachable actually. Overall, it’s a good, solid beer, but it’s not a top tier Scotch Ale. B
Beer Nerd Details: 8% ABV bottled (22 ounce bomber). Drank out of a tulip glass on 4/8/16.
Solid stuff. Many thanks to Kaedrin beverage compatriot Steve for slinging this my way. We’ll probably be seeing more South Florida beers if Steve has anything to say about it (I’m looking at you, Funky Buddha!)