Kentucky Old Fashioned Barrel Ale

This beer take on the Old Fashioned cocktail is from Alltech's Lexington Brewing Company of Lexington, Kentucky.  It is an ale brewed with cherries and orange peel, aged in oak bourbon and bitters barrels.

The beer pours amber and copper in color. There is a half-inch of very light tan head, not long-lasting. The aroma is sweet, tangy, oaky, malty, with caramel malt, oak, and fruit, the orange peel and cherry evident, mild bourbon. The taste follows the aromas, hitting all the same notes. There is sweetness, but the finish is dry, astringent, and fairly bitter. The beer drinks smooth, with enough carbonation to make it tingle strongly. This is a nicely done idea.