Should auld acquaintance be forgot!
Beer Reviewed: Innis and Gunn Rum Cask
Style: Beer Aged In Rum Barrels
Brewery: Innis and Gunn
Discovery
My previous post detailed my background with this beer, and if you are in too much of a rush to read it, let’s just say my history is brief. I was interested in this gift pack, and I started off with their Original brew. Now I’m moving on to the Rum Cask beer, which is claimed to be aged in rum barrels.
The Beer
I’m evaluating beer with a more detailed set of characteristics. I hope this helps anticipate what your first taste will be like. Lets start with:
Quantitative parameters of the beer character:
- There isn’t any bitterness in this beer, as the nose predicted, it is a little sweet. Using The Hitchens Taste Scale, I would but this beer at about a -5. As I continued to drink this, it seemed to get sweeter and sweeter.
- The alcohol content of this beer is a little higher 7.4% Alc/Vol. Not much of a noticeable alcohol taste, but there may be a little something there.
- Coincidentally, the color is similar to a dark rum. If doesn’t seem cloudy, just a dark caramel color .
Qualitative parameters of the beer character:
- This type of aroma is new to me. It smells like a sweet rum, with lighter vanilla and toffee.
- The flavor is a mix of oak, rum and vanilla.
- Similar to their other beers, there isn’t much of an aftertaste, just a lingering mouthfeel.
- The mouthfeel is interesting, because I’m getting a tannin feeling of dry mouth, similar to drinking a Cabernet. The Wiki says you can pick up tannins from oak barrels, and if that’s so, that could be the reason.
- This is lightly carbonated with weak initial head that dissipates very quickly.
- Temperature - tried it a little warmer than usual by leaving it on my desk before pouring it. I think this beer would benefit from not being too cold.
Recommendation
I am enjoying this beer (yes, I’m blogging while drinking) and I am looking forward to trying the last beer in the gift pack. I would recommend it, especially if you’re looking for something sweet, with a depth of flavors that are new and exciting.
To repeat, I would like to know why is this called only ‘Beer’ and not something more specific, like Ale?
- Enthusiast
