“Mashie is our awesome Wee Heavy Scottish Style Ale that we reserved for local Scissortail Distillery oak Bourbon barrels. The oak barrels smelled so good I coudln’t wait to add this great beer to them. I think you will agree local beer + local barrels = completely awesome!” – Elk Valley

Slight spoiler here, I agree that this is completely awesome.

Company: Elk Valley Brewing Company

Location: Brewed in Krebs, OK

ABV: 10.9%

Style/Description: Scottish Ale aged in Bourbon Barrels

Price: $5 (single 12oz bottle)

Appearance: Pours an opaque, deep (DEEP) caramel with a slight red tint. Almost no head, with subtle rising bubbles and no lacing.

Nose: Super boozy aroma with that bourbon coming through in a big way. Caramel, brown sugar, malty sweetness, and a hint of the way your house smells while you’re backing chocolate chip cookies in the oven. I don’t even need to taste it to know how thick and boozy this is going to be…oh but I very much want to taste it.

Taste: So thick and boozy. Brown sugar simple syrup, toffee, and almonds. The Bourbon barrel lends some nice vanilla, but not much oak or dryness on the taste. The carbonation is very low which really lends to that creamy mouthfeel, but I could use just a touch more to to break up the sweetness a bit.

Finish: Boozy, sticky, malty goodness is left, with the sweetness slowly giving way to some great oak barrel tannins and that almond nuttiness.

Overall: This is certainly a huge, sweet and boozy beer but with incredible balance. The sweetness is huge, but it doesn’t overwhelm because that finish evens everything out fantastically. This style really lends itself to aging in that Bourbon barrel, and I love the local beer and local Bourbon barrel idea behind this. Just the fact that a brewery can get locally sourced barrels makes me so happy inside.

I have to admit. I almost had to open a second bottle of this to finish my review because I drank it so fast. Normally beers that are this sticky sweet have me seeking out a bright, tart alternative for the next pour, but I damned near opened another one of these. I’m already realizing the 4 I bought (2 to drink, 2 to cellar) aren’t enough. Looks like I’ll be back at the store picking some more up in the next day or two. Get these while you can before they all end up at my house!

Rating: 4/5