Mar 26, 2013

Boulder Beer Company Killer Penguin

I’ve only had one other beer from Colorado’s Boulder Beer Company and that was an IPA back in June of 2010. I can’t say that I remembered having that particular beer when I noticed this bottle of Killer Penguin, the company’s 10% ABV barley wine. I suppose I was taken in by the wax seal or the wooden 2012 badge embedded within the red wax.

It’s always interesting to try out a beer for the first time after it’s already been in the bottle for a bit. I prefer to experience the beer fresh the first time through an then compare those impressions with that of a vintage dated bottle, but we can’t always get what we want. In the case of Killer Penguin, we’ve got here is a decent barley wine with a rather subdued character.

Appearance

The beer pours a brilliant orange-tinted amber with a thin cover of light tan foam.

Aroma

Toffee, caramel, light stone fruits and a touch of alcohol form an aroma that is rather nondescript.

Taste

Much like the nose, the flavors of this brew are on the tame side. It is a malt-forward beer that brings a decent amount of caramel up front and fades smoothly through a bit of a fruity presence before finishing with a sweet, warming finish. There’s a hint of hop bitterness late toward the end. The malt sweetness seems to grow with each sip as the beer warm’s in the glass.

Overall

This particular bottle of Killer Penguin doesn’t taste especially aged, so I’m assuming it still has some more shelf-life to it, but as it stands it’s a rather middle-of-the-road brew. It’s got an unassuming character, but when you’ve got a big beer like this barley wine, you’d like a little more personality aside from just a fun name.

Rating: 3.5/5

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