Trinity Brewing Chilly Water
I picked up this wax-sealed bottle of Trinity’s Chilly Waters much earlier this year and held on to it for a month or so before opening. That short time in my cellar didn’t have any affect on this beer by any means, but this 8.5% ABV porter tastes fairly old. There’s a twinge of age to the nose and flavor that could be from the barrel aging process — an influence that imparts a subdued flavor on the base porter.
A whisper of woodiness and distant bourbon lingers at the edges of cocoa, a soft roast and Baltic porter twanginess. It’s not that dynamic of a beer in terms of flavor, but it still offers an interesting profile. Perhaps I was expecting some more bourbon’y oomph or stronger influence in that regard. I suppose the wax-seal presentation sort of sets certain expectations that this porter didn’t quite meet.
Chilly Waters isn’t a bad beer by any means. You can tell a good deal of work went into making it. It’s just a shame that the bourbon doesn’t impart more of a presence with the brew’s dark depths. The unknown age of the beer could have affected this part of the experience, as well, as flavors fade over time.