Karl Strauss 23rd Anniversary Old Ale

 received a bottle of Karl Strauss 23rd Anniversary Old Ale from my friend Rich in San Diego in a beer trade. The beer pours a caramel color with a with a frothy beige colored head. The aroma consists of caramel, oak, vanilla, bourbon, raisin, and fig. The taste is smooth at first before a strong bourbon bite kick in on the tongue. It is built upon caramel, fig, and raisin, but the vanilla, oak, and bourbon really shine. It had a little more carbonation than I expected from an Old Ale, but I think it still worked really well with the beer. The alcohol content is 12.2% ABV. I liked the mix of flavors in this beer and the strong presence of bourbon, and it did not take over the flavors in the beer.