Williamsburg Alewerks Brewmaster's Reserve Grand Illumination

My buddy Matt brought over a bottle of Williamsburg Alewerks Brewmaster’s Reserve Grand Illumination Ale. The beer pours a caramel color with a thin bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists raisin, malts, caramel, grass, pepper, and toffee. The taste is smooth and very sweet with a large caramel and toffee flavor. A light spicy and peppery bite kicks in with a raisin finish. The alcohol content is 10.0% ABV. This was a wonderfully complex, well balanced, and quite flavorful barley wine. Earthy tones provide a nice balance to the bold and sweet flavors that come along with the barley wine.

Williamsburg Alewerks Brewmaster's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Porter

My coworker Jack brought me back a bottle of Williamsburg Alewerks Brewmaster's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Porter, an imperial porter, from his vacation in Virginia Beach. The beer pours a black color with a foamy tan head. The aroma consists heavily of chocolate, toasted malts, licorice, and caramel with hints of oak and bourbon. The taste is smooth and creamy with lots of chocolate, coffee, toasted malts, and caramel. The finish hits a bit on the oak on bourbon. The alcohol content is not posted online, but I would estimate it to be around 9.0% ABV. This is a really smooth drinking beer, with only the bourbon accents kicking the back sides of the mouth. It was really enjoyable and I recommend this to anyone that can get their hands on it.