beer_name: John John Dead Guy Ale
text: 22oz bottle into Duvel tulip. Appearance: Tentative pour yields a 1 inch fluffy and fizzy head that dissipates quickly leaving no lacing. Pours a deep, clear but not quite translucent amber with bubbles rising in the middle. No lacing. Smell: Big and inviting smell of vanilla, coconut, some sweet malt, and (most of all) whiskey. The aroma calms down as I get through the bottle. Whiskey stays at the forefront, while the vanilla and coconut pull way back, though they don't disappear. Taste: First sip is a creamy hit of vanilla and coconut, with whiskey and some hops entering fast and sharpening up the flavor, then a smooth malty finish. The nice oak and vanilla flavors color the whiskey and malt notes. It's clear right away that the aging has vastly enriched the flavor of this beer. The whiskey influence is perfect. My only complaint is that the malt notes are already rather subtle on the first sip, and get dominated away as the beer warms and I get deeper into the bottle. If the malt could stand up to the whiskey, this would easily be a 4.5 or 5.0 scoring beer. Even so, the flavor is bold and good enough to keep me interested for the entire bottle. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and occasionally creamy, with lively carbonation. I would prefer it to be a bit fuller-bodied. Drinkability: Very good. It has a really nice whiskey character with just 6%~ ABV. A better mouthfeel would raise this a bit, but as is I'd be happy to have another bomber of this to myself. Honestly, before this beer I've never been impressed by Dead Guy Ale, or anything I've tried from Rogue. Dead Guy isn't a bad beer, it's just not a great beer. Apparently aging it in whiskey barrels makes it a great beer. The harsh whiskey note is exactly what it needs, given that my main complaint about Dead Guy is that it's too bland and sweet. The whiskey barrel aging gives character to the sweetness and boldness to the flavor (and aroma) as a whole.