Heavy Seas has ramped up their flagship Loose Cannon India Pale Ale with time spent in bourbon barrels. The resulting brew pours with an orange-brown coloration and a good amount of offwhite head. There’s a goodly amount of wheat and malt notes at the beginning of the beer, with only the smallest astringent notes playing at the periphery of the nose. When one is finally able to experience the brew, they will be met with a bit of molasses and whiskey. This strong beginning moderates the hop bite present in traditional IPAs. The bold and brash opening showcases how heavy a beer this BBA Loose Cannon is. It can stand up strongly to beer roast, chutneys, and any other sorts of assertively-flavored cuisines.
Heavy Seas’ latest limited-time ale is able to maintain this heady collection of elements even as the effort continues to warm to room temperatures. While still firmly residing in the India pale ale space, this BBA Loose Cannon feels closer to a barleywine to me than anything else. If you like intense, engaging efforts out of your beers, Heavy Seas’ bourbon-barrel aged Loose Cannon should be something that you seek out sooner rather than later.
We have reviewed other Heavy Seas efforts in the past including their The Great’er Pumpkin, Blackbeard’s Breakfast, Winter Storm, and Red Sky at Morning. We were fortunate enough to check out Heavy Seas’ taphouse a few years back as well. To find out any additional information about Heavy Seas year-round and seasonal offerings, check out their domain. The brewery’s social media profiles keep things up to date nicely.
Rating: 8.6/10 [Experienced via 16 ounce can]
Bourbon Barrel Aged Loose Cannon IPA / 8.5% ABV / 2024 Heavy Seas Beer / Halethorpe, MD / http://www.hsbeer.com/ / http://www.hsbeer.com/beer/greater-pumpkin-ale/ / http://www.facebook.com/HeavySeasBeer