Barrel Aged Naked Evil BBW

Brewer: Hoppin' Frog Brewery, Akron, Ohio
Alcohol Content: 11.3%

Official Description from Brewer:
"Aging in oak barrels added a memorable richness, that we seek to achieve with this barrel aged Belgian-style barley wine-style ale. Being the ideal celebration beer to release on our 5-year anniversary, Barrel Aged Naked Evil is fermented with both British and Belgian yeasts and aged in whiskey barrels for a lightly spicy twist on this old-world beer style. Sweet malt flavors will become smoother and rich dark fruit characters will build with time, to add a wonderful complexity and depth of flavor."

Wilk's Take:
I procured Naked Evil during WiseGuy's "Rare" beer sale.  I am not particularly sure why I let the bottle fester in the depths of my refrigerator as long as it did, but last night I cracked it open.  Naked Evil by far is unlike any other beer I have ever tried.  This does not mean it's the best, nor does it mean it's the worst, just very unique.

The label is an unassuming black and white description of the beer itself and the impetus behind why it was even brewed in the first place.  The abbreviation in the name stands for Belgian-style Barley Wine.  A word of caution: if and when you decide to investigate this beer further, do not Google the word naked and BBW in the same line without being very specific.

Naked Evil poured a rusty orange color and the smell was reminiscent of the English style barleywine I previously encountered by Heavy Seas: sweet, richly sweet.  The difference here is that Naked Evil was aged in whiskey barrels and much like with any bourbon beer brewed today the sweetness of the whiskey is pronounced in every way.

At 11.3% this beer knocked me around quickly.  My last beer, Black Sun by Three Floyd's, was a stout with 50 IBU and reminded me of a black IPA.  This beer labels 48 IBU and I wasn't able to tell if hops had been included at all.  Any bitterness that was added in the process disappeared over time.  I never found a beer that tasted nothing like beer until I met Naked Evil.

Suggestion: Not sure if you can find Naked Evil any more because it was a 5 year anniversary release.  I was fortunate to snag a bottle and am thankful that I did.  If you are lucky enough to find it, grab it and drink it near a fire, because that's what it feels like you should do.

Value: I purchased the bottle for $25 at the rare beer sale and if you read this blog regularly you might know that I have another two bottles in the beer cellar.  Maybe they'll be worth more some day.  But letting them age could also alter the taste, so maybe we'll run that experiment later.

Michelle Factor: Michelle is a little under the weather and is opting out of a lot of great beer.  I even mentioned Naked Evil's lack of "beerness" and she still said no.  Maybe next time.