Deep Wood 2024: The ‘Wines | Revolution Brewing
And we’re back again. Revolution continues with their 2024 Deep Wood series, this time mostly featuring their barleywines and ryewines. Straight Jacket and Ryeway to Heaven return yet again, while Double Barrel V.S.O.R. makes its first appearance. For their Twenty Ten Variant release, Revolution went with D.B.X.O.D. Le Tronçais (which I’ll explain below). Let’s get into it.
Straight Jacket | 15% ABV
Straight Jacket will always be in the Deep Wood lineup. If it doesn’t that means something at Revolution has gone sideways. So, yes, Straight Jacket is back and as good as ever.
I won’t insult you by copying last year’s review of Straight Jacket but I could. It’s the same beer every year with some very minor variations. As soon as I pour it I know I’m home. It pours a caramel color with some orange tones. Two fingers of head that quickly vanishes like soda. Crimson highlights in the glass when held up to the light. Alcohol stain on the glass. Only difference this year? I’m seeing legs running down the side on this year’s.
Aroma follows that familiarity. Usual caramel, brown sugar, and butterscotch notes fill the glass. Some vanilla, oak, bourbon and raisin join in the fun as well. I’m getting some bonus chocolate aromas on this year’s as well. Nice bonus! Drinking it reminds me of how good Straight Jacket is. Smooth, butterscotch, and a dry finish that leaves you wanting more. Some vanilla and fruits join in and that bonus chocolate shows up as well! The dry finish helps keep it from going to sweet and the whole 12 ounce experience is over before you know it.
As I say every year, grab a $25 4-pack of this and enjoy. Stupid value and consistency year-to-year make Straight Jacket a must-enjoy. Purchase with confidence!
Ryeway to Heaven | 15% ABV
Like Straight Jacket, Ryeway to Heaven’s back again. The preferred choice for those that love tons of rye spices, Ryeway to Heaven varies more year-to-year. Personal bias – I’m more of a Straight Jacket supporter, but the Ryeway this year holds its own as one of the better ones in recent memory.
Ryeway to Heaven pours a caramel brown color with two fingers of khaki head. That head quickly disappears, leaving behind a beer that rests in the glass a shade darker than Straight Jacket. It has similar crimson highlights when held up to the light as Straight Jacket as well as a similar alcohol staining on the glass. As usual, baking spices or rye jump out first, followed by brown sugar and toffee. Some bourbon, dark fruits and light chocolate notes show up as well. It honestly smells sweeter than previous years’.
For me, Ryeway to Heaven historically has baking spices (or rye spices) and big bready notes. While that is the case here, a hint of chocolate has joined in on the fun, adding a little complexity to things. Dark fruits come out to play late in the sip while some alcohol heat – just a little – can be felt throughout the sip. Some brown sugar shows up as well and the whole endeavor goes down easy. The mouthfeel is a bit thicker than I remember, but still in the medium range and somehow thins out a bit as you drink.
This Ryeway to Heaven is one of my favorites in recent memory. It being easy to drink and having the bready and spice notes are a given. The slightly thicker mouthfeel and chocolate notes hanging around make this one more enjoyable and different from the recent vintages. It still lacks some of the complexity of Straight Jacket, but I wouldn’t kick this one out of bed.
Double Barrel V.S.O.R. | 16.3% ABV
A new addition to the regular lineup, Double Barrel Very Special Old Ryeway (DB V.S.O.R.) comes at you with 16.3% ABV of Ryeway. While not expected, it’s not a complete surprise as Revolution released DB V.S.O.J. in January 2023 and DB V.S.O.D. a year ago, so this is officially a thing now with V.S.O. Deep Wood beers. MORE INFO
DB V.S.O.R. pours the same caramel brown color as Ryeway but with way less head. It sits in the glass much darker than Ryeway, with absolutely no light getting through. Of course there is copious alcohol staining and legs on the glass – it’s 16.3% ABV! The aromas generally follow Ryeway but have one exception. The spices, dark cherries, raisins and bourbon from the barrels come through the same, but DB V.S.O.R. features a very healthy amount of bitter chocolate on the nose. On Ryeway it was light or a suggestion; on DB V.S.O.R. it’s starring.
DB V.S.O.R. naturally exists as an amped up, more complex, and better integrated version of Ryeway to Heaven. Despite being higher in alcohol, it’s smoother and easier to drink. It helps that no barrel burn comes at you when you drink it. Some toffee and bread notes support things. The rye spices integrate much better with the beer. But the real star here is the dark chocolate. It adds a little more character and flavor difference to the base Ryeway, almost making it like a spiced hot chocolate. It is quite remarkable.
The natural comparison then goes to DB V.S.O.J. DB V.S.O.J. reaches higher heights of flavor and complexity but it also comes at you sweeter. Like I could only finish one can of it. DB V.S.O.R. doesn’t go that hard on complexity when compared, but I could easily drink at least 2 cans of it in one sitting. I actually might fall on the DB V.S.O.R. side of things due to the lack of comparable sweetness. But it’s close.
D.B.X.O.D. Le Tronçais | 16.4% ABV
Big can, big name. D.B.X.O.D. Le Tronçais enters as the third 19.2 ounce Twenty Ten variant beer and it might be the best. I’m guessing the acronym stands for Double Barrel eXtra Old Deth. The extra old comes from the fact that this beer sat in barrels for 3-plus years minimum. It was then finished on single-origin, hand-fire-toasted oak from the Tronçais forest in central France. Typically used in some of the best red wines from France and the United States, this is some seriously excellent oak.
D.B.X.O.D. Le Tronçais pours a cola brown color – exactly like Deth’s Tar. The khaki head evaporates very fast and no light really gets through. An oily layer sits on the top of the beer while some serious alcohol stain and crazy legs coat the glass. The first thing that hits the nose – even right after opening the can – is booze. It fills the room and I could smell it 6 inches away. Actually diving in reveals an absurd amount of chocolate and vanilla. I did dig deeper on this but I would’ve been content with the boozy s’mores aroma. But yes, some roast, oak, dark fruits and smoke are there and do add some depth to the beer. But that chocolate and vanilla.
Guess what? D.B.X.O.D. Le Tronçais hits you hard and fast with big notes of chocolate and vanilla. Remember all that booze/alcohol burn on the nose? Little to none on the palate. Some dark cherries, a little char and some smoke round things out on the tongue. Somehow the beer finishes very dry, exhibiting little to no sweetness. Remember how Dread & Breakfast somehow achieved that maple syrup flavor without any of the sweetness? Same thing here, except it’s that s’mores-like flavor. The mouthfeel stays in the medium zone, with just a little of the chocolate and vanilla hanging around long after the sip. Enough of it to make you want more!
How do I know this beer isn’t sweet at all? My wife had some and asked for another sip. She hates sweet things and is very sensitive to it. It was so flavorful and easy to drink that I finished the entire 19.2 ounce can easily. I’ll assume it’s the Tronçais oak that’s causing that dry finish but it doesn’t really matter what’s causing it. D.B.X.O.D. Le Tronçais is delicious and one of the best Deep Wood beers Revolution’s ever released. What’s crazy is DB V.S.O.R. isn’t far behind it either.
As I posted on social media, this might be the best single release of Deep Wood beers from Revolution. The Ryeway to Heaven is one of the best vintages of it in years and it might be fourth on this list. That’s nuts. Get the set and devote a night (or weekend) to enjoying all four of these beers.
