22 oz. Bottle
Cognac barrel aged English style barley wine.
Pours a medium darkness brown with hints of red to it, a really gorgeous beer. Slight khaki ring of bubbles around the top of the glass. Smells of sweet fruit (getting some strawberry and raisin), caramel, vanilla, and a little bit of alcohol. Not too much alcohol, this beer smells really delicious.
On the taste there's some fruit (again strawberry and raisin), but dominant smooth vanilla, toffee, burnt sugar, and caramel - all of these flavors work really well together and are spot on for the style. Alcohol is apparent, Cognac specifically. Also seems to be some kind of maple or molasses notes working in the background. Nice balance on the flavors. Carbonation might be a little to high for the style, but other than that, everything seems to be in just about perfect balance. ABV of 12% is very well hidden, just some very minor alcohol notes from the cognac aging stand out.
I feel like this would be the perfect beer to enjoy on a cool late fall night with a cigar out on the deck. Really nice flavors at work. Think I'll pick up another bottle and hold it until October/November.
Other than the carbonation being a little too high (and that's really just me nitpicking), my only other wish is that the cognac aging was a little more present; it's a little more subtle than I would have liked it to be. I'm not saying I'd like the equivalent of Bourbon County aging, just a month or two more in the barrel would have been perfect for this one (again, though, this is still a fantastic beer).
Overall Rating: 4.65/5
Cognac barrel aged English style barley wine.
Pours a medium darkness brown with hints of red to it, a really gorgeous beer. Slight khaki ring of bubbles around the top of the glass. Smells of sweet fruit (getting some strawberry and raisin), caramel, vanilla, and a little bit of alcohol. Not too much alcohol, this beer smells really delicious.
On the taste there's some fruit (again strawberry and raisin), but dominant smooth vanilla, toffee, burnt sugar, and caramel - all of these flavors work really well together and are spot on for the style. Alcohol is apparent, Cognac specifically. Also seems to be some kind of maple or molasses notes working in the background. Nice balance on the flavors. Carbonation might be a little to high for the style, but other than that, everything seems to be in just about perfect balance. ABV of 12% is very well hidden, just some very minor alcohol notes from the cognac aging stand out.
I feel like this would be the perfect beer to enjoy on a cool late fall night with a cigar out on the deck. Really nice flavors at work. Think I'll pick up another bottle and hold it until October/November.
Other than the carbonation being a little too high (and that's really just me nitpicking), my only other wish is that the cognac aging was a little more present; it's a little more subtle than I would have liked it to be. I'm not saying I'd like the equivalent of Bourbon County aging, just a month or two more in the barrel would have been perfect for this one (again, though, this is still a fantastic beer).
Overall Rating: 4.65/5
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