Wine barrel aged imperial stout from this craft brewer in Connecticut, thanks tderoeck for sharing the bomber! Thin and open, pale greyish beige, irregular and dissipating head on a blackish beer with thin burgundy reddish edges. Aroma of caramel sauce, nougat, hazelnut paste, roasted pecan nuts, walnut liqueur, candied dates, cola, full-bodied red wine, vanilla-ish oak wood, cocoa nibs. Sweet onset with aspect of candied dates and figs, candied cherries perhaps, very dense, and softly carbonated; light sourish undertone. Smooth, full body, 'deep' toffeeish and milk-chocolatey maltiness with a growing bitterness to it, ending in cappuccino-like roastiness, yet remaining relatively mild; herbal (tea) and dried old citrus peel-like aspects adorn the finish, as does a soothing, complex glow of old port-like alcohol, with indeed - in the end - a certain grape skin wryness and lots of woody tannins, without descending into 'dirty' wine yeast tartness. Classic U.S. style craft beer, powerful and clean at the same time, with the wine barrel element having been remarkably well integrated - providing a bit of sour fruitiness and dry tartness without 'disturbing' the beer's own character. An underexposed and, for me, newly discovered beauty.

Got in a BIF from Roguer. 22 ounce bottle into signature teku glass, bottled in 1/2016. Bottle #1542/1624. Pours nearly opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy tan head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, vanilla, toffee, raisin, plum, date, cherry, berry, red grape, toasted oak, and nuttiness; with light smoke, leather, pepper, tobacco, and roast/toast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt and wine barrel notes; with great strength. Taste of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, vanilla, toffee, raisin, plum, date, cherry, berry, red grape, toasted oak, and nuttiness; with light smoke, leather, pepper, tobacco, and roast/toast/oak earthiness. Light roast bitterness and wine/oak tannin spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, vanilla, toffee, raisin, plum, date, cherry, berry, red grape, toasted oak, light leather/smoke, and roast/toast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt and wine barrel flavors; with an awesome roasted bitter/sweet balance, and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Slight dryness from roast bitterness and wine/oak tannin, lightly increasing through the glass. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety, and lightly chalky/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is awesome Alcohol is well hidden with a mild warmth lingering after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic wine barrel aged imperial stout! All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malt and wine barrel flavors; very smooth and easy to sip on for the ABV. Very rich for the ABV. Great wine barrel balance without getting too fruity, tannic, or drying. A highly enjoyable offering.

Poured from bottle #214 of 1624 dark amber cola pour with a nice mocha head and some lacing. Aromas of dark fruit malt caramel vanilla. Taste is wine oak barrel malt and vanilla creamy mouthfeel. Well done.

Bottle - pours black tan head - nose/taste of wine, chocolate, oak, dark fruits, espresso chips - medium body.