8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

16 ounce prowler into signature tulip glass, filled on 6/23/2019. Pours very hazy/cloudy ruby red/orange/amber color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky off white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big juicy/tart/tangy cherries, raspberries, fruit skin/seeds, peach, pear, melon, apricot, red apple, bourbon, toasted oak, honey, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, herbal, floral, grass, and peppercorn; with light notes of toffee, vanilla, coconut, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity cherries, raspberries, pale/wheat malts, and moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop/barrel notes; with great strength. Taste of big juicy/tart/tangy cherries, raspberries, fruit skin/seeds, peach, pear, melon, apricot, red apple, bourbon, toasted oak, honey, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, herbal, floral, grass, and peppercorn; with light notes of toffee, vanilla, coconut, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness; fruit tang/tartness; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy cherries, raspberries, fruit skin/seeds, peach, pear, melon, apricot, red apple, bourbon, toasted oak, honey, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, herbal, floral, grass, peppercorn, toffee, vanilla, coconut, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of cherries, raspberries, pale/wheat malts, and moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop/barrel flavors; with a great malt/bitterness and tart/tangy fruit balance; with no puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Fairly crisp/clean finishing. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and tart/tangy fruit. Medium carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy, and fairly sticky/acidic/tangy/tannic balanced mouthfeel that fantastic. Minimal warming for 10.2%, with zero barrel booze lingering after the finish. Overall this is an excellent barrel aged brut fruit beer. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of cherries, raspberries, pale/wheat malts, and moderate fruity yeast/earthy hop/barrel flavors; dangerously smooth and fairly crisp/clean/refreshing to drink with the modestly bitter/tart/tangy/drying finish. Awesome balanced juicy cherry/raspberries, and pale/wheat malts; with solid barrel presence, fruity yeast, and earthy hop notes. Minimal residual sweetness with crisp dryness. A very enjoyable offering, and impressive style example as expected. Did not prefer much over the base beer. Very similar with some nice pleasant barrel character, higher ABV, a bit softer.