2018

750 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled in 11/2017. Very difficult cork removal, had to use a wine key. Pours slightly hazy medium orange/amber color with a 2 finger dense and rocky off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big golden raisin, plum, peach, pear, apricot, red apple, honey, candi sugar, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, and white bread; with lighter notes of toffee, coconut, peppercorn, clove, banana, herbal, grass, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, plums, bourbon barrels, candi sugar, and pale malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big golden raisin, plum, peach, pear, apricot, red apple, honey, candi sugar, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, and white bread; with lighter notes of toffee, coconut, peppercorn, clove, banana, herbal, grass, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light peppery yeast, bourbon/oak tannin spiciness; and herbal/grassy hop bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of golden raisin, plum, peach, pear, apricot, red apple, honey, candi sugar, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, white bread, light toffee/coconut, pepper, clove, herbal, grass, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, plums, bourbon barrels, candi sugar, and pale malt flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and zero cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Mildly increasing dryness from bitterness and yeast/oak spiciness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, bready/grainy/silky, and lightly sticky/tannic mouthfeel that is great. Alcohol is very well hidden; a mildly increasing warmth of 9.5%, with zero barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is an awesome barrel aged Belgian strong pale ale. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, plums, bourbon barrels, candi sugar, and pale malt flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the ABV; with the mellowly bitter/spicy/tannic/drying finish. Outstanding balance between yeast, plums, barrels, and pale malts/sugars. Very well attenuated and not overly sweet/heavy feeling for the ABV, with adequate dryness. Nice added silky mouthfeel from the barrel aging. A really enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.