TTO at the BeerGeek Bar, Prague shared with Ogi and Marko. Dark, minimal head. Spicy, caramelly, sticky toffee, maple syrup, molasses. Medium body, soft carbonation, sweet, alcohol hidden, fruity. Light finish.

14 друзей приложен внезапно. Сладкие леденцы

Tap at BGB. Ruby, amber body, off-white head. Caramel and alcohol, big aroma, light dried fruit. Lean dry dry dried fruit and strong bitterness. Very little barrel, surprisingly. Not bad, life, just a bit underwhelming.

26/VII/22 - 33cl bottle from Geers (Oostakker), shared @ Ardenne Holiday, BB: 18/V/24 (2022-942)

Clear dark amber to red brown beer, small creamy beige head, stable, a bit adhesive, leaving some lacing in the glass. Aroma: very malty, grains, some caramel, floral, very soapy on warming up, more flowers, lavender. MF: soft to no carbon, medium body. Taste: very bitter, malty, wood notes, very hoppy, tannins, some roast. Aftertaste: very hoppy, soapy bitterness, dry, soft roast, metallic touch, dried fruits, minty finish, a bit weird, more roast, alcohol, some soy sauce, cognac notes, bitter, very dry and very bitter finish, tannins, almost chemical bitterness.

Bottle. This is not the XO version, I've got one of both. The label of this one does not entirely match the picture on ratebeer. This one is called Cognac Barrel Biére ambreé 9.5% barcode 3760055360210 The XO bottle I have has label design as on ratebeer (both beers) Cognac Barrel XO Biere Ambre Ale 9.5% barcode 3760055360517 I am rating both side by side. clear amber, smooth light brown head. sweet malty and slightly nutty barley wine aroma, with a lot of cognac going on in the background. good dry barley wine aroma overall more english style than american style. flavor is more like a belgian strong ale than a barley wine, not that sweet, the cognac works very well, not owerpowering, but adds a lot of character. quite complex flavor, there is some bitterness i have a hard time to place, could be a combination of hops and wood, it is ever so slightly bitter nutty or herbal, I am not sure if I want this much of that in a barley wine. For sure this beer is complex and interesting and smooth. A real treat.

33cl bottle from hopt.it. Pours brown, with fine whitish foam. Aroma is malty, caramel, a little nutty, barrel. Body is full, with almost no carbonation. Taste is medium-high sweet, though with the barrel/ageing feeling being dominant. In the final, cognac comes out a little too much, in my view.

Bottle at home. Clear mahogany with light brown head. Brown sugar, quite some oak, cognac, raisins, weedy hops, almonds, fudge, dried plums. Quite sweet but also quite bitter. Full bodied with sugary feel. Maybe a it too bitter for me, but a pretty decent barley wine.

Texel, fireplace tasting. Brown with creamy head. Sweet, caramel, Cognac, apples, raisans, soft fudge, some quite strong bitter and vegetal notes too. Not the smoothest aromas, but nice ballsy beer with some tasty barrel notes and a thick mouthfeel.