75CL. Split 3 ways. this is a dark almost black beer. lots of brown, reddish edges. No head. A little bit of alcohol legs. Smells amazing. toasted coconut, whiskey, burnt sugar, raisins. Smells a bit oxidized. Very smooth. This is exceptionally drinkable. Smooth, refined, booze comes on at the middle and finishes intently. Oxidation throughout, lots of raisin, fig, baked apple, whiskey and chocolate cookies. Not cloying sweet. a lot of roast. impressive.

Bottle drank at Cotteridge Wines tasting room during Cott Botts tasting; dark opaque brown pour with a big creamy light tan head, aroma has boozy fruit and vanilla, taste has sweet stewed fruit, vanilla, hint of coffee.

Tap at Bruery, Los Angeles. Colour is clear deep brown with small white head. Aromas and flavors: Ripe fruits, chocolate, dryness, wood, oak and malts. Excellent. Nice dry wood.

Bottle at home. Pours deep reddish brown, nose is caramel, toffee, oak, light roasted malts, taste is sweet toffee, caramel, rich, wood, juicy fruit.

Shared bomber, one in a snifter and one in a tulip. Brown-black with a ruby hue. No head in the snifter and a medium head in the tulip. Awesome!!! Just the right bourbon influence. . . not boozy, just right. Complex palate with both imperial stout and barleywine characteristics. Vanilla, dark fruit and hints of cocoa chocolate; oak, sherry, mild bourbon and more goodness. Pricey at $25 but worth it one time.

This beer pours a cloudy dark reddish-brown color with a medium thick beige head that dissipates gradually to a film. Patches of lacing on the glass. Aroma of roast malt, oak, vanilla and chocolate. Full-bodied with flavors of oaky vanilla, bourbon, fruit and chocolate malt. The finish is mildly boozy with a bourbon and malt aftertaste. Good beer all around.

Bruery’s fourteenth of so far fifteen Melanges, basically a blend of leftovers from other brews, this one including the famed Black Tuesday. Loose, off-white head consisting of a thin rim of tiny bubbles, quickly reduced to almost nothing; very dark burgundy robe, almost blackish in general appearance, with a brighter ruby hue under bright light. Intense, very elegant and rich bouquet of chocolate liqueur, hot chocolate sauce, a lot of vanilla-like oak fragrance, wet furniture even, butterscotch candy, deliberately oxidized sweet sherry, melting brown sugar, tawny port, cognac, espresso, rum-soaked raisins, almond, walnut oil, candied figs, plum wine, candied banana, stewed beef hint, bayleaf, nougat. Intense candied sweetness at the tip of the tongue, candied dates, marmelade, raisins, quickly balanced out by an elderberry syrup-like spicy touch and sourishness as well as a rim of porcini-like umami; mouthfeel is expectedly thick and very oily, mouth-filling and softly carbonated. Layer upon layer of rich maltiness ensues: caramel, hazelnuts, toasted bread, bittersweet fondant chocolate and eventually a roasted coffee touch, mildly bittering but elegantly complementing the overall rounded and lush bittersweetness rather than sharpening it. Dry, tannin-rich finish in which a lot is added apart from the oak wood: spicy hops for structural balance, wet wood, and of course a long stretch of brandy- and rum-like alcohol which heats up the throat but adds complexity, warmth and depth rather than disturbing this infinitely complex symphony of malts and tannins. I was a bit skeptical towards the idea of a brewery simply blending - and rebranding - their leftovers, because that is basically what this is; I am not the greatest fan of, for instance, De Molen’s Cuvée series in that respect. This one, however, executes this idea to utmost perfection. I guess it is refermented in the bottle, reblending the original flavors and recarbonizing it, making it a ’versnijbier’ of very high standard, breathing maturity, depth and old age in a most delightful way. Glad I bought this.