12.7 oz bottle poured into a Spiegelau tulip. Bought at the brewery in June 2014 before heading to RBSG 2014. Dark brown with half a finger of beige head/ring. Aromas of dark fruit, caramel, a bit of chocolate, toffee, light booze, toasty notes. Tastes of dark fruit, caramel, toffee, toast notes, biscuit. Medium body with a dry and warm finish. Pretty good, on par for the style.

375 ml bottle into snifter, 2014 vintage bottling. Pours moderately hazy/cloudy nearly opaque dark brown color with a 1 finger dense khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with some light streaming carbonation. Aromas of big caramel, toffee, toast, brown sugar, brown bread, raisin, plum, fig, cocoa, light coffee, light nuttiness, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malt and fruity/earthy yeast notes; with good strength. Taste of big caramel, toffee, toast, brown sugar, brown bread, raisin, plum, fig, cocoa, light coffee, light nuttiness, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Fair amount of herbal/roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, toffee, toast, brown sugar, brown bread, dark fruit, cocoa, and light coffee/nuttiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts and fruity/earthy yeast flavors; with a nice bitterness/sweetness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and full bodied; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/slick, and slightly bready/chalky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a small warming present after the finish. Overall this is an excellent English barelywine style. All around great complexity, balance, and robustness of dark/roast/bready malts and fruity/earthy yeast flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the big ABV. A very enjoyable offering.