2012 bottle from barrel #59. Pours with a cola deep brown near black hued pour and a foamy offwhite head that fades. Mild lace, mild legs. Roma’s of stewed fruits, prunes, figs, bright cherries, barrel, funk and earthy leather. Mild metallic, wet wood, vinous, dark fruit. Toasty malt, mild roast. Not as well of an integrated aroma as the brandy version. Flavors are earthy, bready, vinous, cherries, brown sugar, alcohol, barrel, congac, damp leaves and funk. Complex flavors, mildly sweet, light coffee, medium acidity, cola. Big cherries, feels a bit sweet. Lightly roasty. Warming in the esophagus, fuller carbonation, rounded, medium body with lowish tannins. Closer to what I anticipated, but I was really impressed by the regular brandy version.

Bottle thanks to Brewthusiast. Pours opaque black with a small tan head, creamy with decent lacing. Aroma is tart, lactic, lemon, some roasted malts, brett, funk. Flavor is the same, quite tart and funky, with wood and brandy notes present as well. Medium bodied and quite hot from the ABV. Not sure what to say about this one; it is certainly different, but perhaps a bit too lactic for good balance. Flavor profile did improve as the beer aired out, however.

Tap at the barrel cellar - certainly the sweetest, least sour and booziest of the nightmares - also the one that most resembles a baltic porter, which is what the base beer is supposed to be - nose is chocolate, booze and oak - flavor is medium.sweet, medium bitter and a little funky - chocolate and some charred/roasty character through the middle - some dark fruit and light acidity late - tastes more like a barrel aged imperial porter that became infected unintentionally - not sure if I am fan, especially with the booziness and alcohol in the finish.

Tasted @ Crooked Stave during Zwanze Day 2012. Pours a dark reddish brown appearance with almost no head. Dark red grape, plum, raisin, somewhat boozy, oaky aroma. Somewhat tannic/leathery, dark grape, fig, raisin, caramel, light chocolate flavor with a fair amount of booze on the finish. Ok but pretty strong.