Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

(Draught at Bryden’s, Toronto ON, June 20th 2013) Pours a slightly hazed medium orange with a moderate white froth that leaves a huge amount of lace. Nose has grapefruit rind, pith, mango flesh and maybe guava?, along with some interesting barrel character which has a bit of wood but also some of the cherry and earth of Pinot Noir, bit of malt sweetness. There is a lot going on but hops seem somewhat muted by the barrel ageing. Flavour has a kind of rounded tropical fruit meeting the earthy wood of the barrel at first with light caramel, in the middle a dry grapefruit pith, earth and a bit of a tannic feel, finish is dry, yeasty, moderately bitter with a bit of metallic tang. Body is medium, carb reasonably soft. Think the time in barrel has muted the hopping on the palate, and like a closed wine the aroma really bursts to life when swirled in the glass. Interesting, a bunch going on.