Pint at the brewery - dark amber, nearly black - retains a lot of the smooth, medium-dry, rich maltiness of the base beer without the barrel overpowering - the barrel character presents more oak than whiskey, and the malts bring a fruitiness that melds with the oak to bring slight notes of red wine - the whiskey is there, but is pretty faint - the malt is still the star on the show here, and the barrel just compliments - I dig it.