Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

Can from the brewery - viscous black pour - was really interested to try this one, as it seems like an interesting experiment that could easily go awry - the nose is big on cab, with the balsamic flitting around the edges - the sweetness, chocolate, and vanilla flavors of the base beer remain prevalent, with the barrel adding some tannins and cab adding some juicy dark fruit - the balsamic certainly adds some acidity, which might be off-putting to some (at times I do find it a little overdone) - I used to buy the chocolate balsamic from EVOO and pour it on cheesecake - this reminds me of that to a degree - I sometimes put in too much, too - ultimately, the vinegar leaves it just slightly too acidic, but not enough that I won’t enjoy it enough to leisurely sip the glass - not a failed experiment, but needs some tweaking.