Wine barrel aged imperial stout from this craft brewer in Connecticut, thanks tderoeck for sharing the bomber! Thin and open, pale greyish beige, irregular and dissipating head on a blackish beer with thin burgundy reddish edges. Aroma of caramel sauce, nougat, hazelnut paste, roasted pecan nuts, walnut liqueur, candied dates, cola, full-bodied red wine, vanilla-ish oak wood, cocoa nibs. Sweet onset with aspect of candied dates and figs, candied cherries perhaps, very dense, and softly carbonated; light sourish undertone. Smooth, full body, 'deep' toffeeish and milk-chocolatey maltiness with a growing bitterness to it, ending in cappuccino-like roastiness, yet remaining relatively mild; herbal (tea) and dried old citrus peel-like aspects adorn the finish, as does a soothing, complex glow of old port-like alcohol, with indeed - in the end - a certain grape skin wryness and lots of woody tannins, without descending into 'dirty' wine yeast tartness. Classic U.S. style craft beer, powerful and clean at the same time, with the wine barrel element having been remarkably well integrated - providing a bit of sour fruitiness and dry tartness without 'disturbing' the beer's own character. An underexposed and, for me, newly discovered beauty.