8.8/10
—
Appearance 9
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 9
Overall 9
2023 375mL bottle, drunk 1/24/26, as pictured.
Candied raisins with just an all-around mellow, even balance. No excessive grape, no big tannin or acid and the malt is nice and attenuated. Belgian character is fruity and peppery with no crude esters/phenols. No alcohol noted. Seemingly lovely stuff.
And indeed it is. Love the yeast profile they got here: dates, plums and figs with candied fruit and light pepper. No banana, bubble gum or big clove-like character. Cognac is even, mellow, shows no harsh tannin or strong spirit and the abv doesn't come through at all, though there's a wonderful richness of malt. At two years old, going on three, this thing is in exquisite shape. Malty, dry, tightly carbonated, balanced and very flavorful. An exceptional beer and drinking experience, wow.
Candied raisins with just an all-around mellow, even balance. No excessive grape, no big tannin or acid and the malt is nice and attenuated. Belgian character is fruity and peppery with no crude esters/phenols. No alcohol noted. Seemingly lovely stuff.
And indeed it is. Love the yeast profile they got here: dates, plums and figs with candied fruit and light pepper. No banana, bubble gum or big clove-like character. Cognac is even, mellow, shows no harsh tannin or strong spirit and the abv doesn't come through at all, though there's a wonderful richness of malt. At two years old, going on three, this thing is in exquisite shape. Malty, dry, tightly carbonated, balanced and very flavorful. An exceptional beer and drinking experience, wow.
Tried
from Bottle
from Tavour
on 24 Jan 2026
at 20:43
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Medium brown, bright, medium head. Good base, a nice strong brown that’s got some good fruitiness and nice sugars. The rye barrel lends heft, but also a bit of that spiciness. Solid.
Tried
on 01 Jan 2026
at 17:19
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Dark brown. No head. Coffee, vanilla, good body, light sugars, soft. Not bad, a coffee stoutish sort of thing. A lot going on. The rum and brandy barrels lighten this up a fair bit to the point where I wouldn't have been surprised if there was barley wine in here.
Tried
on 01 Jan 2026
at 17:17
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Dark brown, sticky sugars, light fruitiness, maybe cherry, dried apricot, soft body, layers of complexity, kind of an old ale vibe, good fruitiness.
Tried
on 01 Jan 2026
at 17:15
8.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8.5
Texture 8
Overall 9
On tap at Elizabeth Station, pours a deep dark amber-tinged brown with a small beige head. Aroma reveals intense coffee upfront, followed by wood, all sorts of bourbon, maybe some vanilla and cocoa. Flavour is rich and complex, with huge coffee and coconut upfront, accentuated by a top-class bourbon barrel blend, some cocoa, and a hint of vanilla. Remarkably blended, careful adjunct treatment. Beautiful stuff.
Tried
from Draft
from
Elizabeth Station
on 27 Dec 2025
at 04:16
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
On tap at Elizabeth Station, pours a deep dark mahogany with a small beige head. Nose is full of bourbon, dark bready malt, and some toasted caramel. Flavour is heavy on the barrels—with miscellaneous spirits, bourbon, maybe some rum—along with dark dried fruits, dry bready malt, and molasses. Fairly attenuated, which works in its favour, but there’s enough sugars here. Good mix of barrels and smooth palate. Excellent.
Tried
from Draft
from
Elizabeth Station
on 27 Dec 2025
at 04:14
7.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
bottle - from Tavour, shared on Christmas eve. Lovely - beautiful barleywine from a great brewery
Tried
from Bottle
on 25 Dec 2025
at 13:34
7/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 7
Overall 7
Pint Can. Pours a clear amber color with a medium sized white head and ample lacing. The aroma is strong with lots of piney hops and some sweetened pink grapefruit. The taste features more pine, caramel and some dank-musty papaya. palate is full and the carbonation soft. Finishes long with linger bitter pine. Overall: Ok, but it seemed a bit like an old DIPA that is past its prime. The "winter Ale" style is not clearly defined and this did nothing to clarify that.
Tried
from Can
on 22 Dec 2025
at 19:05
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 7
Overall 7
Pint Can. Pours a translucent roan brown color with a big sudsy beige head that has fair retention and lacing. The aroma is sweet malts and a bit of peppery herbs. The taste features malts, colas, and some pecans. The palate is clean and crisp with lively carbonation. Finishes somewhat short and dry. Overall: Decent brewski.
Tried
from Can
on 22 Dec 2025
at 17:41
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7.5
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
bottle - 2024 vintage shared with Dad and Brother. Very nice - on the lighter more drinkable side of Imperial Stouts - pretty and warming
Tried
from Bottle
on 21 Dec 2025
at 22:49