Found on tap at some random pizza place in Denver - 8 bucks a 10 ounce - viscous black pour - fairly sweet vanilla, coconut, and bourbon, with some chocolate and espresso from the malt - the barrel treatment is present but not boozy, and the sweetness is tempered fairly well - overall, it does not present as strong as it is, for which I am glad - it’s pretty darn good.

Bottle recently purchased for the HotD website - I wasn’t going to drink this beer now, but a family tragedy has me saying “fuck it” right now - I may drink this whole goddamn bottle - anyway - still hazy dark ruby - nose is deep port, rum, treacle, plum, oak, red wine, brown sugar, earthy malt, mild oxidation - slick mouthfeel - sweet port, rum, chocolate, plum, brined cherry, brown sugar, treacle - back end is lingeringly warm but not boozy - lots of oak and red wine tannins linger long past the finish - pretty tasty - I want to say I like the 2023 better, but that may just be because I have an extra bottle of that one to cellar.

Bottle recently purchased from the HotD website - still dark amber - Lots of chocolate, leather, tannic notes, deep rye whiskey on the back end - finish is deep lingering oak, red wine, treacle, light smoke - the very far end is super warming but not boozy, with notes of plum and currant - sweeter and not quite as deep as the bourbon-aged Adam, but still dang good.

2015 bottle recently purchased from the HotD website - still, oily dark ruby pour - nose of chocolate, umami, plum, vinous notes, oak, bourbon, very light oxidation, raisin - so dense in the nose - oily mouthfeel, full body - flavor is heavy vinous, warming, earthy, lightly savory - sweet up front, but warning, dry, and heavy oaky in the finish, finishing like a highly tannic red wine - lightly smoky notes hiding underneath everything - hints of leather - deep and complex - thank goodness I got another to cellar.

I have now tried three different vintages of this beer (2016, 2018, and 2020) and am currently drinking the 2020 - the cherry character is far more pronounced in younger vintages, with heavy tartness - the cherry mellows out with age and the maltiness is much more pronounced the older the beer is, making older vintages taste more like Adam, and in my view, more complex and balanced - the 2020, in particular feel thin compared to the 2018 and especially the 2016 - younger vintages taste more like a malty kriek and the older batches have more complex malty heft - my rating for the 2016 would be an 8, so that is where I will place this rating - 2018 would be a 7.7 and 2020 would be 7.4.