UPDATED: MAY 18, 2021 22 oz. bottle, 2016 vintage. Pours a hazy burnt orange color with a small beige head that settles into a ring and a film that favors one side. Notes of caramel, rye whiskey, oak, honey, tea, resin, vanilla, golden raisins, and some bitterness. Medium-bodied, with low carbonation and a sweet, resinous, warming mouthfeel. Has settled into nicely aged barleywine shape.

UPDATED: MAR 15, 2019 Very chocolatey aroma with some vanilla and slight oak. Very pretty dark reddish/brown color. Sweet caramel up front, followed by dark fruit with a boozy finish. Great palate.

Bottle thanks to oldgrowth: 2016. Poured an orange with tan head. Aroma is sticky boozy with a nice vanilla oak mix. Taste is a nice vanilla toffee caramel light spice.

My Bottom Line:
Deep caramel, wood and red beans are doused in alcohol heat in this brash strong ale.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam circles the hazy red.
-Drinkability, even as a sipper, is extremely low.
-Malt aromas are very pleasant, but their residual sugars are too high for my tastes.
-The barrel character is intense too.

Bottle.

Shared at Jim's tasting. Hazy dark amber pour with a tan head. Notes of caramel, bourbon, light coconut, toffee, rye whiskey. Beautiful barrel character. Full body, light carbonation and a sweet finish.

Shared at the Jimgreenuk tasting. Pours a slightly hazy amber with a white head. Caramel, dark fruits, nice pronounced barrel character, sweet malts.

Bottle at the JimGreen tasting, Den Haag, December 2017. Poured a slightly hazy chestnut brown colour with a bubbly round white head. The aroma is grainy toffee caramel malt, red berry fruits, boozy alcohol. The flavour is moderate sweet with a smooth rich malt, fruity, heart warming alcohol bitter palate and an oily mouthfeel. Medium to full bodied with flat carbonation.

Ruby in color... Aroma of rye whiskey, vanilla, caramel, toffee... Flavor is super smooth for 15%, tons of vanilla and toffee, light spicy rye notes, cinnamon whiskey... creamy toffee finish with a hint of heat... solid ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Aromas of massive rye, cough syrup, dark fruits, aged malts, sugared molasses, oak, spicy rye bourbon, barrel wood, sugared caramel, subtle vanilla and prune juice. Pours a murky brownish crimson with no head whatsoever and faint lacing. Taste brings sharp cough syrup, slick molasses, aged malts, toffee, raisins, sugared apricots, tangerine, prunes and figs upfront. Mid palate offers oak, rye, bourbon, leather, barrel wood, burnt molasses and hints of vanilla. Finishes absurdly smooth for 15% abv. Residual notes of sugary fruits, aged malts, oak and cough syrup. Overall, this is a world class beer worth seeking out. Brimming with flavor, massively sweet as well.

22 oz. bottle shared at Ryan’s. pours murky red copper color with no head just very slow bubbles. Aroma has sweet caramel candies and roasted malt and alcohol. Taste is sweet malty caramel soft spice and alcohol. Palate is full slick and sticky with plenty of alcohol.