I love aging beers. This beer has been in the cellar for about 2 years. I was feeling festive and and wanted to treat myself.
Deep thick, viscous black color with an angry red head of 1/2 finger that stays. Nice stuff.
This beer is Dark with a capital ‘D’. It boast some serious roasted malts that come pushing through the nose. You get a nice hint of barrel sweetness, caramel, toffee, and chocolate on the back half of aroma.
The flavor profile reminds me of Ten FIDY mixed with KBS. The first sip you get tons of that heavy roasted malts with a nice hop bite. There's a balancing sweetness in the form of toasted vanilla, toffee, hazelnut, and boozy barrel that makes it the near perfect combination. The finish is sweet caramel with light sharp hop, and pleasant mellow tobacco. These can be sharp flavors, but it comes out so balanced.
The mouthfeel is pretty thick and sticky, with a nice level of carbonation that keeps it from becoming syrup. I really like the finish of alcohol heat which reminds you are drinking a heavy hitting beer.
At 14.5% ABV it packs a punch. I know I was pretty buzzed so this would make the perfect nightcap. It’s truly a treat and I’m glad I aged it because the flavors have mellowed and become more balanced than I remember when trying it fresh.