Page 24 Barrel-Aged Brune (Burgundy W/ Cherries)
Brasserie Saint-Germain

 

I should have taken better notes on this, I apologize. On tap at Mission Delores in Brooklyn, NY on 6 March 2015; "Barrel Aged Brune with cherries", $8/10 oz. Brown body, slight haze. Tan head, limited retention, average lacing. Aroma and flavor both basically come down to chocolate covered cherries and red wine. You can fluff that up any way you want, adding "notes of cocoa powder" or "tannic-edge" and "oak" or whatever, but it's basically chocolate covered cherries and red wine. Dessert beer? Well, yes, it could be, but I think it's also much more than that. The oak, I think, gives it sophistication, and it's got enough complexity within it's components that it's not just relying on richness and "sweetness" (chocolate/cherries) to get by. It finishes dry, with oak of course, but also fading milk chocolate and soft cherry. My eyes have been opened to Brasserie Saint-Germain and I'll now seek out any beer that I can find from them. Stunning!