Bierbara 5.0
The Bruery

A: Poured into a snifter to an essentially black beer which is topped by a dense finger of light tan head which fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of intense warming spices, bourbon barrels, and some dark fruits
T: Taste is dark fruits, and warming spices with some bourbon barrel influence that comes and goes. Slightly boozy but not truly alcoholic along with some hints of cherries and other red wine notes. On the finish there's more dark fruits,
M: The beer has a moderate amount of heft on the palate with a slightly creamy mouthfeel. Carbonation is on the low end but it is adequate for the style while the beer has a slightly drying feel on the palate due to the ABV.
O: Overall this is a really great beer. The flavors are fairly balanced, interesting and complex. The spice addition does seem to take over at times but the other flavors are still able to shine though and provide some balance.

ive been a little critical of my first visit to the new idaho location these guys have opened (miraculously), a lot of the beer has been old and less than epic, which is what i expect from these guys every time, epic, so i will be the first to adorn this one with all the praise in the world, it truly is at or above the impossibly high standards these guys have set for themselves, one of their best beers ive ever had, and the reason their business should work here or anywhere else they should choose to go, nobody is making beer this ambitious and delicious, its a masterpiece, and i am thankful to have been able to drink it! a belgian quad base at maximum alcohol, aged in bourbon barrels with syrah grapes and spices, wonderfully unique, regal, and refined, definitely fresher than a lot of the others they are pouring at the moment, so it popped especially hard in the context of the full lineup. reddish maroon color, befitting of the style, maybe a touch closer to brown, fizzy but without a high rising belgian type head on it, a little muted in terms of luster, not as viscous as anticipated for its abv. the aroma and flavor on this is awesome, ruby port, blackberry, and some serious earthy and fruity intensity from the grapes, really vinous as much as it is beery, love that aspect of this, seems to lighten it somehow too, even though this is soaked in oak and good bourbon as well. definite quad type build on the grain side, some dark candy sugar would not surprise me, but also that abbey type malt with big raisin and fig fruitiness, tobacco and leather too, light cocoa, all so compatible with the rich but piercing syrah, which does carry some light acidity. warming alcohol but mostly at the end, and a distinctive spice thing that hits like thanksgiving, mulled wine, maybe bitter orange, anise or allspice, clove or cinnamon or both, black cherry cordial, red raspberry seeded jam, some brown sugar or even molasses but for a quad the sweetness is just fine. what i dont get a ton of is belgian yeast, there is some subtle fermentation character but this is less estery and expressive overall than i look for in belgian styles like this, i dont wish anything was different though because this is amazing, just an observation, its not a huge flavor factor despite the style designation. notes of pipe tobacco and shisha, black peppercorn, cranberry cocktail, and of course high end red wine and bourbon all through it. smooth and not even that heavy to drink, very festive and celebratory feeling, warms up really well, and brings a lot of far out elements together really beautifully. a beer of the year candidate for me this year frankly. dont miss this one!

 

 

Spices dominated the nose and tasted, to the point where it loses any belgian quad characteristics. It comes accross as a spiced ale, with cinnamon, clove and alspice defining the beer.

Overall, 3.25 is a solidly good beer. Thats where this falls for me.