Barrel Aged Fall Line (Alta Series)
Two Beers Brewing Co.

 

 

 

Bottle # 1277 of 2500. Very limited release, bottled 2/4/16 after 6 months aging in a brandy barrel. Poured into a pint glass, dark and thick as motor oil. No head or lacing. Alcohol legs present (it is 12% after all). Smells of dank, dark fruit, dark malt. Very rich.

Taste is of cherries, baker's chocolate and a cream aspect (they say vanilla beans are in here). That's not a pop of bitter -- it's the astringency of booze, which is not hidden at all. This is thick, sticky, sweet. Brandy from the barrels is coming through loud and clear. Roast is there but it's overpowered, comes through better in the finish that has a lingering hop resin (or so it seems, believe it or not). A big beer.

The wood of the barrel is a little lost. Roasted barley along side chocolate cherries. Tastes stronger than it seems to feel, even at 12%. Rewards slow small sips, like brandy. A little too rich for me, not as nuanced as I prefer. When it warms the chocolate cherry taste just doesn't quit. It seems to cheapen rather than blend. Brandy cherries, baby.