M.V.G.S. - Port Barrel Aged
Lagunitas Brewing Company

2020 vintage and my favorite of the three versions of this, some months in bourbon barrels first, and then more time in port barrels, neat double treatment on this, and the port just makes it, so good for one with the whiskey and for two with this kviek yeast, which makes the base barleywine mighty unique on its own, so good, perhaps the ultimate gem of lagunitas seattle, rip. definitely a little redder looking than the other two, perhaps a little more haze and body to it as well, some legs on this one, but also still decently well carbonated from the bottle, even spritzy when i drink it. rich red fruits in the nose, black cherry, currant, and some walnut character with the wood from the port, vanilla sweetness and a whiskey note, plenty of alcohol, a white pepper spiciness, bready grain layers, raisin, bran, and honey richness, intense and complex, fruity, the port really does a lot for this. some moderate oxidation in the taste, some spice from the ferment, an saison type old worldy thing about it, minerals from the malt, toffee and maple, red raspberry and fruit punch even, almond and amaretto, cherry cordial at the end, the port influence is massive but the bourbon isnt lost to it, best of both worlds. the body ends up being not enormous, fuller yeah, but its not even as heavy as the standard barrel aged barleywine these days, and the high carbonation is a cool feature. super mature and interesting on a number of levels, really unsung for some reason, but an absolute stunner. there was a time when nothing could touch lagunitas...