Swingin Berries
Fenton Winery And Brewery

22oz bottle, poured into a Bell's tulip glass.

A - pours almost black with a thin tan head that recedes to leave a ring around the glass and very slight lacing.

S - primarily roasted malts and coffee with faint blackberry notes from the merlot.

T - notes of blackberry, coffee, and chocolate shine through with a faint, pleasant bitterness on the finish.

M - Full-bodied with a smooth and creamy mouthfeel.

O - An outstanding offering from Fenton. Snatch this up while you can.

Pours a black color with a minimal head that lasts quite a while. Aroma is sweet blackberries. Tastes of blackberry, roasted malts and the merlot. Slightly bitter at the finish.

 

 

 

what an incredible beer this is, my first from fenton, and a really innovative one. a nice cream stout as the base for sure, strong and smooth, a touch sweet, but heavy on the char and roast of it, the best of unmalted roasted barley, and just a kick of alcohol. the merlot barrel treatment is really cool. i dont know if its in merlot barrels with blackberries, or if these guys, who double as a winery, also made a fruited wine and its in those barrels. to me it tastes more like the former, and thats because the merlot aspect is so strong. i get a ton of dark fruity wine, tannins, and as much oak as one could imagine. really cool with the deep dark malt in the base beer that almost skips over that chocolate and caramel middle dark range right to the bitter, which is a perfect contrast for the wine, which redolent of plums, prunes, and dried cherries. the blackberry is there in the taste but it comes later than the wine and the oak and the dark grain. its sweet and jammy at the end, giving further credence to my theory of the process. the wine is sharp enough to cut through some of the more intense grain elements and make this seem fruity and light and way too easy drinking for its strength. there is enormous complexity here, and frankly, this is way too good to have come from a brewery i have never heard of. it could stand a little more body to hold up the bold flavors and the alcohol, it seems a tough thin for what it is, but i like the airy lightness and the carbonation, so its a give and take on the feel. overall an incredibly impressive beer. id love to try some more of their stuff!!!