Barrel Aged Golden Gaia
Migration Brewing Company

500ml bottle

Pours over a finger of white head into my snifter. Retention is subpar, and the head completely fades within a minute or so. Initial lacing looks pretty good. Body is indeed golden, slightly cloudy. Looks ok so far.

Nose has significant fruity esters of pear and apple, which also brings along a perceived sweetness. A small bready backbone, mild clove, and faint white wine are present as well. A little astringent, with some brief alcohol. Smells lovely, and it has a good amount going on. Esters could be a tad deeper, but they’re certainly sufficient.

Sweet esters come through at first. Significant clove up front, transitions to a blend of pear, and white wine in the finish. A touch of spice, and some alcohol at the very end. The barrel certainly plays a supporting role here, only adding faint character, but I think I’m ok with that. As with the flavor overall, I might prefer it slightly deeper all together, but it’s still very nice.

The body is a little odd, it starts off with some weight to it, but by the time the wine flavors come in towards the end of the palate, it seems to get real thin. The carbonation is medium-low. Sweet esters are very prominent, it definitely does not drink dry at all. Bitterness is not abrasive, but it’s actually pretty high when you look for it. Alcohol is quite noticeable, and is annoying at times. Overall a decent mouthfeel, but it could definitely be improved.

Drinkability is not bad, but the alcohol and thin body slow me down for sure.

Appearance turned out decent. The lacing was pretty webbed, but somewhat cohesive.

Overall a nice beer with a good amount of complexity. I would like a little more depth from the flavors, and for them to play a little better on top of one another. Alcohol is certainly the biggest issue here, this is not a flattering 8.5% and it becomes an issue along the way.