1825 - Barrel-Aged
Greenbush Brewing Company

 

12 ounce bottle into tulip glass; no bottle dating, but is a recent release. Pours slightly hazy deep orange/light copper color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky off white head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big raisin, plum, fig, pear, apricot, red apple, white grape, red wine, peppercorn, clove, toasted oak, honey, brown sugar, and biscuit; with light notes of vanilla, herbal, grass, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, wine barrel, and moderate candi sugar/malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big raisin, plum, fig, pear, apricot, red apple, white grape, red wine, peppercorn, clove, toasted oak, honey, brown sugar, and biscuit; with light notes of vanilla, herbal, grass, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate peppery yeast/wine tannin spiciness, and light herbal/grassy bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of raisin, plum, fig, pear, apricot, red apple, white grape, red wine, peppercorn, clove, toasted oak, honey, brown sugar, biscuit, herbal, grass, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, wine barrel, and moderate candi sugar/malt flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance; and no astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from yeast/oak spiciness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready, and fairly sticky/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Mildly increasing warmth of 9.3%, with minimal barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is an excellent Belgian strong pale ale. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, wine barrel, and moderate candi sugar/malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink for the ABV; with the mellowly spicy/tannic/dying finish. Well rounded yeast complexity, great wine barrel integration, and perfect malt/sugar balance. Not overly sweet/heavy for the ABV. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example. Liked it a bit more than the base beer. More stone fruit and less banana than I recall because of the wine barrel.

12 ounce bottle into a tulip snifter. 2018 edition, had 4/30/18. Also had on tap on the release date of 4/20/18.

Pours a mostly clear golden amber, with a half inch head and soapy lacing. Aromas of Belgian yeast, bourbon, toffee, wheat, spices- notably cloves, malt, light oak. A little sweet aroma, a little smoky when warm. The taste is bourbon, malt, caramel, wheat, light Belgian yeast, some sweetness, spices, oak, light vanilla. Smooth, a good medium body, well carbonated.

Very good aroma, good flavor, the Belgian character comes through the bourbon pretty well. Let this one warm up, for full expression. Very enjoyable and worth buying a few bottles. Think this will age well.