Behemoth - Danish Cherry Wine Barrel-Aged
3 Floyds Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

Three Floyds Behemoth aged in Danish Cherry Wine Barrels

This beer drinking experience is a continuation of sorts from yesterday when I had the Bourbon Barrel Aged Behemoth (also courtesy of Dan!) ; a text book style example and a beer beyond reproach. I did not fully review it, but my brief notes were:

“I find the name ironic. While it is a “big” beer at 12.5% it is not beastly. In fact, it’s rather gentle. And that, my friends, is dangerous. Piney, lemony and earthy hops play off a caramel and toffee malt profile all tied together with the kiss of a bourbon barrel.”

That beer was cherry. It hypnotized me.

Here is a version aged not in Bourbon barrels, but rather barrels of Danish Cherry Wine, a spirit I have never had.

Appearance: This beer looks the same as the other one. It’s pretty. Opaque, murky,
light to dark brown/burnt sienna/ruby with a beige head that leaves a lot of sticky lacing. No visible carbonation.

Smell: Earthy and piney hop aromas combined with the sweet malt profile. Some caramel and toffee. This version smells more woody, with a more prominent fruity sweetness. More dark dried fruit like raisins and figs. Light notes of chocolate cherry cordial candy. No alcohol whatsoever.

I was not sure what to expect from the Danish Cherry Wine as opposed to the Bourbon, but the differences are rather subtle.

Flavor: The earthy, piney, lemony bitter hop flavor is here as well, but it is muted. Remove the sweet and sugary bourbon barrel notes (namely vanilla) and add in some more dark dried fruit notes, as well as semi sweet cherry notes and more wood. The beer finishes slightly bitter, which is nice, and expected from an American Barleywine.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy. Sweet.

Overall: This beer is equally as drinkable for such a big beer. No alcohol distractions. Well done on that front. With that said, I like the Bourbon Barrel Aged version better. I think my initial impression of this beer was biased because I loved so much the version I had yesterday. I actually like this one more than I did upon first sniff and sip though. There’s nothing wrong with this beer, but I think the enhanced fruit and wood notes detract from the bright, lemony, hop profile I enjoyed in the bourbon version.

Somebody’s gotta die, and in this case it’s the Cherry Wine version

 

 

 

Pours just as gorgeous as the standard Behemoth, perhaps a touch darker in color, but with plenty of rocky head and retained lacing. The nose smells more oxidized than it probably is, with the Danish cherry wine (Kijafa, I would assume?) pulling the usually-strong hop character of the base beer in a much fruitier direction; the result is a bit astringent and with some orange and tea notes. The palate washes some of those notes away, replacing the orange with cherry liqueur. Still has nice hops and floral notes, plus some vanilla, but not a ton of oak character.

Overall, this is still a very nice beer, but it's my least-favorite of the 2018 aged variants because the cherry wine butts in on a lot of what makes Behemoth such a unique barleywine. The result is still unique, but it moves in a direction I'd be just as fine with not going towards.