Colorado Barrel Collective #5: Barrel Agged Treacle Porter
Bull & Bush Brewery

time for a cellar pull, this has a 2018 date on it, and is one i have been looking forward to since then. its a treacle porter aged in bourbon barrels, and i feel like i picked the perfect time to pop this, with the alcohol all mellowed out but no oxidation or fade here at all yet, gorgeous brew, perhaps the highlight of my beer weekend this weekend. its not quite as thick or as black as anticipated from the bottle, some light coming through at the edges and not real leggy or anything. it also has a surprisingly active head, off white, super airy and easily resting on top of the beer as long as it wants, lots of lace, no settling. clear and shiny, high luster, beautiful pour. aroma is less sweet than anticipated but there is a raw cane sugar or molasses element here, and its amazing with the whiskey, which is present the whole time but only as an accent, not too bold. i get some english ale yeast which i like in these, just a bit of warming alcohol, and cool spice notes of licorice and clove and even leather, really nuanced and appealing. the flavor is similarly well refined and layered and delicious, with lots of deep tones but nothing all that roasted, bitter, or burnt, less dark roasted barley character than i would have expected in a big porter, but it leaves room for things like dark chocolate, barrel char coming through, and the treacle itself, all of which combine gloriously in here. some vanilla and honey from the whiskey, a dried fruity raisin sort of flash, and the bready english yeast bringing it all together. smooth and really very bubbly to drink on, no real sign of its strength in the mouthfeel to me, and not as sweet as it sounds like it would have to be with the treacle and the barrel, i suspect this has dried out some in the bottle over time. i never got to try this fresh, but i have to assume it is at one of its peaks right now, really beautiful beer that serves to not just make me miss bull and bush, but also miss denver more generally. really special stuff, perfect for holiday time!

In a snifter the beer is black, with only a tiny head around the circumference of the glass.
Sweet aroma. Molasses, chocolate, vanilla.
Molasses, toffee, milk chocolate, hint of vanilla taste.
Never, ever guess this is a 10% ABV beer