Cellar 3: Sepia Frumento
Green Flash Brewing Co.

 

 

Ok, I have found my favorite local flavor, which, right now, is saying a lot. I had previously had their Divine Frumento and made the drive on a slower day to take a minute to savor. Well, they didn't have Divine, but Sepia Frumento. The Frumento base is all dates, figs, raisin, dark cherry, plums... Oh my God, the aroma alone is complex and delicious. I wanted to stay in point here​ with with the Sepia, I can pretty much see the Frumento base is going to be an all time favorite no matter the sub-character will be.

 

Poured a brown body with minimal head and no lace. Aroma is soaking of booze, wood, dark fruits (especially plum) and hints of malts. The barrel aging gives beer a real smooth feel but still thick and chewy; the beer is slightly overpowered by the booze but it has a great dark fruit taste (plums, figs) and is enjoyable and touches of malts.

one of the best barleywines i have had in a long time, the bourbon barrel presence is strong, the malt flavors are deeper and richer than is customary, and the orange and cherry additions, while somewhat subtle in the grand scheme, add really nice nuance to this, and throw a serious curve in the normal trajectory of a barleywine. amazing beer. sort of a deep bourbon color to this, red and brown alike, clear and shiny, without much head at all. i get the bitter zesty orange in the nose, and maybe some sweetness from the cherry, but less of that. sort of reminds me of a syrupy old fashioned, with lots of whiskey in both the aroma and the flavor. i think the orange does a nice job of challenging the sweetness, this role is often assumed by hops in the american barleywines, but i think the orange does a better job. caramel and vanilla, lots of heavy wood, desserty and rich, minerals, raisins, char, tangerine, grenadine, fusel alcohol, endless tapering finish. lots of body, sticky even, robust, sight smoke here, citrus essential oils, cognac, charcoal. tons going on here, warms up beautifully, and is another gem in this incredibly exceptional cellar 3 series. one of my favorites in it so far!