Older & Wiser
Telluride Brewing Co.

this beer is awesome! one of my favorites from telluride to date, really next level stuff. its the freaky fish belgian double ipa, aged in cabernet barrels for awhile, and the result is tremendous. surprisingly clear for a barrel aged brew, sexy ruby hue to it from the wine, and a short but sturdy white head. it smells like heavy oak and wine, both grapes as fresh fruit and as acidic tannic wine itself, lots of structure, subtle notes of black cherry and raisin, and plenty of warming alcohol. the hops have mellowed a lot it seems, quite a bit less hoppy than the base beer, thats for sure, but the hops that remain compliment what else is going on really well, and the bitterness they provide is a welcome contrast to the sweet wine. the yeast also is interesting, really flavorful but quite compatible, i wasnt sure it needed to be a belgian strain given everything else in play here, but the yeast unites it all with a little spice character and glorious carbonation. the beer seems almost like a blend, a beer/wine hybrid or something. the impact of the wine is enormous, about as much as i recall in any beer out there. i love how much it adds, and this beer overall is like nothing else on the market. i loved the bourbon barrel aged ipa they did, but this is even superior to that one. just incredible beer.