Barrel Aged Cherry Bomb
Garage Project

 

Pours a dark red colour, clear. Head is white, just a whispy rim. Light lace. Bit pale; nice enough otherwise

Real sour cherry note on the nose, with chocolate. Loads of coconut-tinged barrel ageing as well. Sweet, a little bit tart. Beautiful.

Taste is a little sour. Distinct cherry notes, sour with lots of rich chocolate as well. Cocoa, bit of coconut as well, quite oaky. Sweet, dark, with bit of sour fruit. Quite beautiful.

Decent body, but a bit dry. Little boozey on the back.

Nice dessert beer. Would be sensational with any chocolate dish.

A barrel-aged robust porter, with all manner of delicious things added to it. I tried this at the Local Taphouse in Darlinghurst, during their Brewers & Chewers evening during Sydney Craft Beer Week, while having a yak with Joss from the brewery.

Pours a dark brandied red colour, quite clear and bright in the glass, but with depth to it. Solid body, with a fluidity but also a sense of stickiness. Head is white and fairly minimal, leaving no lacing and showing no carbonation. Still, looks pretty good overall.

Nose is phenomenal. Just like a Cherry Ripe: sweet, luscious and rich with chocolate, coconut from the oak, cherry aromas, and with a chewy togetherness that makes it feel wholesome and good. Slight hint of acid from the fruit comes through as well, creating a pointy spark to hang everything else off. It's gorgeous stuff.

Taste has a surprisingly clean and light start, with fresh cherry juice creating a light sweet-tart entry. Coconut, chocolate and a sweet hibiscus/karkadeh flavour permeate quickly though, creating a rich, gooey body. The chocolate lingers for a little longer than most, while a hint of chewy apricot finishes up, allowing for a brighter finish than might otherwise have come about. The aftertaste lingers gorgeously as all of the expressive complexities dance one last encore.

Feel is slightly light. It works because of the fruit characters: although if a bit thicker, it would be a rather interestingly different beer.

Overall, though, this is absolutely cracking stuff. Extremely tasty and complex, with such poise and balance between the disparate elements. It's a phenomenal beer.