Black Meridian 2022
Cellarmaker Brewing Co.

 

 

 

Poured at fridge temp. Pours pretty much black with pretty much zero head. Looks like a big beer! The nose is bloody incredible. Brown sugar, burnt toffee, big boozy bourbon, a touch of black licorice, plums, figs, vanilla, and a hint of maple. I have picked up similar notes on other barleywines, but the difference here is the shear intensity of these notes. Cellarmaker killed this one.

The taste really good, but is slightly below the nose for me. It's quite sweet - maple syrup type sweetness. The bourbon clearly comes through a lot as well. Big toffee and vanilla notes. There is charred wood, slight smoky note, molasses, plums, sticky sweetness, and an earthy kiss. I think my only complaint is that the high ABV does come through as almost a solvent note. It's very subtle, but it's there. Overall, super intense flavors all around.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a mixture of sweet and bitter on the aftertaste. Overall, a really fun black barleywine!

 

Sweet chocolate-covered toffee bits, raisiny-figs, and subtle vanilla bourbon barrel nose on this one! Barleywine dominant aromatics here! Taste follows...well...exactly! With a nice kick of bourbon boozy heat on the backend. As it warms, the dark fruitiness comes out more...as well as a little roasty bitterness. Nice mouthfeel on this one...fantastic BW and stout combo!