Shipwreck Series Batch #2 - San Francisco
Wynwood Brewing Company

Highlighting the 1733 shipwreck of the San Francisco, Wynwood Brewing conjures up a stonger, golden, Belgian styled ale and then laid down in bourbon barrels for nearly six months. With only 407 bottles on the market, and five years of cellar conditioning, means that this rare beer is unlike any other.

Void of carbonation and like tawny ink at the onset of the the pour, San Francisco, bottle 331 builds virtually no head. Its fruity and spicy aromatics greet the nose with stone fruit, orchard fruit and pitted fruit along with a distinct twinge of cognac despite its actual bourbon barrel aging. Sweet with honey, light toffee and sorghum, the early palate is highlighted with macerated fruit syrups and strong grain sweetness.

Nutty, caramelized and like peanut brittle, the middle palate makes a quick transition from malt complexity and into the estery roundness of peach, pear, apricot, cherry, apple and dates along with a marmalade fruitiness. A spice of peppercorn and vinous tartness brings out a fortified wine taste while a linger of hops add spice to an already curacao, cognac and whisky soaked session.

Somewhat dull on the tongue, the beer's lacking carbonation has the beer feeling fuller and fatter with malt, making sure that the session is sipped and savored like a fine brandy, port or sherry. A long and spicy linger finally shows hints of toasted oak, vanilla and caramel from the barrels of bourbon.