Half Birthdaywine 10.5
Fonta Flora Brewery

Look: It pours brown with a light brown head. Head retention is very low.

Smell: It has strong malty toffee aromas with nuts and cherries. There are some bourbon notes and very low tequila notes.

Taste: It has strong malty toffee flavors with some nutty notes in support. There are some bourbon notes with the tequila elements being stronger in the flavor than in the aroma. The cherry flavors are lighter that the aroma.

Feel: It has a full body with strong alcohol warming.

Overall, the tequila flavors are well combined with the other flavors which is done quite well.

 

On tap at Windsor Homebrew in Anaheim, CA.
Pretty enough for style.
The nose is mildly warm with muted hints of toffee and dates but there is also a mild stewed prunes component to the scent.
Flavor goes away from the usual English barleywine characteristics: less sweet, less toffee/dates/figs/caramel. Again it goes in a tamped back version of what I described as stewed prunes direction. Not unpleasant, just not quite English barleywine profile. Very subtle boozy notes warm the mouth.

Double barrel aged. First aged in bourbon barrels and then in tequila barrels. Rich flavor profile. Caramelized nuts, dark fruits, figs. Hint of bourbon and a bit of alcohol warmth on the back end. Incredibly smooth. I don’t get any tequila flavors. But I’m not much a tequila drinker so that’s probably why. Another home run by Fonta Flora Brewery.