Elroy - Barrel-Aged
Big Lake Brewing

22 ounce bottle into tulip glass; bottled in 7/2017. Pours fairly crystal clear dark ruby red/brown color with a 1 finger dense light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, nuttiness, brown bread, and biscuit; with lighter notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, coconut, dark fruit, herbal, grass, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Slight booze in the aromas as it warmed, but not overwhelming. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/bready/light roasted malt, bourbon barrel, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast notes; with great strength. Taste of big caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, nuttiness, brown bread, and biscuit; with lighter notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, coconut, dark fruit, herbal, grass, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Light herbal/grassy/roast bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, nuttiness, brown bread, biscuit, milk chocolate, cocoa, coconut, dark fruit, herbal, grass, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roasted malt, bourbon barrel, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready/grainy, and lightly sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 10.5%, with zero barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this a fantastic barrel aged imperial brown ale! All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/light roasted malt, bourbon barrel, and light earthy hop/fruity yeast flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the BIG ABV, with the mildly bitter/tannic/drying finish. Rich and well rounded brown ale malt complexity, with amazing barrel integration. Not overly bitter, tannic, or drying. Not overly sweet/heavy for the ABV. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.