In Absentia Luci - Red Wine Barrel Aged
Other Half Brewing - Center Street

 

 

 

 

Had a bunch of buds over the other night and we ripped through a dozen other half stouts side-by-side for science.

The list included:
In Absentia Luci (2016 Bourbon Barrel Aged W/ Coconut, Vanilla & Cardamom)
In Absentia Luci (2016 Bourbon Barrel Aged With Vanilla)
In Absentia Luci (2016 Bourbon-Barrel With Coffee Hazelnut And Cocoa Nibs)
In Absentia Luci - Red Wine Barrel
In Absentia Luci - Rum Barrel Aged
We've Been Out There In Orbit (Apple Brandy Barrel Aged)
We've Been Out There In Orbit (Bourbon Barrel Aged)
We've Been Out There In Orbit (Rum Barrel Aged)
Cane Life (bourbon Barrel Aged Version)
Cane Life (conditioned On Cocoa, Cinnamon And Ancho Peppers Version)
Cane Life (conditioned On Coconut And Coffee Version)
Cane Life (conditioned On Tahitian Vanilla Version)

The Absentias were hit and miss...this one was a favorite alongside the vanilla bourbon barrel. Red wine created a nice accent on the beer and cut through the sludginess of all that stout. Other half doesn't kill the stout game like they do the ipa game so I wouldn't go nuts chasing any of these, but if you want to try one, this one was pretty decent.

 

Picked this up a while ago at Other Half and for some reason, forgot about this as I reviewed the other variations in the series first. I'm not someone to drink a lot of red wine but this reminded me of it as as soon as I took the first whiff after pouring it out and letting it settle.

The pour to this was like the other offerings in this series - dark, slick, and with a sufficient head. Lots of wood and tartness in the nose as they were an indication of what was in the taste. More of the former could be felt on the tongue along with hints of port and ashen oak. Nuanced oak, moderate sour funk, and bitter raisin gave this wonderful texture and an overriding sense of darkness from start to finish. A bit of black olive and barrel-aged sourness could be detected as this warmed up as the balanced body and low carbonation allowed the off-kilter flavors to shine through once this fully warmed up.

There was enough alcohol here but it was never tasted and could be felt as this warmed up during my session. It served as a wonderful complement to the barrel-aged feel of this beer. It's not often that I have something that feels like this but Other Half nailed this take on a Stout as good as anyone could have. This wasn't brewed for a large audience for those who could appreciate it, this came out as good as could be expected. Worth a go for the novelty factor, if nothing else.

My favorite of the entire In Absentia Luci series. Unlike most wine-barrel-aged beers, this is not sour; rather it comes across as woodsy and barrel-y and complex. My friend said it reminds him of Fernet Branca and I agree. There is this spirit-like funkiness to it that I really dig.

It also (for some reason) has the best-looking pour of them all. Thick and oily, enticing. Wish I had more bottles.

 

From bottle reading 2014 Red Wine Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout.

Tastes a tad tart initially, then subsides and gives way to a port-like, raisiny, brown sugar and molasses flavor. Red wine grapiness and a dry finish.

The tartness and the occasional fizzy moments undo this beer a bit. Red Wine shows in a big way as it warms and the body becomes so thin---as do the imperial stout flavors---that nothing can compete.