Big'uns and Minotaurs (Jack Daniels Whiskey Barrel Aged)
Other Half Brewing - Center Street

 

 

Picked this up at Other Half recently, having had the other iteration of this when it came out three months ago. Yes, there was a lot going on her but darn it, this was so smooth and easy to fall in love with with in spite of how strong it was. If you love your beers sweet, flavorful, and nuanced, then you've found your match right here!

Lovely pour to this as the liquid was raisin-hued with plenty of smooth, khaki head that perfectly topped this off and lasted as long as any head that I've seen out of a bottle in quite some time. Plenty of lacing was left behind starting with a ring about 1/4 of the way down. Loads of honey, oats, candy sweetness, and dark fruit in the wondrously complex nose as the taste had all of these in that as well. Incredibly sweet, strong, and rich, this had so much going for it as I enjoyed the creamy mouthfeel while the barrel aging from Jack Daniels gave this a caramel sweetness that went deeper than if that had come in the form of malt. This felt like cream soda that was fermented without any overt stickiness as the impression it left on me was closer to sarsaparilla and dates more than anything else.

Plenty of booze in this one but with so much sweetness and dark notes here, you would be hard-pressed to notice it until the alcohol kicked in internally. A connoisseur's beer if there ever was one, Other Half hit it out of the park with this one, and then some! Full of cream but more than just sweetness, there's a lot to like here from start to finish. Just don't expect a typical American Wheatwine Ale with this one!