Whiskey Barrel Aged Colonel Crusher
River City Brewing Company

a really tasty, and truly enormous barleywine here, an impressive beer on its own, but this special version was aged in whiskey barrels, adding rich layers of caramel, vanilla, and oak to this, not to mention a little extra alcohol character on the finish. this isnt the darkest barleywine out there, a medium amber color is all, but its not wanting for malt flavor in the least. its packed with notes of fresh baked bread, toffee, brown sugar, and dried fruit, and its rather full bodied too. i like that its not all that sweet overall, so many of these get downright diabetic, but this one remains kind of balanced, and its the booze more than the sweetness that defines the finish, at least for me. lots of wood from the barrel, at least as much oak as actual whiskey, and a natural vanilla bean note from it as well. this has a long boiled sort of concentrated flavor, and hints of raisin and apple rise up, making it pretty autumnal to me. smooth in feel, not harsh from the strength even though it can be appreciated as a strong ale, impressive quality here. i see the do this beer in red wine barrels too, id love to try that edition next time! this is a nice example of the style. these guys are doing some great stuff!