Westgate
River's Edge Brewing Co

 

22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 3/7/2018. Pours slightly hazy deep orange/copper color with a 1 finger fairly dense and rocky off white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of golden raisin, peach, plum, orange, pear, apricot, red apple, black tea, citrus zest, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, caramel, brown sugar, and brown bread; with light notes of toffee, coconut, pepper, herbal, grass, and yeast/toast/oaky earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity yeast, tea, bready malt, and bourbon barrel notes; with good strength. Taste of big golden raisin, peach, plum, orange, pear, apricot, red apple, black tea, citrus zest, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, caramel, brown sugar, and brown bread; with light notes of toffee, coconut, pepper, herbal, grass, and yeast/toast/oaky earthiness. Mild herbal/grassy bitterness and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of golden raisin, peach, plum, orange, pear, apricot, red apple, black tea, citrus zest, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, light toffee/coconut, pepper, herbal, grass, yeast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity yeast, tea, bready malt, and bourbon barrel flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with zero cloying flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness/oak spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and lightly sticky/tannic mouthfeel that is great. Mildly increasing warmth of 12.4%, with zero barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is an awesome barrel aged English strong ale! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity yeast, tea, bready malt, and bourbon barrel flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV. Awesome balance of rich English malts, fruity yeast, and tea flavors; perfect barrel integration/balance, with no booze for the ABV. A really enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.