Barrel Project: 17.07 - S.P.X.
Brouwerij Kees

2 year (+) old bottle, enjoyed at home. Pours a deep dark brown color and a firm light brown head with still good retention. Aroma's of sweet & sour fruit, raisins, old wood, light umami, a bit alcoholic. Retronasal there's some sherry, some sweetness, wood, some sourness. Flavor is moderate sweet with light fruity sourness. Alcohol feel is quite strong and initially rather hot. Medium bodied. Soft carbonation. Long finish, somewhat woody and light bitter. Really good.

Got this a few months back, but had to leave it in the cellar due to in influx of lots of good beer and homebrew at the time. Finally opening up now at what I assume is 7 months after bottling. Nose peaks my interest right away. It certainly has those big caramel malts you'd expect from a wee heavy, but the barrel influence is obvious. Earthy, woody booze mixes with the brown bread and caramel malt fruits. Taste is also interesting. I expected cloying, but the booze and wood cuts through nicely. It is pretty much what you might imagine when you hear "sherried wee heavy" but the flavor is big and complex. Surprised this is only 9% as it seems even bigger. Overall, a great beer that I'd like to find again.

 

L: dark brown with a weak foam head.
S: pleasant sweet aroma. Fruits.
T: unuasual but great taste. Caramel. Wine.
F: tight body and low carbonation.
O: interesting beer. Worth a try.