Barrel Project 2022: Jim Beam
Brouwerij Kees

Pours a cloudy, mahogany coloration that turn ruby red when held up to the light, with a small, fluffy head. Smells of bready, caramel malt and strong dark fruit/red berry notes of plum, fig, strawberry and cranberry, as well as some vanilla and hints oak. Taste is a great balance of bready, caramel malt, strong red berry and lighter dark fruit notes of strawberry, cranberry, redcurrant, plum and fig, as well as some vanilla, peppery spice and hints of licorice, resinous pine and musty oak. Finishes with some caramel malt, red berries and hints of vanilla, spice and pine lingering in the aftertaste. Full mouthfeel with a rich body and light carbonation.

This makes for a very enjoyable rye Barleywine that's heavy on the caramel malts and red berries, with some good vanilla and spice notes as well though. The balance really stands out to me here, with the sweetness being balanced against more bitter, spicy and resinous notes very well here. At the same time, there's quite a rich complexity to this, without it feeling too heavy or boozy overall though. At 3.50€, this is amazing value for money and certainly stands on it's own well enough despite the price point.