Mélange No. 1 Reserve
The Bruery Terreux

750ml bottle poured into a snifter

A- pours brown in color with a one finger foamy off white head that quickly reduces to a ring

S- dark cherries, vinegar, black currant, brown sugar, dark chocolate, oaky bourbon barrel, vanilla

T- tart black cherry, plumb and black currant up front. Mid-palate gives dark chocolate, vinegar tartness and oaky bourbon. The finish gives more acidic tart cherry with a chocolate and light oak linger

M- medium body with moderate carbonation, slightly foamy mouthfeel and slick finish

A: Poured into a BA beer glass to what is essentially a black beer which is topped by a dense and slightly rocky finger or tan head which fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of sour cherries and leather with some oak and vanilla. There's also some hints of chocolate and roasted malts
T: Taste is sour cherries up front with some leather, vanilla, oak and caramel. Slight roasted malts and chocolate at the mid palate. On the finish there's more sour cherries, leather, oak, and vanilla with some hints of roasted malt and cocoa. Lingering caramel sweetness and cherries at the end.
M: This beer has a moderate amount of heft on the palate with a silky feel. Carbonation is on the lighter side of things, but still feels adequate while the beer has a drying finish due to the acidity.
O: Overall this is really good. I don't know if it's substantially better than Melange #1, but it does seem to be a little more barrel forward if you like that sort of thing. It still brings a lot of complexity and it's still pretty well balanced. If anything it seems like the extra barrel treatment hid the Black Tuesday influence a little more.