Red Wine Hypocrite
Oak Highlands Brewery

they did a really nice job with this, my first beer from oak highlands, and it has a ton of red wine and oak character on it, impressively mature. the base beer seems somewhat basic, a tart saison with a fuller wheaty body and a little bit of grain depth to it, on the dry side, well carbonated, and not overly belgian or estery or anything, but well enough refined. it would be nice on its own, but the barrel treatment here totally defines the beer. i think it being a little stronger is a good call, it helps bring more character out of the barrel, and gives it some stability over time. i cannot believe the amount of red wine barrel on this, its so woody, like liquid lumber, and the wine is intact as well, black cherry and prune and blackberry notes come through, lots of tannins, and some tartness from the grape skins still it seems like. light funk here, drier at the end, but with both the wood and the fruitiness lingering through the finish. its incredibly mature and evolved, this must have been a pretty character rich barrel, first use i would think to deliver this kind of flavor. very tasty brew overall, great use of the barrel and the right beer to put inside it. i will keep my eye out for more beers from these guys in my travels...