BA Dravnieka Atraitne
Alus Darbnīca Labietis

Pours a cloudy, deep mahogany coloration that turns ruby red when held up to the light, with a small, frothy head. Smells of bready, grainy malt and dried fruits and nuts, with notes of raisin, plum and walnut, as well as hints of tobacco, honey and tannic oak. Taste is a good balance of bready, grainy malt and quite a strong presence of nuts and dried fruits, with notes of walnut, pecans, raisin, plum and apricot, as well as lighter tobacco and spice, with notes of clove, allspice and vanilla, with hints of honey and musty, tannic oak as well. Finishes with a medium sweetness and some dried nuts and fruit, as well as hints of tobacco, spice and wood lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a rich body and light carbonation.

While this wasn't quite what I expected, I still found it rather enjoyable in its own way. It's definitely a bit too sweet and boozy for my personal taste, but those slightly smokey, spicy and woody notes balance that out somewhat, while you can tell immediately that this was aged in Tawny Port barrels due to the strong character of dried nuts and fruit, as well as that certain, pervading sweetness, which is enhanced from the honey as well. There is quite a noticeable bready and grainy malt presence to this as well though, quite reminiscent of pumpernickel bread, while no hop presence is detectable, except perhaps for some herbal accents. Overall, this certainly makes for a different and interesting drinking experience, with a good complexity and strong barrel presence, I just wish it was a little less sweet.