Dutch Apple Streusel
Barbarian Brewing

500 ml bottle from brewery and cellared for a few years. Dark, clear amber pour, some off-white bubbles. Aroma is boozy and tart apple. Taste is malty, apple, vanilla, woody. Latent warmth rises in the back. Dries out towards the finish.

Large-format capped bottle (2020 vintage) poured into a pint nonic.

A: Beautiful gold, mildly hazy with a light layer of head and lacing.

S: Nice nose, strongly-sweet with malty caramel and toffee and mild bourbon-soaked apple, spices.

T: Follows the nose will with complex blend of spirit and malt, barrel and spice, sweet caramel and toffee and bready character.

MF: Warm from the barrel and spice character but not boozy, complements the rest of the brew well.

O: Delicious and well-executed; doesn't scream 'Dutch Apple Streusel', per-se, but all aspects of that dessert and the bourbon barrel are there.

this is really impressive stuff, perfect for the colder months, and one of the more interesting and well done beers i have had in idaho to date, just downright fantastic. it starts with a moderately strong but full flavored english barleywine, very well made, not too sweet, and with a ton of grain depth to it, brewed with real apples. its then aged in bourbon barrels and jazzed up with cinnamon and vanilla, the complexity, uniqueness, and balance of this are through the roof, and its up there with the best barbarian beers ive had so far. the nose is awesome, lots of whiskey, caramel and toffee character from the grain, warming vanilla and mulling spice, a little alcohol, and the wood of course, mellow and inviting and really one of a kind. the flavor is awesome, the apple is obvious and it has a baked and thanksgiving sort of vibe with the cinnamon. i get honey and toffee from the grain, the sweet and enriching vanilla, and even some english ale yeast in the mix as well, really complete beer that improves dramatically as it warms up. i love the vanilla with the malt, the cinnamon with the apple, and the way the whole thing comes together to taste like the dessert its named after, but its not too sweet to drink, and the lower alcohol for the style extends it as well too. some really ambitious beers on tap in here right now, this was among my favorites from our recent visit downtown. amazing take on a style i usually dont want adjuncts in. the barrel treatment is excellent here as well. not to be missed!