Barrel Aged HVAC
Alter Brewing Company

" We filled Old Elk and used maple barrels with our barley wine. Once filled, we pretty much stick them in the barrel-room and forget about them until the fall of 2020. At that point, we will brew another batch of barley wine to blend with the aged and add more body and complexity before bottling."
16.9oz bottle poured into a tulip glass shows an opaque, ruddy, brown body supporting a 1in fleeting head of cream colored foam that evaporates evenly and cleans the glass. Agitation brings forth sheets of tiny bubbles that hug the edge.
Nutty and bitter roast aromas are enveloped by vanilla and oak.

Flavor matches with an almost butterscotch taste, but cut by bitter coffee and ash, and rounded out with the base ale. Really well done. No booze heat, and barely any warmth.

Smooth, silky, soft feel with a slight sticky remainder.

Overall a clean Barleywine with some well spent time on wood.