Requiem For Dissent
Cerberus Brewing Company

Got in a trade with beergoot. 32 ounce crowler into snifter, filled on 6/24/2019. Pours slightly hazy medium orange/amber/light copper color with a 2-3 finger fairly dense and fluffy cream colored head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of huge lemon, orange, citrus peel/zest, peach, plum, pear, apricot, red apple, golden raisin, honey, white bread dough, and toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of caramel, nuttiness, peppercorn, pine, wood, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity yeast, dark/bready malts, and light-moderate citrus/earthy hop notes; with big strength. Taste of huge lemon, orange, citrus peel/zest, peach, plum, pear, apricot, red apple, golden raisin, honey, white bread dough, and toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of caramel, nuttiness, peppercorn, pine, wood, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light pine, citrus peel/zest, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of lemon, orange, citrus peel/zest, peach, plum, pear, apricot, red apple, golden raisin, honey, white bread dough, toasted biscuit, caramel, nuttiness, peppercorn, pine, wood, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity yeast, dark/bready malts, and light-moderate citrus/earthy hop flavors; with a solid malt/bitterness balance; and no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and lightly sticky mouthfeel that is great. Mildly increasing warmth of 10.2% after the finish. Overall this is an awesome English barleywine! All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity yeast, dark/bready malts, and light-moderate citrus/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to drink for the big ABV, with the mildly bitter/drying finish; awesomely soft feel. Awesome balanced between fruity English yeast and dark/bready English malt complexity; with solid citrus/earthy hop presence/balance. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A really enjoyable offering, and impressive style example. A bit more of a blonde barleywine overall, but still spot on stuff.

Reddish-copper looking body; the head pours thick yet quickly fades to a thin, wispy size yet leaves nice fingers of lacing along the glass. Big, sweet malt smell; cherries and figs; spicy. The taste exudes a lot of fine sweetness with elements of figs and raisins; definite booziness; a fair hop bitterness emerges late into the sip. Heavy body; syrupy; a good amount of alcohol heat and dryness in the latter half of the taste.

I have a feeling this is nearly the same beer as their earlier (late last year/earlier this year) collaboration with 1623 Brewing. The ABV is the same although the hop (as listed on the beer menu) are slightly different. In any case, this version is a little more appealing, especially visually and with the smell. It packs some noticeable alcohol punch but also seems a twinge too sweet for things. I did not get any real roasted or toffee notes. Still, if a big beer is in order, order this one if you get the chance...