Silverback Hipster Barleywine - Bourbon Barrel Aged
Fillmore 13 Brewery

500 ml bottle into snifter, bottled in 9/2017. Pours very hazy very dark ruby red/brown color with a 1 finger dense and fluffy light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big raisin, plum, prune, cherry, fig, date, peach, pear, apricot, melon, red apple, grapefruit, orange, citrus peel/zest, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, biscuit, and brown bread/crust; with light notes of cocoa, leather, tobacco, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Slight booze in the aromas as it warms, but not overwhelming. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/bready malts, fruity yeast, bourbon barrels, and light citrus/earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of huge raisin, plum, prune, cherry, fig, date, peach, pear, apricot, melon, red apple, grapefruit, orange, citrus peel/zest, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, biscuit, and brown bread/crust; with light notes of cocoa, leather, tobacco, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Mild pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery hops; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark fruit, peach, pear, apricot, melon, red apple, grapefruit, orange, citrus peel/rind, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, biscuit, brown bread/crust, cocoa, leather, tobacco, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malts, fruity yeast, bourbon barrels, and light citrus/earthy hop flavors; with a solid malt/bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying sweetness after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and lightly slick/sticky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Mild increasing warmth of 13.5%, with zero barrel booze lingering after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic barrel aged English barleywine! All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malts, fruity yeast, bourbon barrels, and light citrus/earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV, with the mildly bitter/tannic/drying finish. Perfect balance of super rich malts, fruity yeast, and bourbon barrel presence/integration; with solid citrus/earthy hop balance. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. Not overly boozy/tannic on barrels. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazingly spot on style example.