13 Anniversary Wheatwine - Bourbon Barrel Aged
Fillmore 13 Brewery

12 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled in 1/2019. Pours slightly hazy deep orange/copper/amber color with a 1 finger dense and fluffy cream colored head with great retention, that reduces to a thin lace cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big golden raisin, peach, plum, pear, apricot, melon, red apple, honey, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, biscuit, and white bread dough/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, banana, bubblegum, clove, roast, oak char, leather, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/oak earthiness. Minimal booze in the aromas as it warms. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, dark/bready malts, bourbon barrels, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of huge golden raisin, peach, plum, pear, apricot, melon, red apple, honey, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, biscuit, and white bread dough/crust; with lighter notes of molasses, banana, bubblegum, clove, roast, oak char, leather, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light herbal, grassy, peppery bitterness; and yeast, bourbon, oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of golden raisin, peach, plum, pear, apricot, melon, red apple, honey, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, biscuit, white bread dough/crust, molasses, banana, bubblegum, clove, roast, oak char, leather, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, dark/bready malts, bourbon barrels, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with an awesome malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and no cloying sweetness after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness, and yeast/bourbon/oak spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready/grainy, and lightly slick/sticky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Mildly increasing warmth of 13%, with no barrel booze lingering after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic barrel aged wheatwine! All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, dark/bready malts, bourbon barrels, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV, with the mildly bitter/spicy/drying finish. Perfectly balanced rich malts, fruity/spicy German yeast, and bourbon barrel presence/integration; with solid earthy hop presence/balance. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazingly spot on style example. Did not prefer over the base beer, but has great added barrel complexity.