Dark Cherry Hoss
Sacred Waters Brewing Company

a big barrel aged beast of a brew with a ton of flavor, i was pleasantly surprised by this, seemingly a little more dialed in than some of their others, and technically very solid. lots of barrel on it in nose and taste, some sweet vanilla bourbon character and mellowing oak rising up to my senses to challenge the overt alcohol presence, which is short of fusel to me but pretty robust even when this is cold. some light spiciness to the wood is nice with the very roasty grain base, deep dark coffee and cocoa tones to this set a nice foundation. the cherry character is a little sweet in the nose, more natural to me in the flavor, most assertive towards the finish, but well proportioned and not overdone, identifiable as it is. hints of cherry cola and root beer come to mind even though this isnt sweet really, more whiskey as it warms too. i dont mind a little alcohol showing in the style, but its definitely approaching the line here. full body obviously but this isnt all that viscous or sticky, and i think the texture is quite good overall. neat coming together of flavors here, definitely a sipper, but a clever and delicious brew.