Destroyer - Single Barrel
Lua Brewing

 

Deep, brooding pour. An abyss not necessarily characteristic of the style, but a promising welcome of what is to come. Hardly any agitated carbonation lingers.

The nose opens with dark chocolate-covered blueberry, dates, and a touch of torched oak. There’s a nice transition from chocolate and bourbon to a more fruit-forward expression as time and temperature play their part.

The palate mirrors many of the same qualities as the nose; dark, fruity chocolate, dates, charred oak, and mildly bittering caramel.

Beautiful weight to this beer. Velvety smooth, but not overly syrupy. The carbonation is present but soft. There’s an estery dryness and warmth from the ethanol that helps to round everything out perfectly. It’s amazing the balance this retains not only after over 2 years in oak, but also another year and a half in the bottle (since 10/22) release.