Peach Brandy Applewood Rye High Note
Woven Water Brewing Company

500 ml bottle into a snifter. A 2024 release, had 11/1/24.

Pours a dark ruby amber, mostly opaque, with no head and no lacing. Aromas of rye whiskey, vanilla, caramel, malt, some applewood and fig, light peach brandy as it warms. Flavors of vanilla, rye whiskey, caramel, malt, fig, some brandy with a hint of peach when fully warmed. Smooth, a very good medium body, appropriately carbonated.

This is best fully warmed. The aroma is a little more expressive, the flavors are a little more distinct. The rye barrels and the vanilla are dominant, although the brandy has a decent presence in the flavor- even if it’s not very peachy. This is quite enjoyable, but I kind of expected it to be better. It’s not as cohesive as it could be.

Appearance: Pours coffee colored with no head; somewhat leggy

Smell: Peach Brandy aromatics dominate with toffee and vanilla tones supporting; the Rye Whiskey bouquet adds a bit of Rye spice

Taste: Very sweet from start to finish; Peach Brandy dominant; sugary toffee emerges, along with the vanilla; through the middle, the Rye tries to add a counter to the sweetness but the sugar wins in the end

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with no carbonation; warmth in the gullet

Overall: The Peach Brandy is creative but these guys just have a sweeter tooth than I do; would really like to have the earthy hop balance of a traditional English Barleywine

Opaque leather brown body with a tan ring. Smell is promising with sweet peaches and vanilla bonding with the caramel, contrasting with the rye, barley, licorice, and a hint of cocoa. The taste though is so sweet, with the peach brandy overpowering with forces of saccharine sweet peaches from the can with syrup included. Feel is better tempered with rye, barley, and barrel cutting the sugars, but leans hotter. Unique but isn't cohesive enough for me to dive into

Due to some unfortunate life circumstances I’ve nearly stopped buying beer, so a backlog of Tavour stuff showing up was mooooost welcome. This in a 500ML bottle with 2024 on the side.

The pour is denser than the guy in the Nissan who almost hit four cars (twice being me) in about three minutes this morning; spare red edges if one glares hard enough. The barrels dominate the nose.

High Note – Peach Brandy & Applewood Rye Barrels is an entrant in the ever-expanding, ever-blurring line between stout & barleywine in color & viscosity. Peach brandy reporting for duty! Right up front, but not so aggressive you can see only his exhaust within a half-mile. Strangely, the applewood is also prominent, which is the first time I’ve typed those words in that arrangement, while the rye murmurs quietly. Hefty base supports this tasty nonsense: black licorice, caramel, weathered brown leather, with a subtext of silky booze. Old school thickness that begs one to pick up the glass again, pronto.

One of the most complex & well-built brews I’ve had this year. The components meld together with verve & style. The result is an top shelf beer. I might have to give these Coven Pond guys another shot. Or six.