Bière de Garde
Loose Screw Beer Co. - Downtown Brewery Taproom

not sure if they have two versions of this or if all of it is aged in merlot barrels, but it was both their most ambitious beer and among their most delicious when i was in this weekend. pretty heavy on the oak, some character from the wine too, a nice earthen malty base, its the yeast thats not quite there, but overall this is very tasty and a cool addition to their menu, have not seen many beers in this style locally made. deep copper color, not quite clear, short but decent tan head on it, strong booziness, dried berries, and caramelized grain sweetness in the nose, more balance in the flavor, tons of wood which i love, light vanilla from it, plum and mixed berry jam for pancakes from the wine, but way in the back, some light astringency here but thats okay in the style. i wish for a more rustic and drying yeast strain, its got some appropriate esters but seems more belgian or french in that clean way, not ideal for this, but i am asking for high end bottle conditioned features at this point, i realize that. this is well done for what it is, all things considered, and i really like the use of the red wine barrels for it. slight oxidation suggests its been nicely aged, i appreciate that in the style too, it belongs in this minimal amount. carbonated enough too. good job!

Crowler from brewery. Dark amber body, light airy head fades to flat. Malty aroma, tobacco, caramel, coffee. Taste is dry malty flavors with a touch of Belgian yeast. Faint woody notes.