Barrel Aged Biere De Garde
Missouri River Brewing Company

they call this a lager, which i think traditionally is incorrect, but im not sure how they made it. i was surprised to see such an esoteric style, let alone a barrel aged version, on tap in this place, but they had a ton of creative stuff in here, really an impressive selection of beers! this is bronze toned with high clarity, a short white head, and looks light and autumnal to me. the nose is solid, must have been aged in wine barrels, or even brandy barrels, im not sure, but i get that fruitiness, and more of a new oak than the charred old oak vibe i often get from whiskey barrels. this is cleaner than that, some light funk to it but mostly high tone frensh saison type yeast esters of pear, green banana, red apple, and allspice. very fall. some sturdy malt to this too, caramelized and sweet but not over the top, fruitcake and oak, not even all that alcoholic. the flavor is solid too, understated at first, nutty and earthy on the malt side with a little red wine character maybe, then as it warms i get more and more from the yeast, a white pepper layer to it with the fruitiness, dried apricot, golden raisin, good apple cider, and just a warming wash of the alcohol on the swallow. a little residual sugar but its fine with me, a new oak and vanilla complexion in the center, and just a medium body on it. it seems mature and well refined to me, and while the recipe is a little odd, like i have never seen one of these so strong before, i think it remains a pretty approachable drink even at this size. cool offering, not quite at the old world level of interest, but i respect the heck out of these guys for doing this!