Barrel Aged Belgian Dark Strong
Tonewood Brewing - Barrington

A: The beer is very hazy brown in color - too hazy to see if there is any visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high beige colored head that quickly settled down, leaving a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of oaky vanilla (from the bourbon barrel aging) are present in the nose along with notes of dark fruits.
T: The taste follows the smell, except that the flavors of dark fruits are a touch stronger and provide notes of plums and raisins. There is a slight bit of sweetness.
M: It feels a bit more than medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is pleasant to sip but does a very good job at masking nearly all of the alcohol from the taste.

Serving type: bottle

 

(review culled from 6 oz half-pour into full-size tulip at the brewery, about 2 weeks ago, and a 5 oz pour at The Mile moments ago)

Brown liquid, hazy, murky, slight purple tinge; little-to-no foam (each pour)... vinous, grapey, charred wood on the nose; mild 'bourbon' coloring; very very little alcohol detected, aside from maybe a thin, dry, peppery toasty phenol... on the palate, luscious, syrupy caramel, grape hard candy, raisin/prune fruity finish; again, bourbon 'coloring' drenches the flavors of the base strong ale, but has watery definition; lingering caramel, almost turbinado syrup in the aftertaste, aromatic spice and char highlights; little boozy presence, woven in, drowned below... little booze burn on the tongue, just perhaps a subtle, extra-mild warm glow; rather clean and still, little viscosity or grippy textures to its body/legs... the short pour in the big glass at the brewery was far better, more vibrant than the to-the-lip 5 oz pour, so I'm assuming the extra space to breathe helped; at moments during each sip (at the brewery), I'd almost compare the flavors to a Stickee Monkee... they did a decent job with this, and hopefully they'll give it another shot (1642)