The beer pours a honey-amber with somewhat of a blood orange translucence to it. The head is a light khaki and dissipates rather quickly. The only thing left is about a centimeter of head at the top of the brew. The aromas are interesting to say the least. I get the wood almost immediately with a mixture of sweet malts, bitter hops, and even some caramel and vanilla. I would have pulled the wood out of this (stop it) even if I didn't already know it was aged in it. It's quite apparent to my nose. Anyways, onto the beer!
Now, I'm going to admit that I hardly chilled this beer at all. This is mostly because I feel these sorts of beers are so much better with only a slight chill, but more towards room temperature. The beer is pretty strong on the alcohol front once it immediately hits the tongue. However, upon swirling, the alcohol takes a back seat to complex wood flavors mixed with some nice malts. I do, also, get vanilla on the tongue. Upon swallowing, it's definitely better on the back end. The mixture of wood and malt blends with a bitter hoppy finish to create a definitely well-balanced beer. Every sip of this beer is a pleasure, especially to someone that has taken a break from craft beers for a number of purposes. The sweetness seems to be the only thing that stays with you in terms of lingering flavor characteristics. This one is definitely worth a buy. Try it. Let me know what you think. I might buy another one and see how it tastes in a year, but then again I might not. This is definitely a sipper, though. Do not purchase this and expect to just put it down like a normal IPA. This is the type of beer that is meant to be savored and shared. Hence, this blog. I'm sharing it with you, albeit through text. Now go get one.
