Sucaba
Barrel-Aged English Barleywine
12.5% ABV
Appearance: Pours a deep, rich brown (almost black) with ruby highlights. Not a lot of foam on this one. Less than a finger of tan head.
Smell: Where to start?! An intoxicating aroma of bourbon, charred oak, vanilla, black licorice, light tobacco, and subtle hints of Montmorency cherries, red wine, coconut, and raisins. A heavenly experience for the olfactory lobes.
Taste: Follows the nose fairly closely. If I were to sum up the flavor with just three words, they would be "bourbon", "oak", and "vanilla". But there's also a little bit of baking chocolate and some caramel as well as fleeting hints of the aromas mentioned above. At 12.5% its not surprising that there's a good deal of alcohol heat, making this a slow sipper.
Mouthfeel: Medium to heavy bodied with fairly low carbonation. Goes down smooth with a little kick in the finish.
Overall, this was a stunning and wonderfully complex barrel-aged English-style barleywine. I've had quality beer from Firestone Walker in the past but this is on a whole other level of greatness. The moment I cracked open the bottle I knew it was going to be something special. I've never smelled or tasted a beer so rich and intricate yet smooth and balanced. The myriad of flavors and aromas intermingle so cohesively that it was a bit of a challenge to decipher individual elements. And I mean that in the most complimentary of ways. Even if this is a style of beer that you usually steer clear of, you absolutely must try this. It's a perfect bottle for a special occasion or just a night in with good company. Definitely share this one though. A 5 oz. sample is a perfect amount as this is both high in alcohol and abundant in flavor. I'm very excited for their next barrel-aged release later this month, a 13% ABV Russian imperial stout called Parabola.
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| 5 out of 5 |
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