Black as pitch and proud of it, this beer sports a cap of light tan bubbles that stick around like a hunk of spinach in one of your front teeth. The aroma is that of maple, dark fruit, toffee, and earth. I was expecting some smoke or chocolate, but I really don't smell any. I expect the taste may not follow the nose.First sip is a bit of a punch in the tastes. It hits hard with what seems like hard liquor like this was bourbon barrel aged or something similar.
<I check the label like I probably should have before I had a sip>
Yup, this was aged in barrels. No idea who or what George Dickel No. 12 is, but I'm going out on a limb and saying that this is a beverage in the whiskey section of the store I group bourbon, Scotch, Tennessee whiskey, and a few others as just styles (or marketing gimmicks) of whiskey.
Tip-in is heavy alcohol, maple, and toffee. When I say heavy, I don't mean like it's a moonshine with a lot of alcohol; I'm trying (inelegantly) to say the the alcohol is forward, but it feels weighted down with age or something. The middle is a syrupy delight of brown liquor, thick malt, yeast, maple, and earth. The finish swings by to bring a sudden stop to the sweetness that was going on in the middle and it brings a sudden oak, sour, and dark fruit.
Bottom Line: I've had better barrel beers, but this is a good start.
2.0/5
Jeremy's Juxtaposition: 3.5 personally. Dat toffee tho
