Back again, huh? I had the one way back when, and then I just had the 2020, and it was pretty near to perfection. How much difference can a year make? Well, anyone who lived through 2020 knows that a single year can make one hell of a difference, really. Maybe this beer will take things a different direction and show that 2020 can be improved on... like we don't all already know.
The color is a spitting image of its sibling. If anything, this one generates more head, but it’s pretty paltry for your average beer, and that makes it just about right for a barrel aged beer. I sniff it, and I am reminded that I don’t think I mentioned that there was a hint of cherries in the last one. Well, it’s more pronounced here, under the molasses, vanilla, and sweet smoke.First sip is nearly indistinguishable from the 2020 beer. I say nearly, as I don’t think that your average person having one of these a month will notice that much of a difference. On successive nights, however, the differences come out. This is smoother than the 2020 was, and I’m at a loss as to why that would be. Could it be something I ate an hour ago is changing how the beer interacts with my tastebuds? Maybe.
Tip-in is rich and sweet and seared brown sugar, vanilla, and smoke. There may be a bit of chocolate coming through, but it might just be me at this point. The middle branches out into smoky oak and the hint of cherries and dried peach really add something; this is NOT last year’s beer. The finish is toffee and chocolate with those cherries still hanging on to the smoky oak.
Bottom Line: Yep. Better than last year.
5.0/5