This beer can work as a nightcap. I'm both excited and simultaneously scared as this one sounds really challenging: barrel aged Imperial Red Ale with ABV of 15 %. The high ABV is based on freeze distilling. 😳 The beer colors muddy, dark mahogany. The introvert carbonation sets a small-bubbled, light beige head that covers the top up to one finger and then dissolves fairly quickly to a hair-thin ring of minuscule bubbles circling the surface. No other marks can be spotted on the glass. The nose indulges in inhaling multiple nuances, surprisingly many as a matter of fact. First of all, oversweet malt, bags of raisin, date and sweet gingerbread rise toward the sky and reach my olfactory organ. Further behind, I get a bit of almond, caramel fudge, sweet toffee and an oaky twist originating from a old soaked barrel. I can additionally detect brown sugar and a drop of rum to complete the picture. My scares are fading as the olfactory palette proves to be attractive and so multidimensional. 🤎🤎 The beer flows from the snifter into my mouth and spreads massive raisin, generous date and powerful oversweet malt, accompanied by less pronounced injections of toffee and caramel fudge as well as seasoned with a good pinch of almond. Lots of nuances even at this stage! But it's not yet the whole story! I'm picking strong oak barrel remnants and a hefty penetrative boozy tang. Normally, I wouldn't necessarily fancy such an edgy alcoholic punch but this beer works perfectly with such a slam! It's even appealing in some perverted way! 👍🏻 The body is relatively full. The beer finishes with a concoction of bitter caramel, heavily fermented raisin, almond, date and a sharp oak barrel twist. Alcohol is oppressive and even tangier than upfront. The finish also diminishes in breadth but still features a neat palette of flavors. The aftertaste launches the tastebuds up in the space and it takes a fairly long while to land back on Earth. The mouthfeel is strong, somewhat sappy, a tad sticky and lip-glueing. It's also medium-heavy, sharply boozy, a tad chemical and appealingly throat-warming. Edgy and challenging as well as distinctly barrel aged this surely is but it's also deep, mellow, rich and attractively layered. I'm sooo positively impressed about this beer. I would have categorized this as a Barley Wine in a blind test. A 15 % freeze-distilled Imperial Red Ale absolutely doesn't sound like my first priority but it smashed my prejudices and won my heart. The only little thing I would still hope for is a bit less chemical boozy punch with the same ABV and richness of nuances. Next to impossible, I guess? 🤎🤎🤎

Ai jumalauta mikä maku. Yllätti ihan vahvuudellaan, olisi varmaan pitänyt katsoa pulloa tarkemmin ennen avaamista. Makean maltainen ja amarettomainen maku, jossa karamellia ja todella paljon alkoholia.