I haven't tasted the base version of Rău Augur but what I have now is a Pedro Ximenez barrel aged version. 660 bottles of this have been produced. The appearance isn't that dramatic for an imperial stout: opaque black. Timid carbonation. A chastened bronze lacing quickly pops up on the surface and retreats to the sides. Vanilla leads the crowd together with milk chocolate and cacao nibs. Sherry barrel nuances join the dance right thereafter. Furthermore, I can imagine a dash of fermented black tea leaf in the background. The flavors don't follow the sequence or intensity of the olfactory elements. Not at all. Sherry – or it's actually red wine here – is the paramount note on the tongue. With oak barrel nuances, of course. I can also spot dark malt, raw chocolate, bitter syrup, molasses, dark plum, damson and blackberry. And a faint coffeeish hint. So many components in the profile. I anticipated something sweet and desserty but this isn't actually like that. The body is full. It's substantially big given the beer doesn't contain any adjuncts as far as I know. The finish keeps the red wine and barrel notes pronounced for a long time. The sensation is full, thick, viscous, barrel aged and moderately vinous. It's truly deep, relatively rich and complex. Perhaps a tad immature – I guess this could benefit from cellaring.