Heavy Seas Below Decks Cabernet Barrel Aged

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

Comes out of the tap an opaque chocolate-brown with a fairly thick light tan head. Malty aroma has subtle notes of chocolate and cinnamon. Flavor has a strong, fruity alcohol bite that still lets through malty, chocolate and toffee notes. It is somewhat sweet, but not overly so. Texture is quite thick, almost syrupy, with subtle but persistent fizz. Drink with care, lest you end up "below decks"! ;)

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

I really enjoyed the bourbon barrel below decks so naturally a wine barrel treatment of a nice base beer intrigued me. Deep brown pour augmented with a red tinge and minimal head. Aromas of tartness are met with a wallop of plum and raisins. Strong flavors of honey, molasses, brown sugar, and dark fruits are balanced nightly with a slight oakiness. This is a nice barrel treatment, as the base beer takes center stage and the barrel lends light notes. Well done.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

Different angle from the regular Below Decks. The cabernet aging added a dry sweet twist, but also seemed to take away from the rich, dark fruit aspect favored in the original. This is nice, but the bourbon barrel aged takes top honors over this.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Chestnut brown pour, with surprisingly big head and some nice lacing. Light boozy nose. The flavor really picked up the cab flavor, like a nice twist of beer and wine. Sweet malty flavor with the bitter tannin twang. Velvety in the mouth. I liked the beer/wine hybrid.