Mueller Barrel Reserve

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

A soft pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a three-finger thick, tan colored head. The beer is a dark amber, red stained color that shows an almost brilliantly clear, light mahogany color when held up to the light. Visually it is well carbonated as there is a lot of bubbles streaming about. The aroma has a huge oak presence that has a big, buttery-oak note to it that is backed by ample vanillin and caramelized wood. Interestingly the tartness that was noticeable as I was visually inspecting this is not as noticeable as the oak character, now that I am focused on the nose. Still there is an underlying tart fruitiness to the aroma. The barrel character also accentuates a nice coconut aromatic note that is quite nice. There seems to be a touch of funky phenolic notes just barely noticeable as a backdrop to the oak. Despite being oak dominated, the aroma is pretty enjoyable and I like how the harsh notes that can sometimes come from barrel aging are missing.

This beer is nicely tart, the sourness reminds me of tamarind, sour plums and actually a fair amount of sour cherry notes. The oak character plays a much more balanced role in the flavor, but it still contributes ample butterscotch notes, a hint of spicy oak and a lingering, toasted coconut note to the finish. This has a nice, aged, caramelized malt character to it that is not quite at the nutty, sherry point in the aging process, but it is getting close. The body of this brew has a nice texture to it; the barrel has contributed a tannic structure and almost velvety texture that pairs quite well with what is left of the caramelized malt fullness; drinkable, yet it has a fullness that cloaks the palate in a velvet-like embrace. The tannins also add a touch of bite to the finish, though most of the bite, that is soft overall, is provided by the spicy oak flavors.

The light tartness in the flavor is nicely balanced by the chewy oak character. The aroma could be a bit more complex, but I can't really ask for much more from an oak dominated nose; the mix of coconut, buttery-oak and soft vanillin is quite nice). This is just a great drinking beer, it is also a great beer to pair with food as the tartness helps it to stand up to much of what you could throw at it; myself I paired it with a Prime Rib eye, brown rice, southern greens and French bread with a herb goat cheese.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 10

Sampled from magnum bottle. Pours mahogany with a minimal head. Brett & oak aroma. Sour, tart, unripe fruits and some caramel. Dry. Well done - about as good as La Folie.