I definitely like it better out of the IPA glass.

I remember really liking this before but NvU has, ironically, ruined me for anything else. This is more bitter, which is nice for a change. Lemon peel all the way.

A little more bitter than I remembered. Smoothed a bit as it warmed but still more coffee and dark chocolate than I prefer. Bourbon is barely there right now to my palate.

This is the best KBS has ever tasted to me. So balanced and chocolaty, but not rich. Deceptively smooth at nearly 12% ABV. Thinner than many consider ideal for big stouts but screw that, this is basically perfect. A little bitter but coffee doesn't overwhelm. Bourbon is surprisingly low key which really lets the other flavors shine.

Harsher than the 2016 but has more flavor. Hope it will settle a bit in the bottle. Exquisitely balanced as always.

I definitely like it better out of the IPA glass.

I remember really liking this before but NvU has, ironically, ruined me for anything else. This is more bitter, which is nice for a change. Lemon peel all the way.

Just not my kind of beer.

Hmm. I was told quads were different. This really did nothing for me at all. There was a nice cherry tartness and a little barrel richness, but I didn't care much for it other than that. Glad it wasn't expensive. I'm not inclined to try any other quads considering how universally this is acclaimed. Maybe it's not a quintessential quad but I'm not interested. I'm willing to try another if someone else buys it.

Really solid scotch all all around...until you get to the spruce tips. It's like a rosemary aftertaste. Why would they do that?

I definitely like it better out of the IPA glass.

I remember really liking this before but NvU has, ironically, ruined me for anything else. This is more bitter, which is nice for a change. Lemon peel all the way.

Still very good, although the brandy is mostly background booze at this point. A highly alcoholic tart cherry lager. Best a little younger when the brandy is more prominent but still delicious.

All my previous notes say the brandy comes out as it warms but that seems to be fading now. The brandy is still there but more background. Drinks like a crisp cherry lager. Plus alcohol.

Holding up really well for a lager after 6 months. Get it cold an ther cherry really comes out. Once it warms the brandy tends to dominate. But I don't regret this purchase at all. It's a really nice change of pace. Delicious. Kind of ridiculous ABV, though.

Huge, huge brandy. Still nicely tart. I didn't buy it until it was already 3 months old but doesn't seem to be hurting from the age, even though it's a lager. Of course I never had a really fresh bottle to compare... Still, it's fun.

Brandy works well with the tart cherries. Gets more boozy as it warms up.

Holds up well so far. I have heard that strawberry drops off quickly in beer, but not yet. Really good, wouldn't mind if they brought it back every year.

Turbid. Smells great, like strawberry jelly. Maybe influence a bit by the actual strawberry jelly in my sandwich? Rhubarb comes across much more in the flavor. Took me a bit to parse the flavors, at first I was just expecting massive strawberry, then it seemed like it just wasn't a fresh fruit flavor. The rhubarb covers up a lot of the maltiness so it ends up tasting more like spritzer than beer. And at 4% you can basically drink it that way. Interested to see how much it will settle, although it's bottle conditioned. I can't put this up with Serendipity but I like it as much as the Belgian Red.

I definitely like it better out of the IPA glass.

I remember really liking this before but NvU has, ironically, ruined me for anything else. This is more bitter, which is nice for a change. Lemon peel all the way.

Wow, finally, 6 months after bottling it's finally starting to taste right. That weird, hoppy? flavor has faded and it's sweet and boozy and carmely and buttery.

Something's wrong this year. Last year was as good as any barrel aged wee heavy on the market. This year has a bitter bite the destroys the carmely sweetness. Can't believe I bought so much this year instead of last year.

Yeah, my kind of sour. Absolutely no acetone flavor. Not even all that sour, as sours go. Refreshing, well carbonated. The head was less than pillowy so that's something it can aspire to. Just delightful. Loved it.

I like this vintage a little cooler. Surprisingly, that's where the barrel character comes to the fore. Less distinct and balanced as it warms. I experienced something similar with the BA Silhouette, so maybe it's my palate changing with all the big beers I've been drinking this winter. Really good when it's good, at those lower temps. Not refrigerator cold, but cooler than I typically drink by high gravity beers.

Kind of a mess right now, honestly. Boozy, harsh and thin. Carbonation overwhelms. Nice vanilla flavors but way too fresh at 8 days old. Should be nice later, though.

Still good, maybe not as balanced as it could be. Smokier, burnt caramel, enough bourbon but not a bomb. More barrel than bourbon.

Lost about all the bourbon in the flavor. I expected it to be smoother by now but it's still quite boozy. Very sweet, in a good way, though.

Smoothed out perfectly. No hint of the acetone I noticed last year. Love everything about it.

Plenty tart from the cranberries but the sour has mellowed. Acetone in the nose, which is unfortunate, but tastes amazing. So refreshing, too. Easy to gulp this down.

Just a terrific lambic. Rose red, and sparkles like champagne. Has all the classic marks of lambics but with an incredible amount of cranberry flavor. I don't know how Dan does it, but he adds huge fruit flavor without losing the beer-ness. Extremely refreshing and delicious. Surprised the ABV is as high as it is.

So, this takes 2 or 3 years of aging to get it where I want it. The bite is gone, the heat is gone, so smooth and rich. Tastes unmistakably like a barleywine, and an American barleywine at that, but so well integrated. One of the few worth the cellar space. Sigh, not quite Straightjacket but half the price.

Life.

This was a little more woody tasting earlier on but now the sweeter stickiness is coming out just like you want from a barleywine.