5 Seasons North Whisky Barrel Aged Quinte55ence

Brewed by 5 Seasons North
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Alpharetta, Georgia USA

Cask @ Atlanta Cask Ale Fest 2008, but this version was aged for 1 yr. This is the best GA-brewed beer that I’ve sampled. Extremely full-flavored w/ oak, vanlla, brown sugar, chocolate all there. Very reminiscent of Firestone 10. EXCELLENT.

Appearance: Pours a dark brown, near black with a small, wispy off-white head. Smell: Sweet-smelling, almost dessertlike aroma. Dark caramel and an intensely chocolatey character blends very well with the whiskey notes of vanilla, wood, and brown sugar. Hint of dark fruits and roastiness. Thankfully, the oak and whiskey components don’t dominate but instead compliment and further enhance the other parts of the aroma. Taste: Sweet dark chocolate blended with dark caramel and notes of vanilla and spicy anise. Gentle fruity esters. The wood and whiskey qualities, though rich and flavorful, remain well-balanced. Faint roastiness near the end. Lusciously sweet finish with a hint alcohol heat on the tailend. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Mild carbonation. Drinkability: A very well-crafted beer that exhibits a great display of flavor and depth.

I had this special beer at an Über dinner. What a big f’n beer! What the hell style is this?? a Quint i guess. Very Unique! Very dark black. Slightly off white head. Served in a small snifter glass. Looks like a Imperial Stout. Smells and Tastes like a Belgian... Something? Aroma of very sweet malt. A little roasted flavor but lots of candy sugar. Very smooth and creamy. Very dry finish. Sooo much malt sweetness and still very balanced. SMOOTH VANILLA ADDED TO THIS ONE. A GOOD AMOUNT OF GOOD OL’ AMERICAN BOURBON BURN TO ADD TO THE OVERWELMING PALATE. THIS ONE IS MUCH EASIER TO DRINK. ALMOST TOO EASY....

Pours dark brown-black with a faint head. Aroma initially of alcohol, with an underlying sweetness of brown sugar. Flavor is of caramel, chocolate and vanilla with an underlying alcohol burn.

Bottle from my man Jimbo. Hand bottled by the brewer. Shared with a bunch of folks. This is a near perfect beer. Rich, smooth, wonderful. Vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar were the dominant flavors I detected. This is possibly the best example of barrel aging that I have tasted. We all agreed that this is very similar to the first batch of Angels share, and perhaps better. It’s that good. Even uber brewer Lee stated it’s the best beer he’s had in a long time. We all agreed. Very good.

Bottled, on premises. Black. Smells like caramel raisin jet fuel. Whisky is prominent, but no burn. Sweet, milk chocolate, alcohol bittering. Very very fine. A little briny in the aftertaste. This is a must try, but be ready to shell out the $$ - Fortunately, the boss was buying. We were impressed after sampling the 10w-55 Imperial Stout, and this just ratched the bar up even further.

Bottle: Pours a very dark viscous mahogany with a thin ring of tan bubbles. Nice, dense oaky whiskey complex aroma has good, rich caramely Belgian malt and dark fruit. Body starts very full, rich and caramely with a little doughy yeast and good balance of oaky whiskey toward a full, bready enjoyable finish with great complexity. This one is really well done.

Cask @ Atl Cask Ale Fest ’08. Dark brown/black pour with minimal tan head. Aroma was full of bourbon, vanilla and oak. By far the best beer at the festival.