3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Draft at The Pine Box, listed as ’merlot barrel aged Brother’. Big grape and hop aroma, richer orange body. Big unique aroma on this, never heard of such a thing. Grape juice (like, the kid’s kind), fruity front with the great Brother DIPA base coming through strongly, before finishing with sweet wine. It is a strange beer, not bad but really not my taste.
4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
Tap at Fremont, Seattle - 08/11/12.
Medium hazed amber with a thin off white head.
Nose exudes red wine, wood, hops, light pine and some tropical fruit tones.
Taste is hops, pine, sugars, wood, Merlot, warming booze.
Full bodied with soft fine carbonation leading to a boozy bitter finish.
This barrel aged DIPA was pulled off with precision - excellent!
3.7 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
On tap at Fremont, marked as Merlot Aged Brother. Pours a cloudy golden amber, with very little head. Oh, the nose is a dream. A hop bomb with the added depth and complexity of red wine and oak. Flavor takes the complexity a bit over the top. The huge hop bill is surprisingly well countered by the oak, and the wine is really subdued. The aging seems to have taken the punch out of the hops, too, and given them more of a sharp bitter edge. Too bad - I really, really like the normal Brother. This is good, but not nearly as good.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Woody fruity nose on top of citrus and danky hops. A little pale malt sweetness, a little bread/biscuit. Pours golden, nice white head and lace. The flavor starts nice and fruity with some merlot notes, berries move into oranges which then move into danky hops. Nice bitey hoppy finish. Malt base is lightly sweet pale and a little dry biscuit. Wood and hops linger on the palate in the back end. Solid and very drinkable. Nice treatment on the beer.
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