Year of New Beer: Bourbon Barrel Aged Cherry (Implosion) Tripel

Written By: Dion on 06/27/2019

Cherries in beer can be a funny thing. More often than not, unless used in a sour, cherries tend to push good beers into cough syrup territory. I think in this case, the fruit has been administered with a judicious hand, allowing a berry sweetness to be embraced by layers of caramel, golden raisins, and freshly baked bread. Some of the nuances of the base Tripel get swallowed up a bit by the sweetness of the cherry, but overall I like the subtlety of the bourbon influence here. Very light heat, brown sugar, and faint oak through the finish. I tasted the barreled Wee Heavy tonight as well, which was also very good. Nutty, earthy, and tinged with chocolate and caramel alongside a subdued, warming alcohol. Of the three, last night's barreled Lucius Clay is still my favorite, with these two in a virtual dead-heat for second. All worth trying.