Barrel-aging beers has been popular for quite some time, but it usually involves using Woodford Reserve whiskey or other oak barrels repurposed from their bourbon heyday. Karbach, however, went in a different direction.
With their most recent release in their barrel-aging F.U.N. series, they chose to barrel-age their Belgian-style tripel in Dulce Vida Extra Anejo tequila barrels. Unique? Yeah, that’s an understandment.
The taste that settles on my palette is a spicy peach flavor. There is a tart finish to the beer that balances out the fruity sweetness in the flavor.
The appearance is a rich gold that is appealing to the eye. We poured it in a snifter, but pouring in a tulip also works well for this beer. The glassware is important to release the fruity notes in the aroma.
My biggest worry was going to be how boozy this beer would come across. However, the sweetness of the Belgian tripel balances the high gravity and reduces the barrel-aged flavor, making it more tolerable.
Overall, this is a tremendously complex beer that features fruit notes, agave spirits, red wine hints, and sweet flavors that all balance out the tartness of the beer. Karbach embarked on an interesting endeavor producing this beer and certainly made it a pleasing beer for any spirits drinker who likes to sip their beer over a long session.