Beer Review: 2009 Nemesis

Reviewing the 2009 Nemesis (side by side with the 2010 Nemesis) from Founders Brewing Company. Review is from notes, thank you BenC for bottlesharing this one!
Score: 83

2009 vintage bottle served in a tulip-snifter hybrid glass. Forgot to snap a pic, so I'm borrow the brilliantly framed one you see on the right.

Appearance: Pours a translucent orange-red color with minimal head and lacing. 3.5/5

Smell: Maple syrup and bourbon. Brown sugar and red grapes. Some sweet booze. A little yeasty banana. Creamy vanilla. 4/5

Taste: Very sweet. Red grapes and brown sugar on the mid-palate. Lots of bourbon and maple syrup throughout. A little banana bread, vanilla and oak too. Finish is straight bourbon. The beer is still quite hot. 3.5/5

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, light carbonation. Finishes very sweet. 3.5/5

Overall: A pretty solid barleywine. The maple aging makes it very unique and enhances the sweetness of the beer a lot. Still very hot, though. I'd be interested to see how this one tastes with a few more years of age on it.

Recommendation: Beer geeks should seek this one out, but age it for a couple more years before cracking it open. Casual beer drinkers will probably not enjoy this one. This one has a lot of potential if it mellows out.

Pairings: I was baffled by this one. I thought S'mores might work well. One website suggests: "Vanilla Ice Cream, Fresh Sliced Strawberries, Pretzel Crumbles, Honey & Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar drizzle."

Cost: $5.99 for a single 12 oz bottle or $22.99 for a four pack.