Beer Review: Blackberry Whiskey Barrel Aged Love

Reviewing the Blackberry Whiskey Barrel Aged Love from New Belgium Brewing out of Fort Collins, Colorado. This is a dark sour aged with blackberries in a whiskey barrel for over two years.

Score: 95

Tap pour served in a stemmed taster glass and enjoyed on 03/29/14.

Appearance: Pours a brownish red color with a thick ring around the glass of tan head. Good lacing. 4/5

Smell: Cherry wood, oak, vanilla, light balsamic vinegar and whiskey-caramel. Really nice, not medicinal. Light blackberry and a little raisin/dark fruit too. Smells like a nice and complex semi-sweet Flanders. Blackberry/dark fruit grows as it warms. 4.5/5

Taste: Nice tartness, moreso than anticipated from the nose. Lacto, balsamic, blackberries, and light vanilla oak. The Flanders character is really dialed down and less sweet than nose led on. Tastes like an aged berry-infused balsamic without a big acidic bite. Really tasty and well-balanced. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Medium-light bodied, good carbonation. A nice acidity and tartness without being extreme in either regard. Dry finish. 4.5/5

Overall: This beer is living proof of the potential greatness that is New Belgium's sour beer program. If only this one was released in bottles annually...

Cost: Unknown (pour was included in ticket price).