Located just 5 miles from The Bruery, TAPS is one of the country’s most awarded brew pubs. Known for their classic European beers (and delicious Sea Bass), we decided to brew something classic, yet complex by heating granite rocks to 900° F before adding them to the wort for an intense caramelization. A Stein’s throw is suitable for aging up to 2 years.

==Introduction==

It’s been more like close to 4 years since its release. I was able to snag a bottle from the Bruery through their holiday sales. I have always wanted to try this one ever since my friend Will Carranza tried it at the Bruery when he went there a couple years ago. At the time, I was not aware of the different awesome beers from them except the exclusive ones. So when I saw this rarity pop up, I had to bring it to the site. Especially since I have not had this style and the method they used with granite rocks is crazy! I would think at those high temps, would the sugars become caramelized for the yeast not to be able to ferment it? Well, maybe they have a way to blend the wort with more malt and I think that’s where the Barleywine aspect comes in. Let’s see what this is about, cheers!

Aromas:
Dark fruit raisins, dates, figs, plums, sugar plums, currants, toasted biscuit bread, trail mix, berry granola bar, rich Caramel, dulce de leche caramel, Mexican Goat Milk Caramel (Cajeta), Toffee, Raspberry Marzipan, bananas and clove spice, burnt sugar, Stone fruit peach notes, orange preserve hints, honey, waffle cone, marshmallows, pecan pie, macadamia nuts, rock candy, figgy pudding and flan notes

Flavors:
Rich Caramel, Dulce de leche caramel, Mexican Goat Milk Caramel (Cajeta), Toffee, Dark fruit raisins, dates, figs, plums, sugar plums, currants, rich dark candi sugars, English cream, vanilla, grape notes, port wine, Stone fruit peach notes, orange preserve hints, honey, waffle cone, marshmallows, pecan pie, macadamia nuts, rock candy, figgy pudding, flan, crème brulee, malted barley, raspberries, pomegranate, toasted biscuit bread, trail mix, berry granola bar, strawberry shortcake, Mochi Sakura cakes, Raspberry Marzipan, bananas and clove spice and burnt sugars.

Aftertaste:
Lots of dark fruits, caramels, flan, dark candi sugars, bananas, honey, orange preserves toffee, fig pudding and flan. No alcohol in the taste, Rich dark honey colored full body, silky, smooth, creamy and rich mouthfeel with a moderate drinkability.

Overall:
Time has done this beer some amazing miracles. I was really blown away by how this beer was. I never tasted it back then to compare how it has age but what I have here is something that I would like to pour over some ice cream. Super damn complex and malty with come sugars that go in different directions of sweet. Not cloying but just in variety. Not sure if I can find this again but if I did, I would get several of these!

Anime Corner:
Seras Victoria and Sir Integral Wingates Hellsing from Hellsing were used in this beer pairing to pair with the burning hot granite which was used in the wort to super caramelize the beer and the collabotation. Essentially, the extreme temperatures are synonymous to the fires of hell. Also, as the wort becomes caramel and the color of the brew becomes blood red it looks like some of the colors of the artwork and the evil look of Seras as well. Seras would be like the Bruery and Taps is Integral. Combining both to come up with this masterpiece.