In this installment of our Chronology Series we brewed a wee heavy – known for rich, malt-forward flavors – and set it to age in bourbon barrels. Every six months, we’ll take a quarter of the barrels, blend them and bottle them. This first bottling represents the nuances imparted to the base beer after six months of barrel aging.

==Introduction==

Obtained from the Reserve and Hoarders Society, this brew is a new chapter in the list of aging beers. Like last year’s Old Ale aged in bourbon, this year they are going with a Wee Heavy aged in bourbon and will be releasing the brew every 6 months to see how complex it becomes over these times. With each release, we will try and see where it goes. Wee Heavy/Scotch ales are one of my favorite styles that do not get brewed often. For being an uncommon brew, the maltiness is definitely unique and so it is its own style for this reason. This is the second time I try a Scotch ale from the Bruery. The first time was the Sourboro which was a sour wee heavy. Now with this, I am ready to try more. Cheers!

Aromas:
Dark chocolate, smoked peat, oak, dulce de leche caramel, toffee, dark fruit prunes, grapes, brown sugar, vanilla, rocky road ice cream, vanilla, oak, anise, licorice hints, bananas, clove spice, milk chocolate and coffee hints.

Flavors:
Rich dulce de leche caramel, toffee, dark fruit prunes, grapes, plums, bourbon, scotch, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, smoked peat, oak, rye bread, molasses, dark cherries, grilled bananas and cream, clove spice, anise, licorice hints, dates, pecan pie,hazelnut nectar, fruit cake, stone fruit peaches, coffee notes, flan, scotch, rocky road ice cream, brown sugar, vanilla, maple, nutmeg, allspice and blueberry cheesecake.

Aftertaste:
Finishes with dark fruits, toffee, dates, oak, bourbon, toasted coconut, bananas, caramel and hazelnut nectar. Slight alcohol in the taste. Dark brown full body, smooth, creamy and chewy mouthfeel and a sipping drinkability.

Overall:
An exceptional brew right off the bat. I can only assume it will get much more grandiose over time. As the alcohol mellows out, some of the complexity starts to come out much more. There are definitely a lot of the Wee Heavy components to this and the fact that it is barrel aged, it makes it that much more delicious. I definitely would like to try it as it ages but for now, definitely seek this one out!

Anime Corner:
Cortana from Halo was used in this pairing as I wanted to pair with the colors of the label and dark fruits mainly. While Cortana herself might not have a direct connection to time, her knowledge of expertise in the future and the ability Master Chief to summon her when needed “Saves” time but also the time it took to implement all her knowledge is all the time in the world. The FUTURE!