This strong ale is the marriage of four beers, Deschutes The Stoic and The Dissident and Hair of the Dog‘s Fred and Adam, but the fun does not stop there. The brewers then aged the mixture for twenty-four months in a variety of cask barrels, from rye whiskey, cognac and sherry containers to pinot noir, bourbon and new Oregon Oak vessels.

The result is, in a word, complex. The color brings up memories of great bourbon, with its brown/amber hues. The aroma evokes an old orchard, where the fruit has left its elevated home and rests on the ground in the beginning stages of fermentation. A burnt candy flavor precedes a mild carbonation that dissolves with a slight hint of vanilla, no doubt from the oak. Perhaps most interesting is that the chest-warming heat appears to stem from the wine instead of the spirits.

The bottle says that the beer is best after 4/30/13, but it may be tough to keep this sipping beer unopened for that long.