Fusion
A solid chocolate fudge brown, with almost no head - but that's par for the course for the style. The smell is big on chocolate, but it's also got boatloads of cider brandy, like a nice, rich, apple-tinged truffle. The flavor is vinous and full of grapes, and there is a distinctly deep brandy character to it that matches the malts' espresso, licorice, chocolate, cola, and rum characters perfectly. There aren't a lot of beers out there where the barrel aging seems integral and not supplemental, but this is one of them. A wonderfully wintry, complex ale, with just enough carbonation to keep this on the drinkable side of rich.