Tasting Panel - George Vs. Brian BA Ed.

George Vs. Brian aged in three different barrels - Tequila, Calvados and Cherry Wine.

Calvados edition
This black hard-hitting beauty is pouring thick black, leaving a fine soy colored head.The nose is very characteristic for Mikkeller’s strong stouts. It is sweet, and the barrel comes through very clear. Raw licorice, apples, honey and chocolate cookie dough with a mild salty edge are the impressions we get from the aroma.
This is one heavy beer - and the mouth feel is as thick and oily as they come. The taste is primarily sweet, with notes of dark chocolate, soy and vanilla with a burned bitter finish. The alcohol is present all the way as a fine warm feeling, and you almost get the same warm impression as when drinking an avec.
We tested this non-chilled to get the most of both the aroma and the taste. We recommend it to be served chilled and then letting it grow in the glass.

Tequila edition
Notes to be compared with the above.
Again the barrel comes through very clearly.In the aroma we find more roasted coffee-like acidity compared to the Calvados edition.This version seems somehow lighter in the mouth feel. It is still a heavy dude though.
In this version, the alcohol is more present all the way and that kind of makes it more aggressive. The finish seems more dry with the wooden feelings up front.

Cherry Wine edition
When swirled in the glass, you get a lovely cherry aroma that blends in perfectly with the heavy sweet beer.
As with the tequila version, this one has a clear picture of the alcohol. The aroma also hold notes such as marzipan.
Compared with the two others, this one seems least thick in the mouth feel, which really suits the beer.
The finish in this one bares traces of pipe tobacco and is somewhat more elegant.
In our opinion, the cherry version comes out the best, as the acidity from the berries balance the sweetness very well.

These beers would not work very well with food as they are too powerful. A much better idea would be to serve it as an after-dinner treat.