Stout that Jeff Fortney picked up down at the Party Source. Well, that, and all of the other bottles that got opened along the way.Here’s our evening...
Panil Barriquée 2005 still had a good amount of carbonation in the bottle; it was initially a bit of a gusher, making a mess of Aaron’s kitchen. The initial nose was sour and puckering, with both citric and vinegar acidity, and there were also slight amounts of medicinal and adhesive aromas. In other words, our mouths were already puckering even before
this hit the lips. Flavors start both sharp and flat, with a bright vitamin C tablet taste coupled with a lower and drier vinegar undertone; the middle was earthy and lightly funky, but also with a bright citric bite that finished out some of the flavors of the start. The finish was chalky and a bit mineral-y; while dry and well-attenuated, there are also a complex and nuanced range of flavors running across the palate at the same time. Panil Barriquée has a light to medium body and a bright, fresh carbonation; the mouthfeel is bright and very puckering. A fantastic beer; super well-balanced, subtle, & complex across the profile—this beer has aged extremely well. Our only regret (and a very minor one at that) was not drinking this earlier in the evening. It pretty 
much goes without saying that this one is a Top 10 Best contender.From the bottle: “The dark, sour, barrel-aged beers native to the Netherlands and Belgian Flanders represent one of the oldest beer styles in the world. Barriquée is the only all-natural, traditionally-made example you will find today, and it comes from, of all places, Italy. The deep earthy, sour character results from three months of maturation in cognac barrels from Bordeaux, followed by re-fermentation and further aging in the bottle. This unfiltered, unpasteurized, complex and delicious beer is the inspired work of Dr. Renzo Losi, whose Panil brewery makes many excellent natural beers in time-honored, classic styles.”
ABV: 8.0%
(6/8/10)
