As the contents of the beer section of my fridge dwindles, better and better beers get drank. I’m saving for a major beer run and I’m cleaning out the straggling beers before I fill it up again. After reviewing Firestone-Walker’s Double Jack DIPA, I was really excited to get into this barley wine. Temptation got the best of me and I broke into the beast with a friend. Here’s what I got from it:

Appearance: Sucaba pours a really dark reddish amber. A slightly muddled mahogany but when held the light it’s quite clear. There’s almost a purple hie inside. It’s quite mesmerizing. A beige finger head is gone in a flash.

Smell:Oak, bourbon, chocolate, coffee and fig are all here and are dissected easily. It’s really sweet smelling but the burn of alcohol is still slightly present on the finish.

Taste: The powerful flavors of oak, bourbon and figs stand up front and mix together well while easily being taken apart. As she crosses the center of the tongue, caramel and a flavor of pie crust start to shine. They’re quickly cut out but chocolate and oak rounding out the back. The alcohol is just barely there throughout it all. Remarkably smooth for 12.5%

Mouthfeel. There’s a lot of substance here. It’s quite meaty and full. Absolutely amazing.

Overall: It’s good but I’ve hyped it up a bit much. Still, I’m delighted I was able to get the bottle and it’s a wonderful stylistic picture. The folks at Firestone Walker have done it again. Sucaba is too expensive and rare to drink frequently but if you come across a bottle and you’ve got the wallet for it, this beer is a must try.