Epic's Brainless on Cherries!

I know it is not at all helpful now, but do any of you know what last Friday was? If your answer was anything other than the first National Barrel Aged Beer Day, then your not necessarily wrong... Just less right than the rest of us and potentially way off topic. Anyways, I found this out haphazardly while browsing Instagram (Follow me at @Brewsatthebeach!) and figured that I should celebrate like any beer loving American would! So I dug deep into my stash, and carefully selected a something I had never had before: Epic's Brainless on Cherries.

Content on this brew seems to vary by batch, so just for comparison purposes I will share that my bottle was from batch #19 (which is not yet up on Epic's website but boasts a big 11% ABV!). Now that the technical stuff is out of the way, lets get down to the nitty gritty. Brainless on Cherries is a Belgian style ale brewed with cherries and aged in French Oak Barrels. What is the difference between French Oak barrels and American Oak barrels? Beats me, but I'm sure its relevant to someone. Poured into a tulip glass, this big brew poured a clear ruby red and had a matching head that dissolved almost instantly. The nose is heavy with tart cherries and Belgian yeasts. Cherries start our palette off, followed my that delicious banana flavor I love so much about Belgians.There is a small booze bite at the end, but considering this is a monstrous 11% beer, its pretty minimal. I have had more bite out of beers that were less than 8%. So be careful, its stronger than it tastes! After swallowing a dry tartness is left behind, reminding me of a good, dry wine. These wine characteristics seem to strengthen as the beer warms, and I love it! All in all, this is a great slow sipper to share with a friend, and I will probably add another bottle to my stash soon! Cheers!