Boone Valley Brewing Barrel-Aged Ol' Griz Barleywine 2020

This 11.5% ABV barley wine ale is from the Boone Valley Brewing Company of Boone, Iowa. It is an annual release, and this 2020 bourbon barrel-aged bottle is number 82 out of 151 bottles.

The beer pours a deep, dark amber, nearing orange-brown. There is a half-inch of light tan head. The aroma is sweet, toffee, heavy oak, light whiskey, tangy and fruity unripened plum. The taste follows the aromas, but is deeper, richer, adding caramel, with a bit of dark roast coming in on the malt. Sweet, but not at all too sweet. It has a moderately bitter finish, mostly from the oak, adding astringency as well. The body is just right, enough to hold up all the flavors without being heavy. I will be interested to try the non-barrel aged version, as this has added plenty of oak from the barrel, but not a lot of whiskey notes.