45/100) Belgians Barrel Aged with Cherries

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Ave Maria, Tango, Bourbon Barrel Aged Quad 2014

These three beers this time have three things in common: Cherries, Barrels, and Belgium. All three are in a belgian style, and were barrel aged with some variety of cherries. As a result, they are deep, rich, and have a nice twang that can sometimes make your teeth sing with the tartness.

Ave Maria) Using Elijah Craig bourbon barrels and small, sour Morello cherries, this ale had a light cherry flavor with a subtle bit of sourness. The finish and background had that good blossoming sweet maltiness. The effervesce bubbled just enough lighter than a champagne to be pleasant.  I wasn't necessarily going wow because of this one, but it was pretty enjoyable. ☆☆☆☆

Tango) An interesting dance of subdued cherry flavors and dark Belgian-ale aspects. The flavors disappointed me because they didn't open up as I had more. The music, if you will, of the cherries drowned and the complexity of the dark ale aspects grew monotone. ☆☆☆

Bourbon Barrel Aged Quad 2014) Using the Sixth Glass as a basis for barrel aging, this BBQ caught me off guard because the aging process gave it qualities more typical of a barelywine than a quad. The aroma was fantastically cherry, but that red goodness crouched in the backdrop of its taste profile. Over time it became a bit more pronounced and this smokestack beer opened up nicely as it warmed up. Don't just drink this one cold. ☆☆☆☆