Tonight’s brew is an oak-aged Imperial Barley Wine style ale from Southern Tier Brewing in Georgia. This is a big (9.6% ABV) heavy beer, perfect for a cool night.  The nose has sweet with raisins and yeasty, smelling faintly of runny blue cheese.  The middle is sweet and malty, rich with fruit and toffee. and the finish is vanilla from the oak and just a bit of warmth from the alcohol.  I’m not a connoisseur of barley wine ales (yet) but this is certainly a nice big beer for a cool autumn (or winter) night.