Town Hall Twisted Reality Barley-wine

Once more, as with the Foolish Quadrupel, a Town Hall beer was available in growlers for the first time in quite a while. It was not available at any time in the eight years and plus of this blog? Apparently so. Or, I just wasn't there when it was. The bourbon barrel aged version? Yes. The red wine barrel version? Also, yes. But never the original, which I first took notes on back in February of 2006, nearly 13 years ago. So, let's look back on...

Town Hall Twisted Reality Barley-wine, 10.3 % ABV. Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN.

Went into Town Hall merely to grab a couple growlers, and noticed the regulars drinking out of snifters a beer that wasn't entirely black...so, it's not the Imperial Stout, what is it? The Twisted Reality barleywine that they debuted at Winterfest, which I missed, on cask! I had to have one...

Beautiful magenta hue, deeper in the top 2/3 of the glass, a clearer crimson at the bottom, under an attractive, lasting creamy head. Nice!

Aroma is lush and fruity, while never too sweet, brimming with flavor, enticing one to drink!

In the taste, a cornucopia of the usual barleywinish flavors, cherries and cognac, leather and burgundy wine...the cask-conditioning keeps it mellow, and the various characteristics roll around the mouth with careless abandon, yet somehow perfect balance. Plumb malt, and tasteful hops. Lush and luscious, a deep, dreamy ale one can savor at length. Gorgeous texture, keeps the mind active and the palate abuzz.

I wish I could compare this against the tap offering, which I never had, but on cask this is about near perfection. Plenty strong, though, but a delightful nightcap. I will have to go back for more before this disappears....

Notes at the bar, from a cask offering. Now, drinking from a growler at home, for the first time. Sweet and malty, while balanced. Big-boned and bodacious. Filling up with a warming alcoholic sense. Dark fruits and ton of molasses. Maple syrup, more than anything. Sweetness rules in here, and it's delicious and smooth. An even better nightcap than that cask serving, because I don't need to go home, just wander over to my bed. I finished the growler quicker than I thought I would and shuffled off to SlumberLand.