Bbq time. A Belgian Bourbon barrel aged Barley Wine vintage 2019 is an obvious choice to help me prepare the bbq. Or not. Anyway, this is what I have in my glass now. Here we go. The beer pours turbid, deep mahogany. The indolent carbonation manages to lay a decent, latte-hued head on the top. The thin head melts quickly to a hair-thin lace ring. The scent offers sappy brown malt, generous prune and a small injection of fermented raisin. There's also an interesting nuance among the olfactory components, it's slightly boozy but I wouldn't associate it with Bourbon but rather portwine. In addition to that, I can pick a faint smoky hint in the background. Or is it the bbq...? Maybe not. Generally speaking, really interesting and intriguing, offers something of a typical Barley Wine but also elements that aren't very common in this beerstyle. The boozy touch steps bravely forward. Now I can tell that it's the plucky Bourbon that leads the orchestra. The label didn't lie. It smuggles the soaked oak barrel to the scene. The conventional dark and dried fruits have been oppressed to the backrow and silent to some extent. The malty touch is heavy and a tad bitter as if it was "ruined" somehow with a chemical alcoholic slam. Furthermore, a proposal of hops sings its own melody that plays discord with rest of the gang. I conclude that the balance remains wanting. The body is medium to medium-full, perhaps more on the medium side than medium-full. The boozy tang carries over to the finish. It's slightly Bourbony and rather raw. Fermented raisin and moderate hops accompany the cocktail. The aftertaste floats the tastebuds in Bourbon distillate for a while. The mouthfeel is fairly strong, boozy and slightly chemical. It's also distantly crisp, a bit raw, sticky and lip-glueing. Very courageous and rather challenging. Although I argue that I'm pretty familiar with the Barley Wines, there's something in this beer that I'm uneasy with. Solid but somewhat misguided.