Brouwerij Roman, with brewing roots tracing back at least as far as 1545, is the oldest family-owned brewery in Belgium and a member of the Belgian Family Brewers association. From the founder, Joos Roman, to the current owners, Carlo and Lode Roman, 14 generations of the Roman family have crafted traditional Belgian ales in Oudenaarde, Flanders. We've been fans of this brewery for many years, and are excited to have the opportunity to bring you their sherry and whisky barrel aged Adriaen Brouwer Oaked, a very rare sight on this side of the pond. Only about 50 330mL cases of this were sold across a handful of Florida markets over the past couple years. This 750mL packaging of Oaked was created exclusively for Rare Beer Club members.

Adriaen Brouwer Oaked pours a deep cola-brown color, like that of super-dark caramel, capped by some well-formed off-white foam with mousse-like texture. Mouthwatering red and dried dark fruits land first and foremost within a gorgeously oaked aroma, packed in with a multidimensional barrel character. The combination of sherry and whisky barrels offer a brilliantly warming, oak-forward impact from the start. The presence of sherry and whiskey character appears secondary, providing exceptional spirit and burnt-sugar elements.

On the palate: vastly detailed dark fruits, tons of esters, and nicely integrated clove and spice phenolics to balance, while the full-bodied mouthfeel comes through with lush, velvety texture. This brew delivers of the most compelling oak-barrel qualities of any beer we've had in a long time. Top notes of vanilla and almond proceed to open up to that berry-tinged sherry character as well as some spicy, caramelized, burnt-sugar aspects from the whisky. All of the pieces here are positioned perfectly, though: a rich, deeply oriented base beer, the nuanced impact from the sherry and whisky barrels, and harmonious integration that makes this beer a pleasure to dig into.