I only recently met brewer Geoff DeBisschop, head brewer at the John Harvard's flagship brewpub in the heart of Harvard Square. And that's a little bit odd in itself. While researching the Good Beer Guide To New England, I had the opportunity to sit down with dozens upon dozens of brewers and owners across New England. Despite many attempts back and forth, I didn't get a chance to meet with Geoff, though I was familiar with his work. It turns out that Geoff had a pretty good reason to be so hard to track down: he is halfway through his studies as a student in Boston University's MBA program. After a recent, chance meeting at the Cambridge Brewing Company, Geoff politely reintroduced himself a few days later during a dinner at John Harvard's. After taking time to show a friend and I around his brewery, he brought over a coveted bottle of this well-aged prize.

Brewed and bottled in 2000, the Midwinter's Imperial Stout sat dormant in the brewery, until recently uncovered by some lucky brewers. The imperial stout was aged for six months in a Jack Daniel's bourbon barrel procured from Geoff's friends at the Boston Beer Company, who used the barrel to age its powerful Utopias product. Of the beer, Geoff says: "The bourbon, oak and vanilla have mellowed, but still add interest...I never dreamed even six years ago that I would enjoy a 6-year-old beer so much!"

I concur. Thin wisps of an off-brown head start the brew off in the snifter. The color is dark, but not black, with light hints of ruby hue. Even after six years, the beer still exhibits definite signs of life, with solid carbonation levels and good head retention. The aroma contains brief notes of oak, followed by green apple and raisin hints. Mild coffee and chocolate aromas accompany similarly understated oxidation notes.

Unlike many imperial stouts (aged or not), the big draw here is the flavor. Too often imperial stouts present a tough front: big head, dark, foreboding color, and nose burning, brutish alcohol aromas and coffee notes. But when it comes to the punch, the once-threatening beers wither like glass-jawed fighters when they hit the palate. Not so with this beer. The Midwinter possesses a strong, thick mouthfeel, but one that cascades smooth as silk across the tongue with just enough carbonation to be cleansing. It sometimes tastes like a chocolate licquer due to its body and deep, varied chocolate flavors.

The flavor is complex, gently morphing from luscious, smooth, and slightly creamy, to a mixture of dark chocolate, malt sweetness, and finsihing with a resounding, full-fledged bitterness like from unsweetend chocolate. The finish is unexpectedly dry, like powered chocolate but in a pleasant way, overall leaving you with an impression similar to drinking slightly chillred cocoa. The presence of oak is ever so slight, growing a bit as it warms, but in no way overpowering like so many of today's excessively oaked examples. Alcohol is noted in flavor, but far from hot, and light vanilla notes lie deep within.

A suprisingly drinkable beer and sufficiently well-made to hold up six years later. A great liquid dessert. Cheers to Geoff and his brewing team for the sample.