The base for this fireside masterpiece is Barley's Fortune Teller East India Imperial Porter.

What's bigger than Fortune Teller? Why, Zoltar, the bearded fortune teller with a gold head wrap, gold shirt, paisley vest and jewelery who lives in a machine. When Zoltar speaks, we listen.

Duly inspired, we drove to Woodford County, Kentucky to obtain the barrel from Woodford Reserve.

They use new charred white oak barrels for their wonderful bourbon, aging it for four to seven years.

This is a small distillery, bottling only about 500 barrels a week. Their painstaking care in producing and warehousing their product matches what we do in our own brewery.

After bottling, they ship their barrels to Ireland and Scotland for use in aging single malt whiskeys. Except for the barrels we snag.

This is a sipping ale, while somewhat short of Barleywine on the ABV scale, it is an extremely complex quaff.

Chocolate and vanilla notes rounded out by the Woodford Reserve that gives way from the barrel walls. Unmistakable bittering and finishing hops make their appearance next, putting a smile on our faces.

Finally, lingering alcohol gives a warming peppercorn finish.

You're welcome!

Zoltar

Style Guidelines: Barrel-Conditioned East India Imperial Porter

Rotation Schedule: once a year when it's cold outside

Food Pairings: While excellent with shellfish and most meats, we prefer to sip this one due to the bourbon influence, perhaps with a raw oyster or two on the half shell

Body: medium to full

Color: nut brown

Grain: British pale, chocolate and Victory

Bittering Hops: Pacific Northwest Cascade

Finishing Hops: Pacific Northwest Cascade

Original Gravity: 1.052

IBUs (estimate): 16.42

Alcohol By Volume: 5.4%

First Tapped: January 18, 2012