Gigantic Brewing Company takes one of the biggest styles in beer – the Barleywine – and goes bigger in Massive! (2017), aging this year’s vintage in bourbon barrels. With a hefty 14.3% ABV and layers of complex flavor, we broke down everything that’s massive about Massive 2017:

• It’s been aged in Heaven Hill barrels for two whole years. As if this Barleywine by itself wasn’t boozy enough, the bourbon character adds a dark caramel aroma to the ruby-hued pour along with a warming vanilla oakiness.

• Its boozy 14.3% ABV will get you tipsy just from the smell. Gigantic achieves this booziness by using only British Golden Promise Malts and boiling it for 8 freaking hours, extracting a rich, toasty, complex caramel malt backbone.

• It has intensely complex flavors, leading users on Untappd to give it a sky-high rating of 4.45. Silky brandy-like notes, rich molasses, butterscotch-coated popcorn, toffee with cacao nibs, cocoa-dusted dates, hints of dried plums… the list goes on, and the flavors develop with even richer depth as it warms.

And the best part about Massive – it gets even more caramel-rich with age. (It’s no wonder a cellared version of it took home a medal at GABF.) Craft fans are known to cellar Massive and compare vintages from each year, but its tantalizing brown sugar booze is difficult to resist drinking right away. Don’t say we didn’t warn ya!

Rated 4.45 on Untappd