When it comes to Holiday Ales, there’s a heated debate. Are these beers’ festive flavors best served barrel-aged or straight-up?

To end the debate once and for all, we’ve selected two versions of a top-tier Holiday Belgian Dark Ale from the brewers with more GABF medals and World Beer Awards than they care to count: Taxman Brewing’s Tax Holiday.

We brought in two of our Cicerone-trained beer writers to each make their case as to whether this luxurious dessert feast tastes better barrel-aged or untouched.

Beer Expert #1 (we’ll call him Sigmund cuz that’s what his momma calls him): Tax Holiday is much better barrel-aged. The Port Barrel’s oaky tannins smooth out the flavor of dark chocolate-covered figs, drizzled in honey notes. 6-months of aging tames its intensity, making it a silky fireside sipper.

Beer Expert #2, Dylan aka D-money (no one actually calls him that) disagrees: Tax Holiday is a prime example of a Holiday Ale that should be left alone to showcase all of its complexities. Unaged, its 10% ABV booziness shines like a Brandy-soaked cherry cordial in a glass — why mask any of that flavor with notes from a barrel?

Well there you have it folks, we’ve come to absolutely no consensus. Except that Tax Holiday tastes amazing both in or out of the barrel. I guess it’s up to you to try each one and decide for yourself.

Tax Holiday: 3.87 on Untappd

Barrel-Aged Tax Holiday: 4.18 on Untappd

Packaged On November 6th, 2018