DRINK

What a difference a little oak can make.

The Nihilist already made one serious splash in May when Sly Fox Brewing Co.'s Russian Imperial Stout won the title of "Best New Beer" in The Inquirer's 2014 Brew-vitational competition for local beers.

"Lush, alive!" "Epic!" the judges gushed about its roasty black coffee notes and surprising balance.

Half a year later, the Nihilist is back in prime form, but different, this time tinted by aging in a bourbon barrel.

Brewer Brian O'Reilly was careful not to overdo it - just three weeks in wood. But with extra conditioning in bottle, this big brew (9.5 percent alcohol, 90 IBU) has morphed into something new, with a touch of vanilla from the oak, and its initial malty dryness replaced by the roasty echo of charred oak and booze. As a first-time experiment in the biannual release of Nihilist, it's a tad spritzier than intended.

But the balance is still there, as the Nihilist bows for its well-oaked encore.

- Craig LaBan

Sly Fox Barrel-aged Nihilist Russian Imperial Stout, $16.50 a bottle (25 oz.), the Bottle Shop, 1837 E. Passyunk Ave, 215-551-5551; $106.37 a case, the Beeryard, 218 E. Lancaster Ave., Wayne.