Lower De Boom Barleywine
21st Amendment Brewery

Lower De Boom BarleywineLower De Boom Barleywine
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From:
21st Amendment Brewery
 
California, United States
Style:
American Barleywine
ABV:
11.5%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.77 | pDev: 11.94%
Reviews:
197
Ratings:
834
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jul 12, 2020
Added:
Sep 12, 2004
Wants:
  34
Gots:
  97
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by TheLevi4000:
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Rated by TheLevi4000 from New York

4/5  rDev +6.1%

Mar 19, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of AndreRus
Rated by AndreRus from Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +32.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Very nice barleywine for everyone who enjoy this style of beer
Jul 12, 2020
Photo of macrosmatic
Reviewed by macrosmatic from Florida

3.57/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Thanks to eyebereej for sending this one! Reviewed from notes. Oddly small 8.4 oz. can - almost like a V8 container. 2013 vintage, stored appropriately, consumed on 11/28/19 to kick off Thanksgiving this year. Poured into a Firestone Walker tulip glass.

A: Hazy rich caramelly brown, with lots of visible carbonation – large active bubbles and clinging to sides of glass. But it only manages a short-lived thin white fizzy head.

S: Caramel and brown sugar and toasted malts. Faded grapefruit and citrus rind hops. Minimal oxidation, but really not a lot of aroma at all – not good or bad really. I will say there’s minimal alcohol on the nose for the 11.5% listed on the side of the can.

T: Caramel and boozy sweet malts, a thin toffee flavor and the toasted bready malts. Then booze soaked grapefruit pith and orange rind. Some mild cardboard oxidation but accentuated by the faded hops. Still the hop bitterness with some resinous notes with lingering sweet caramel after the swallow.

M: A medium body for style. Carbonation sensation is on the low side despite appearance. The alcohol is obvious and warming, though I’m not sure I would have guessed a chunk over double digits.

O: This was a passable barleywine at best, I think. It’s not offensive, but the hop flavors present really don’t play well with all the sweet and caramel-forward malt bill flavors. 92 IBUs as listed on the can just seem unnecessary, and even extended aging hasn’t done much to tame them. It almost reminds me of a re-labeled DFH 120 Minute.
Apr 01, 2020
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

2/5  rDev -46.9%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Canned 12/17/15; drank 2/12/16 @ the Yarchives.

See-through purple/red appearance.

A violent pour yielded a nice, noisy khaki head which quickly dissipated; decent lace.

Grapefruit, sour hops, sweet caramel & booze heat notes in the nose.

Medium thick, sticky mouthfeel.

Tart grapefruit & cloying caramel flavors up front; faint trash water notes on the finish. Strong booze heat notes emerged as this warmed.

This plays strongly to everything I dislike about American barleywines; a clash of hops & malt that is inharmonious, plus abrasive booze heat. No bueno.
May 06, 2019
 
Rated: 3.96 by leprechaunandfatman from Ohio

Mar 17, 2019
Photo of SLeffler27
Reviewed by SLeffler27 from New York

3.83/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
(SRM 17-18) Crystal clear, dark copper in an Offero oversized wine glass. A thin veil flashes over the top leaving tiny islands and a ring of fine lace. A thin film produces many legs after each sip.

This Barleywine opens with strong pine hops before yielding to similarly strong caramel. Warmth draws out vanilla and butterscotch. The background is filled with herbal white tea and honey.

The flavor is quite bitter and generally follows the nose. Sweetness plays tag with bitterness winning out by a long shot. The finish is long and sharply bitter.

The slick texture compliments a full, almost dense, body. Alcohol is sharp with a mild warmth. The carbonation is fine and prickly.

While the American Barleywine variant is supposed to be more bitter than the English Barleywine, this is much closer to the American IIPA. I found it to be an enjoyable beer, though outside the style. Those who favor sharply bitter beers will certainly enjoy this. My can was aged approximately 28 months from the canning date of 17.Dec.2015. This makes the alcohol presence all the more impressive.
Sep 30, 2018
Photo of Shade1951
Reviewed by Shade1951 from Pennsylvania

1.22/5  rDev -67.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1
I like the high ABV.

That's about it for me. I poured this from a can into a glass. I know cans are supposed to protect against skunkiness, and that high ABV ales are often storable for several years. Nonetheless, there is an off-taste to this.

It smells skunky. It tastes skunky... and way too hoppy in addition. I don't like hoppy barleywines. I don't know why some brewers insist on adding loads of hops to everything they brew.

I've sipped about 2 oz. out of the tiny 8.4 oz. can. I just cannot finish it. And that sucks because I suspect that this one was among the more expensive beers I purchased earlier today.
Aug 31, 2018
Photo of chinchill
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
8.4 oz skinny can with a 17 Dec. 2015 canning date.

Look- Copper colored clear body with a thin off-white head that soon fades to a durable partial coat and ring.

Aroma- dark fruits and sweet malts.

Flavor- malty with hints of figs, plums, fruitcake and piney hops.

Feel- low carbonation; full body; light warming but no heat in the mouth even with 11.5% ABV,

Overall- except for being more hoppy than average, this is a solid, mainstream barleywine.
Jul 06, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by ADTaber from South Carolina

May 20, 2018
 
Rated: 3.65 by Spluger from Massachusetts

Mar 26, 2018
 
Rated: 4.08 by dctarga from California

Mar 09, 2018
 
Rated: 3.82 by Chinaskifan1 from Pennsylvania

Mar 05, 2018
 
Rated: 3.71 by SpaethJam from New York

Jan 14, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Dec 27, 2017
 
Rated: 3.17 by Bad_Attitude_Brews from South Carolina

Nov 22, 2017
Photo of GreesyFizeek
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

4.04/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
'15 vintage. What a cute little can.

This one pours a mostly clear light amber, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells like zesty citrusy hops, rye bread, caramel malt, and pine.

Even two years in, this is still quite hoppy. I can't imagine how hoppy this one is out of the gate. There's lots of citrusy hops- with the sweet malt it almost feels like orange marmalade on some sort of rich bread. There's a clean bitterness on the finish.

This is medium bodied, surprisingly crisp and clean, with a good level of carbonation.

This isn't my preferred style of barleywine, but it's still fairly tasty and clearly well done.
Nov 20, 2017
 
Rated: 3.52 by Gemini6 from Michigan

Sep 25, 2017
 
Rated: 3.9 by Sammy from Canada (ON)

Sep 01, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by Patches826 from Massachusetts

Aug 13, 2017
 
Rated: 3.25 by harpus from Alabama

Jul 22, 2017
Lower De Boom Barleywine from 21st Amendment Brewery
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 834 ratings