Woodford Reserve Whiskey Barrel Aged American Barleywine
Upstream Brewing Company - Old Market

a bottle of the 2012 edition, before they had all these fancy new labels, shared generously by a new friend. its held up really well! the bourbon barrel influence is really strong, i taste an almost vanilla caramel or rich toffee sweetness, with the wood and the whiskey right in the mix. the oxidation that has occurred here would have ruined almost any other style of beer, and may have by now ruined this for many people even in this beer, but i think some oxidation like this really flatters a sweet barleywine, especially one with a slightly english bent, and although this was hoppy in its day and listed as american, i do taste a european grain and ale yeast configuration of some sort here. i am a big fan of the slightly stale malt flavor in it with the sugar and the booze. all that remains here from the hops is the bitterness, and it comes on pretty strong in the end, but its a great last minute change of pace. the woodford reserve element is no longer special, it could be any decent bourbon, but the oak lurks near the front of this, and its prominent from there on. huge body, but still frothy and rich feeling. this is great beer, but it would have been better years ago. this is proof that even the biggest barrel aged barleywines do not hold up forever, another year or two and this will be too far gone, but it played on my own love for such things, and i really enjoyed the drinking experience! if you still have one for whatever reason, open it soon!