Bligh's Barleywine Ale
Dry Dock Brewing Co.

Bligh's Barleywine AleBligh's Barleywine Ale
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From:
Dry Dock Brewing Co.
 
Colorado, United States
Style:
English Barleywine
Ranked #34
ABV:
13%
Score:
96
Ranked #832
Avg:
4.35 | pDev: 10.11%
Reviews:
136
Ratings:
569
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 29, 2023
Added:
Oct 08, 2011
Wants:
  545
Gots:
  142
Malty and complex, this big beer has a strong caramel backbone supporting oak and whiskey flavors with hints of dark fruits. The nose wafts of coconut, toffee, and a smooth hint of alcohol. The flavor and aroma meld, becoming one after just a single sip. This beer is ready to drink, but also ages with the best of them.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by acurtis:
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Rated by acurtis from New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -13.8%

Jun 15, 2013
More User Ratings:
Photo of DIM
Reviewed by DIM from Pennsylvania

4.21/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Lots of dried fruit vibes here, nectarines, dates, and raisins mostly with some apple and pear as well. Maybe even a little banana pudding in there. I also get plenty of toffee plus honey, woody whiskey, and light honey. It all comes together very nicely, thanks Dave! Very glad to have tried this.
Nov 29, 2023
 
Rated: 4.06 by Phoodcritic from Michigan

Oct 24, 2023
Photo of Harrison8
Reviewed by Harrison8 from Missouri

3.94/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a muddy brown with a little fog to the transparency. Head is half a finger, at most, of khaki fizz. Aroma is toffee, fig, raisins, and molasses with toasty, caramely, bready malts for a bread pudding like nose. Some light bourbon at the back, but it's faint. Bourbon and malts come forward more as the beer warms. Flavor profile brings forward the nose, but a little more weak, at least initially. It hits notes of molasses, fig, and toffee with toasty, caramely, and bready malts. Bourbon starts to seep in as the beer warms. Mouth feel is medium-thin with a smooth effervescence that carries a very light silt through the middle. When the beer warms, it's medium-thick with a mor viscous consistency. Overall, some lovely bread pudding characteristics out front, and endearing qualities as the beer warms.

Served in a 15.5oz Speigalau tulip from a 22oz bottle. 2020 vintage.
Nov 07, 2021
Photo of mothman
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota

4.66/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
2017 bottle. Tan khaki head. Caramel copper color.

Toffee, caramel, biscuit, dates, prunes, molasses, oak, vanilla, bourbon. Coconut. Smooth and warming. Full bodied and full of flavor. Complex, flavorful, traditional. Very well done.
Jul 17, 2021
 
Rated: 4.16 by allenson21 from New York

Jul 04, 2021
Photo of SpeedwayJim
Reviewed by SpeedwayJim from New York

4.32/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
22oz. capped bomber into a Brooklyn Brewery snifter. 2016 vintage.

At this point, there is no head with very little lace. Nose is brown sugar, caramel, dried dark fruit, and a mellow, slight booziness. Chewy and rich in the nose if that's possible. Beer opens raisin and toffee. I get hints of brown sugar, caramel, and anise in the middle with a brown sugar, booze and oak finish. More brown sugar and dried dark fruit in the finish and aftertaste. Delicious. Body is full with low carbonation. Rich, oily, and slick on the palate and goes down slightly boozy with a filmy aftertaste that lingers. Perfect for the style.

Not much of a looker but flavor and feel wise, this beer is perfect almost 5 years in. Well worth trying.
Jan 17, 2021
 
Rated: 4.41 by NolaHopHead from Louisiana

Feb 28, 2020
 
Rated: 4.18 by Zonian1 from Ohio

Nov 27, 2019
Photo of Treyliff
Reviewed by Treyliff from West Virginia

4.28/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
2013 Vintage
22oz bottle poured into a snifter

A- pours a dark amber color with a one-finger foamy off-white head that reduces to a ring around the glass

S- bold notes of caramel and toffee up front, along with earthy leather and tobacco. Dark fruit aromas of raisin, fig, date and sherry. Undertones of wet oak, dark bread & booze

T- sweet and malty notes of caramel toffee mix with dark fruit notes of raisin & fig. Mid-palate gives notes of fruit cake, sherry, brown sugar & molasses. The finish gives an earthy note of pipe tobacco, as well as some oaky bourbon that adds light hints of vanilla. Lingers of oak, caramel and dark fruits

M- medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that turns into a creamy warming finish

O- this one has held up well, with only slight signs of oxidation. Caramel and dark fruits highlight, with a subtle but noticeable barrel note
Aug 15, 2019
Photo of JohnnyHopps
Reviewed by JohnnyHopps from Indiana

4.28/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Appearance - From the bottle, the beer poured a murky brown color with a slight head.

Smell - The nose was boozy with notes of sweet dark fruits.

Taste - my first imression was how smooth this barleywine is. Notes of raisins, booze, and tobacco doninate. In my 2013 bottle, there was a hint of oxidation. I will not count this against the overall score. A sweet after taste follows.

Mouthfeel - For a barrel aged barleywine, this is very smooth.

Overall - This is not a world changer, but it is a very good BA barleywine.
Jul 01, 2019
 
Rated: 3.85 by Sammy from Canada (ON)

Apr 10, 2019
 
Rated: 3.05 by beerN3RD from Colorado

Mar 24, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by kjkinsey from Texas

Oct 25, 2018
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Reviewed by lordofthewiens from New Mexico

4.27/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
The beer is a murky brown color; it looks like cider. There is no head.
Toffee and dark fruit aroma. Strong alcohol.
Big hit of bourbon in the taste, followed by toffee and raisins.
A sipping beer. A little too much alcohol for me, but still enjoyable.
Sep 09, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by Eziel from Ohio

Jun 18, 2018
 
Rated: 4.4 by Bubbawilly88 from California

Apr 14, 2018
Photo of Beaver13
Reviewed by Beaver13 from Colorado

3.57/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
22 oz bottle, dated 2017. Pours hazy amber brown with a small off white head that quickly goes to a thin collar that leaves a little lacing.

The aroma is sweet caramel and chocolate malt and lots of dark fruit and booze with a little vanilla.

The flavor is sweet caramel malt and fruitcake with a little roast chocolate and a big slightly harsh boozy finish. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with very low carbonation.

Overall, a nice barleywine, but a bit too sweet and boozy for me.
Apr 04, 2018
Photo of beergoot
Reviewed by beergoot from Colorado

3.97/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Revisited February 06th, 2024

Pours a dark amber color; body exhibits a slight haziness with lively, fine carbonation bubbles; fizzy, thin head that resolves to a thin ring of foam inside the glass. Rich caramel scent; notes of dried, dark pitted fruits. The taste combines a rich malt sweetness with an excellent bourbon undercurrent; caramel and light brown sugar. Heavy body; mildly syrupy and sticky.

The ABV is higher with this version and, while prominent, is not overbearing. Overall, this is a nice barrel aged barleywine, perhaps a bit pedestrian overall, but pleasant enough on a mild winter day.

ABV: 13%; pouring temperature: 43.3 ℉ canning info: CANNED ON 5/2/23, 7 months in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels.
Source: local purchase

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Original review from February 12th, 2018

Ratings and scores: 3.5 3.75 4.0 4.0 3.75; BA weighted overall: 3.86; rDev: -11.3%
:
2016 version, 10.5% ABV

Pours a deep, copper-red color; head is fizzy and nearly disappears within a minute. Dense aroma of caramel and dried dark fruits; highly toasted bread. Toasted grain flavors; brown sugar and toffee; caramel; a fine boozy taste sneaks in at the finish, whiskey and wood. Heavy body; warm and velvety; lots of residual sugars delivering a hefty body; some dryness counteracting the sweetness.

I understand that high ABV beers many times don't have much head retention, but a beer without a sudsy head is damn near naked and unappealing. Ah, but start to take in the aroma, flavor and mouthfeel, and this particular beer starts to come around. It is warm and comforting, and very appealing for the style.
Feb 13, 2018
 
Rated: 4.34 by grover37 from District of Columbia

Jan 02, 2018
Bligh's Barleywine Ale from Dry Dock Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 96 out of 100 with 569 ratings