Legacy Ale
Swans Brewpub / Buckerfield Brewery

Swans Brewpub 'Legacy Ale' @ 11.7% , first tasted at GCBF'12 on tap & some 650 ml bottles of 2016 vintage purchased for $7.50 each
A-pour is gold from the bottle to a clear amber in the glass with a small beige head leaving a spotty lace along the snifter
S-sweet caramel malt
T-so smooth , nice big tasting
MF-ok carbonation , full bodied
Ov-good beer , with time in the cellar , patience
prost LampertLand

 

 

 

Serving: On tap at Swans Brewpub, served in a tulip.

Appearance: Clear amber brown. No head or lacing, just a tiny fringe of off white bubbles.

Smell: Honey and sweet malt with some wintry spices.

Taste: Plenty of fruity sweetness: raisins, pears. Some cloves and warming spices.

Mouthfeel: Relatively full, sticky sweet with low to medium carbonation.

Overall: Big, sweet and fruity with interesting spice notes, but could stand a bit more balance and complexity.

Appearance. Pours a hazy caramel-amber with a finger of off-white head.

Smell. Caramel, raisins, plums, cherries, oranges, brown sugar, and some earthy hops.

Taste. Caramel, cherries and raisins, some earthy hops and brown sugar.

Mouthfeel. Full body, a bit sticky and low carbonation.

Overall. A decent barleywine, sweet and fruity. Not something I'll pick up again but that may be more of a personal preference thing.

 

This was a 20th anniversay edition which as been in my cellar for about 2 years. I was very happy how well this has aged in fact it had quite a fresh mouthfeel with lots of body which highlighted the hops and rounded big fruit notes that showed up in the finish. One of the best BC barley wines and way under the radar for most Canadian BAs. I wish I had bought more bottles at the time.

Viggo brought this one over. thanks eric!

12oz bottle. 2009 vintage/20th anniversary edition, aged on oak and spanish orange peel. 10% abv. sampled feb 28/2010.

pours a nice ruby red colour, pretty much crystal clear, with a small dense cream coloured head. the head drops fast and leaves spotty lace.

aroma is neat. alcohol. vanilla. orange peel. there's a wacky spicy/floral character going on that i can't quite place. honey and a bit of molasses. whole wheat bread. biscuit. cracker. caramel and butterscotch.

taste is weird. the wacky spicy/floral character is there, with an oddly sweet candied orange peel thing. waring alcohol. bit of smoke and earth. whole wheat bread. medium-low bitterness level. maybe some ginger or cinnamon?

mouthfeel is ok. there's a bit of astringency, but not too much. medium body. medium carbonation level.

drinkability is ok. alcohol is a little warmer than it should be. the spicy character does not work well and is pretty off-putting. could use a touch more body. not one i'd go looking for again.

12 oz bottle, 20th Anniversary Edition vintage 2009. Thanks to ritzkiss for the hookup.

Pours a lightly hazy burnt orange, some amber, medium sized off white head forms and settles down to a thin ring around the glass, some lace spots stick, looks alright.

Smell is neat, lightly buttery, caramel, some oakiness, pretty interesting sweet orange peel aroma, some light fruitiness, biscuit, neat malts, pretty earthy, some alcohol, hard to get a handle on but pretty neat, almost a light whiskey not.

Taste is weird, lots of dried fruit, big apricot and prune not, some caramel/brown sugar sweetness, orange peel, oak, alcohol, lightly buttery, some biscuit, more fruit in the finish, kind of bizarre, almost a cinnamon or nutmeg spiciness.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with low carbonation, a bit sticky, really weird sweetness/fruitiness to this one, although not bad and the ABV is well hidden. Thanks Eric!

Bottle: Poured a medium copper color ale with a medium foamy head with good retention and minimal lacing. Aroma of light sugar with some sweet malt. Taste is not as complex as I had hoped with some notes of sweet malt but no dry fruits or other complexity that the style usually suggest. Body is about average with OK carbonation and no apparent alcohol. OK at best bit nothing to write home about.

20th anniversary edition, aged on oak and spanish orange peel. 10% abv.

A: Deep amber with a light tan head, thin ring of retention, some leg.

S: Boiled hop aroma (no fresh/dry hop), plenty of rind, dark toffee and a dark fruits.

T: Dark fruit, solid bitterness, dark toffee, nut bread, brown sugar, citrus rind, vanilla & a hint of wood. Warming alcohol, but it's well-hidden.

M: Fairly full body has some residual sweetness, which keeps the alcohol from being too drying.

D: Very drinkable for its weight.

Why didn't I buy more to age?

A very solid barleywine. Tried this on tap while in Vancouver.

Looks rusty copper in color. Light tan head, visible carbonation, and nice lacing. Nose is sweet apple sauce, spice, slightly tropical. Taste is green apples, nice sweet/sour balance, syrupy with a strong alcohol finish.

Good mouthfeel. Drinkability hampered by ABV.

Deep rust/burgundy color, creamy head that doesn't last long, but the attractive crown hangs on for the duration.

Biiig malt in the nose, and something very much like raspberry-filled bonbons. Some plum, fig and date as well, and a little alcohol.

I got tons of flavor from this one, although the many parts did not necessarily equal a greater sum. Plum, date and fig dominate, with molasses-like sweetness and a piquant twist hovering above everything that I can't put my finger on. Hops prickle and offer balancing grassiness. Alcohol is present and just about right (says 10% on the bottle), certainly not overdone, especially considering the higher ABV. Also a subtle layer of peat and grape must, recalling a Scotch Ale. A little roughness with its fruit-sour finish (ie. not a poorly-brewed "sour").

Just about as full, thick, creamy and frothy as a barleywine should be. Somewhat sticky, but just enough to add and not detract.

The busy and not entirely gelled taste doesn't put this squarely in the middle of the Great Barleywines of the World map, but it does have character and is one I'll remember long after it's gone. Seek out this interesting rarity if you're a bw enthusiast.

12oz bottle of the 2009 Legacy Ale 20th Anniversary Edition - just out!

Bottle states 10%, Aged on Oak and Spanish Orange Peel.

Pours a deep, slightly orangey/ruby brown, little head off of the pour but bubbles coming up - fairly active carbonation for a barleywine.

Nose is molasses, raisins, hints of pear and apricot, some syrupy sweetness in there.

Taste brings forward some of the fruits, apricots and hints of that orange, a touch of pear - molasses still there and in the finish more of that syrupy sweetness with a faint dash of bittering hops and an equally faint oak/woody taste. In fact, a little too much of the sweetness - it's a little overwhelming as the brew progresses. A slight alcohol warming.

Solid body, active carbonation - just some of the sips seemed to have been drowned out with the sweet finish - others seemed to bring forward more of the complexities of the beer. Hides the alcohol well. I'm hoping time might help this one out - so 2 down in the cellar.

December 2006. Not sure how long it sat on a store shelf, but it still seems fairly "fresh."

Ruby-mahogany colour that is a bit on the light side. Not much depth to the colour, but it is still very nice. Thin, sparse head that dissipates quite quickly, but leaves a good, albeit thin lacing.

Vinous, bittersweet malts with a smattering of hops. Brown sugar, molasses, malt and raisins are dominant in the flavour. Pear and candied-apple hints. Hops not noticeable, and the alcohol is surprisingly subdued.

Taste wise, this is up with some of the other Barley Wines I've tasted. Very well done, and incredibly smooth. A nice evening sipper.

December 2006 Vintage, thanks to HogTownHarry! Sampled at only 2 months old.
Pours a very sleek tawny brown, quite clear and with more lacing left over then head. Aroma full of hops, sticky malts, molasses and over-ripened apple and pear. Similar notes resonate in the flavours. Some definite wood resin. Alcohol well constrained (not to say non-present) for 11%. Right on par for barleywines. Even at only 2 months of age this is smooth and mellow. I don't detect much harshness. Easily places among the tops of Canadian barleywines with St.Ambroise, Mill Street, Half-Pints, Alley Kat and fellow BC Fat Kat. Good as it is fresh I'd gladly lay down a sixer of this in the cellar. This is one of my new favourite Canadian barleywines! The legacy!