Fourteen
Surly Brewing Company

FourteenFourteen
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From:
Surly Brewing Company
 
Minnesota, United States
Style:
American Barleywine
ABV:
11%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.75 | pDev: 15.73%
Reviews:
24
Ratings:
51
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 19, 2023
Added:
Sep 06, 2020
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  3
Brewed For Fourteen Years of Beers

Presenting Fourteen, our massive barleywine aged in Parker Heritage Wheat Whiskey barrels and Tattersall orphan spirit barrels. Rich malt character defines this beer, offering notes of caramel, toasted bread, and toffee combined with a kiss of hops, all finished by vanilla, oak, cocktail bitters, and burnt sugar flavors from the barrels.
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Ratings by mothman:
Photo of mothman
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Can. White head with lace. Clear burnt golden orange color.

Toasted malts. Bready. Orange peel and zest. Toffee with light caramel. Dried apple skins and pears. Oak and whiskey notes. Warming. Seems to lack depth for what it’s supposed to be. Still, pretty solid and enjoyable.
Oct 15, 2020
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by jakea from Wisconsin

Nov 19, 2023
 
Rated: 4.07 by jcoleMA66 from Massachusetts

Sep 18, 2022
 
Rated: 3.46 by Sulty from Massachusetts

Jul 23, 2022
 
Rated: 3.5 by Nichols33 from Massachusetts

Oct 06, 2021
Photo of KT3418
Reviewed by KT3418 from Colorado

3.81/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Im trying this today over a year after it was canned. Idk if other barleywines are dry hopped with Amarillo so I wonder if thats where the zestiness of the first few sips was coming from. A lot more herbal to me now than dried fruit and Caramel but as I'm getting through it its becoming more toffee/caramel esque. I've only had one other BA barleywine so not much to compare it too but im glad this one was free. I feel like there's still slightly better creations but this was pretty good. Unlike some other reviews I'd still call it a barleywine, when you taste nothing but barrel in a stout is it no longer a stout? I'd suggest letting it warm up a smidge but it is a very barrel dominant brew especially a year later. Idk. I agree it isn't my favorite and I wish I got more dried dark fruit and all that ish but it's still solid enough. Lot of polarizing reviews on this one.

If you can and actually read this far I'd recommend Living The Dreams BA barleywine, maybe im biased being from Colorado but I think that one was more consistent. Burns Family's Princes Cellar is a BA biere de garde but might also provide what you want, so much raisin, prune, date, etc
Sep 14, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by a77cj7 from South Dakota

Sep 07, 2021
Photo of tigg924
Reviewed by tigg924 from Massachusetts

4.07/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours hazy, tannish gold in color with one quarter inch head. Taste is big caramel, vanilla, and barrel. Heavy body, sweet, low carbonation. Excellent sweet barleywine. A nice sipper.
Sep 06, 2021
 
Rated: 4.1 by Sparky44 from Illinois

Aug 22, 2021
 
Rated: 3.9 by mattmarka1 from Minnesota

Jul 11, 2021
Photo of MonDak_Joe1953
Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
16oz can, packaged in a labeled box. Can bottom is stamped 'CANNED ON 08/18/20'.
Cloudy, pale gold colored body. Brief off white head, which maintains for a time as a skiff cap. Leaves some lacing spots.
Aroma dark fruit (fig, raisin, prune), sweet toffee/caramel/molasses, and sweet oak whiskey barrel.
Taste is boozy strong, with a barleywine background of caramel, brown sugar, and dark fruits.
Initially on each sip is a slight tongue burn, and then at the end is a slight throat burn. About medium mouth feel. Okay carbonation.
Rather hot and strong with alcohol, after nearly a year of sitting in the bottle. Missing the balance of sweet caramel and dark fruit smoothness of a barleywine. Whiskey dominant.
Jul 09, 2021
 
Rated: 3.75 by jera1350 from Minnesota

Jun 16, 2021
Photo of BucannonXC5
Reviewed by BucannonXC5 from California

4.15/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Type: 16-oz. can
Reviewed as: American Barleywine
Glass: Pure Project 16-oz. snifter glass
Price: n/a
From: My cousin Sam
Purchased: n/a; Received Nov. 23, 2020
Consumed: Dec. 30, 2020
Misc.: Canned on Aug. 18, 2020 at 9 a.m. CT

Thanks, Sam!

Got a pretty sweet haul from Sam and was especially excited to see this one - a barrel-aged barleywine. Long online description read “The traditional 14th anniversary gift is ivory. Two things about ivory you should know is that it’s remarkably cruel to animals and impossible to drink. Barleywines, on the other hand, are perfect for sipping and do zero harm to elephants. Fourteen, Surly’s 14th anniversary beer, is just such a beer. We aged this massive barleywine for roughly ten months in Parker’s Heritage Wheat Whiskey barrels and orphan spirit barrels from Tattersall. Parker’s Heritage crafts some of the most prestigious whiskey in the United States, and Surly acquired the entire run of barrels from their 2020 wheat whiskey in order to age Fourteen. The Tattersall orphan barrels included some Barreled Rum and other spirits, adding to the beer’s complexity. The beer itself is a hybrid between the American (hoppy) and English-style barleywine. It has a nice, dry backbone but a lighter hop presence, making Fourteen a prime candidate for aging. The substantial dry body also keeps it from getting overly sweet as the months/years roll on. The whiskey barrels leaven Fourteen with strong coconut/honey/vanilla notes, with the orphan barrels adding a distinct burnt sugar note along with a good bit of funk, not dissimilar to a Manhattan or a Hanky Panky cocktail. The box/can art depicts Cernunnos, a horned Celtic god and master of wild places and things. Cernunnos commanded predator and prey to make peace, bringing his dominion into balance. Barleywines suffer when they fall out of balance. Fourteen brings a full malt body, pleasing dryness, and barrel character together without tilting into bitterness or booziness. These competing, often divergent aspects all break bread and find favor in Fourteen. Celebrate this balance now and in the years ahead.” Damn. Now that is a description.

Poured a medium-amber clear color with two fingers of khaki-white frothy head. Tons of bubble streams coming up from the bottom of the glass. Almost perfect spiderweb foamy lacing. World-class foamy retention. (Sight - 4.75)

Smelled boozy bourbon, wheat, honey, leathery oaky wood, caramel, toffee, vanilla and hints of toasted coconut. Was getting all of that 11 pct. ABV. In fact, was surprised that it was only 11 pct. ABV. Much of the same from the can. (Smell - 4.00)

Tasted a little better than the nose. Tons of boozy bourbon, wheat, honey, leathery oaky wood, vanilla, chewy toffee, caramel candy squares, brown bread, bitter hops and hints of toasted coconut. (Taste - 4.00)

Medium body. Creamy-to-sticky texture. Average carbonation. Long, smooth finish. (Feel - 4.50)

4.15 | 93 | A-
Jun 06, 2021
Photo of jbolger
Reviewed by jbolger from Connecticut

3.32/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
There’s a lot going on here. First impression- boozy aroma. Tastes very sweet, Carmel. Malty. Strong wood influence. Yet, it’s thin. It just doesn’t work for me.
May 25, 2021
 
Rated: 3.91 by SlightlyGrey from Minnesota

May 15, 2021
Photo of dafla67
Rated by dafla67 from Pennsylvania

4.21/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Not sure why the lower than expected rating. Tasty Barleywine.
May 09, 2021
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

4.01/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Canned 2020/08/18
Pours a light almost white airy bubbly 1/2 finger head with med retention, very clear pale honey blond to a light copper color, fair soapy lacing

Nose big sweet malt, plenty of caramel and toffee up front, candied sugar, into light whiskey, toasted and a little buttery oak, hint of fruity esters, crust of sweet bread

Taste comes on sweet, but not overly, lots of sweet flavors, plenty of caramel and toffee up front, candied sugar as well maybe Turbinado sugar, some bitterness kicks in quickly with earthy spicy hops giving that American barleywine character, mild buttery toasted oak, a mild whiskey and soft wheated bourbon like character but not a lot, a little fruity note as well, pome fruit and a little white raisin, more of that sweet bread and a bit of a honey candy glaze on it, some hot alcohol but not fusel, sticky med sweet finish, lingering spicy hop bitterness with sweet candy flavors

Mouth is med to fuller bod, a bit thick as well, med to a bit lighter frothy carb, warming slight tingly alcohol

Overall not bad, the barrel rounded OK but didn't impart as much as I expected, bitterness seemed to clash a bit somehow despite being at the typical level for American barleywine, it just didn't really add up to the sum of it's parts.
Apr 12, 2021
Photo of Victory_Sabre1973
Reviewed by Victory_Sabre1973 from Minnesota

3.36/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
Pours a beautiful golden color. There's a nice slightly off white head. The head retention was damn good for such a high ABV beer. There's some really nice spiderweb lacing on the glass.
The nose has a bit of caramel, a malty sweetness, toffee, and a whiskey aroma, from the barrels.
Taste - Am I drinking some Buffalo Trace, or Crown here? Yes, there's tons of whiskey, but where's the barleywine? Where's the sweet malts, the caramel, dark fruit, toffee? Not bad, but not a barleywine.
Body is decent. There's a ton of booziness here. A good burn from the alcohol.
This is billed as a barleywine - It is not, I'm disappointed here with this.
Mar 28, 2021
 
Rated: 4.94 by Hallertau from Wisconsin

Mar 14, 2021
 
Rated: 4.29 by MilaMila from Massachusetts

Feb 14, 2021
Fourteen from Surly Brewing Company
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 51 ratings