Jack's Reserve Barley Wine
The Covey Restaurant & Brewery

Sorry to say, but this has to be mentioned first: 10 dollars for a 10-oz pour. Ouch. I’ve had plenty of pricey Belgians, barley wines, vintage beers, etc., served in snifters for, say, $6 per 10-oz portion. I understand the reason beers of this sort cost more, but this one certainly takes the cake for brazen pricing. And to my utter amazement, Bubba has been drinking this beer down there in Fort Worth. (Just kidding – put down the six-shooter!!).

If you get past the price, and I did, it’s a pretty good barley wine. I am going to call it English in style, despite being brewed with German malt and hops, a Scottish Ale yeast, and dry-hopped with Tettnanger.

Aroma is fruity and malty. Appearance is a muddled amber-brown with muted carbonation and little lacing. The taste is quite nice – caramel, fruit, malt, and just enough balancing hops to keep drinkability high. The 9.9% ABV is fairly well-hidden. Mouthfeel is creamy and medium-full, with the previously- mentioned light carbonation. Just a good beer all around.

Back to the price… to be fair, the 10-oz pour looked to be more than 10 ozs, and all three of us were given a generously large free taster to decide if we wanted to invest. So, perhaps it’s not quite as bad as it sounds.