Barren Wood - Vanilla Port Bourbon
Skookum Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

Great balance. Malt, bourbon, raisins and some vanilla. Loved it

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a lightly hazy, very dark mahogany brown with little light transmission in the glass and a thin, khaki head that dissipates to patches with light lacing. Aroma of dry caramel malt, plums, fortified wine, dried plums and raisins, a bit boozy. Flavor follows, with concentrated caramel malt, dried and fresh plums, dates, raisins, vanilla and Port wine. Lingering dark fruit reduction, oaky vanilla and Port finish. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess. A rich, full bodied barleywine very much in the English tradition with a bit more malt flavor, but still deep dark fruit. The Port component is quite distinct, possibly the most identifiable of any fortified wine barreled ale I've tried. The touch of vanilla is perfect and tastes more like the vanilla notes that barrels sometimes impart. Very nicely done and flavorful. I really liked the plain Barren Wood and this is a delightful variant.

Reddish brown appearance with a slight off shite head that dissipates quickly. Slightly sweet vanilla, bourbon, and malt. Taste is also a slightly sweet vanilla, bourbon, and malt. Excellent blend

 

L: zero head. No light passes through this dark BW
S: I pick up some fruity notes from the port with caramel taking up the background
T: the caramel shows up a little more here blending nicely with subtle fruit from the port barrel. The bourbon taste shows up after the sip and adds a nice finish
F: extremely smooth and nice thickness with gentle carbonation
O: I could drink a lot of this but thankfully it comes in a 12oz bottle

 

This one pours a dark-ish golden brown, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells like dark fruit, fortified red wine/port, caramel, oak, light vanilla, raisin, and chocolate.

This doesn't quite have the sticky uppercut that the absolute best BA Barleywines have - your Double Oaks, your Aarons, your Blue Ridges, you get the picture. Instead of a malt assault, it's a malt caress - this is one of the most drinkable and pleasant barleywines I've ever had. There's just a smidge of vanilla - it's not a vanilla bomb by any means. There's smooth and silky caramel, toffee, a touch of dry chocolate, etc. The barrel is interesting - the port amps up the dark fruit character, adding even a touch of jamminess. I don't get much bourbon, more port, and there's a small touch of oak.

This is medium bodied, with absolutely no booziness. It's one of the most drinkable barrel-aged barleywines I've ever come across.

Skookum seems to have exploded into the barleywine community lately. This is a great beer to start with, and I'm really excited to hunt down and try more from them.