Barleywine Ale Aged In Bourbon Barrels
Marshall Brewing Company

Look - reddish amber with nice whitish rimming and lacing
Smell - barley caramel malts
Taste - sweet caramel with a big barley malt and very slight barrel
Feel - medium full body with a light carb
Overall - not much barrel

 

 

Pours a foggy amber-brown with a finger of khaki foam. Aroma is caramel, toasty, bready malts with hints of caramel, toffee and molasses. Bourbon barrel and char round it out. Flavor profile is caramel, toasty, nutty, biscuity malts with hints of herbal, floral, and resin hops. Caramel, toffee and light molasses add the barleywine sweetness. A kiss of bourbon and char round out the flavor profile, giving it a good depth despite the sub 10% ABV. Mouth feel is medium in thickness, with a still start that turns lightly grainy at the finish. Overall, big for a sub 10% ABV BBA barleywine.

Served in a 12oz snifter from a 22oz bottle.

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from tap into sniffer, minimal head, nice lacing. Hazy brownish amber in the glass. Smells of bourbon and sweet malt. Taste pretty much the same. Bourbon and malt play well together, nice pleasent bitterness on the end, great mouthfeel, no heat.

 

 

 

Pours an effervescent orange/caramel with a sliver of beige colored head. Viscuious, some head retention & lacing

S: Barrel, a little vanilla

T: Barrel, vanilla, cakeyness, dry oakyness & leafyness up front. Bourbon notes, dryness, boozey warmth, some figgyness as this warms. Finishes oaky dry, with leafy hops, booze warmth & figgyness


MF: Cakey, slight carbonation . warming

Good take on the style, More English than American IMO, but well worth a go any way. Might buy more

 

Eric Marshall is not known for his frequency of releases, but when he does release a beer, it's usually damn good, so it is hard to find a sub-par brew in his repertoire. There's generally little flare involved in his releases as well, and I'm sure that is no accident. It seems spending time on the creation of the beer itself is a process of economy that lends itself to good results.

Here's hoping the trend holds true.

Pours a hazy brown like a glass of chilled tea. Has a slight and fleeting tan froth. Aroma is equal parts plum, caramel, cherry, oak and alcohol. Notes of black grape, cherry and black licorice are noticed up front. A hint of alcohol works its way in later, followed by a touch of grain and pine. More notes of cherry alongside a square of chocolate are noticed as it warms, adding complexity. Medium in body and smooth for the most part.

While not a big risk taker, therefore never paying off big, it's a fine sipper, and I'll never regret spending some time with a Marshall brew, which is always a good investment.

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Blind review 1.7.18

On tap at Oak and Ore. Always up for Marshall, the true pioneer of Oklahoma craft.

A cherry red brew with bright red hues at the edges. Smells of ripe plum, cherry and bubblegum. How inviting. Taste is robust with lots of prune juice followed by cherry skin, burnt sugar, faint pine and wood. Medium to heavy. Definitely filling. A bit hot, but tasty.

Limmitted release purchased from the Marshall Brewing Company 10/29/16. Incredible taste with subtle bourbon undertones. By far the greatest barleywine I have ever had the pleasure to indulge in. I am not a beer expert, just a guy who enjoys a couple high quality craft beers per afternoon and a nice single malt scotch in the evenings. My friend told me about the release of this limmitted edition yesterday morning along with the new release of their annual El Cucuy (which I completely love, and this year's batch is better than most!), and I just had to run over and grab us a couple. Nobody that goes to the effort of aquiring one of these cherished bottles will be let down. Thanks again Marshall!!