Carpe Brewem Barrel Aged Barleywine
Empyrean Brewing Company
- From:
- Empyrean Brewing Company
- Nebraska, United States
- Style:
- American Barleywine
- ABV:
- 12%
- Score:
- +2 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 3.77 | pDev: 12.2%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 3
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Mar 27, 2019
- Added:
- Mar 08, 2016
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by SierraNevallagash from Maine
3.31/5 rDev -12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.75
3.31/5 rDev -12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.75
Big thanks to Jared for this one!
12oz bottle - poured into a snifter at cellar temp (50ish)
Pours a hazy tangerine hue, with a quick centimetre of beige head that dissipates to a soapy film and collar. Some erratic lacing on the glass. This one exploded when popped open, and I had to hold a towel over the top, while high pressure gas and foam escaped for about five minutes. This one was dying to get out of the bottle...so let's go!
Nose: Right away, I wonder if perhaps this is infected. Lots of vinegar, wild yeast, and farmy/barnyard funk. Quite sour, musty, and fermented. Reminds me of many a wild ale I've had. Some oak, butter, musty brett, fermented peaches, and fermented cherries.
Palate: I am truly unsure if this is infected, or just the weirdest beer I've ever tasted. An initial sweetness greets the palate, followed by a puckering banana, coconut, vanilla, cherry, oak, clove, and a ton of booze. Big alcohol bite on the finish. Lots of yeast and ester notes. Very reminiscent of a Belgian triple or a Belgian strong ale. Banana, clove, bubblegum, nutmeg, booze, candi sugar, yeast. The vanilla and coconut are definitely notes from the barrel. The acetic bite is rather distracting, as is the intense boozy finish. It's bitter. Not hop bitterness, but actual alcohol bitterness.
Mouthfeel/Body: The ale is certainly full-bodied. It's very round. A slight stickiness to it. But it isn't viscous, slick, or thick. There's a fair bit of effervescence action going on for a 12% ABV ale. Quite fizzy.
Overall: If I'm being completely honest, this one missed the mark for me. American barleywines can be hit or miss for me, but this is different. The strong bitterness, either from over-hopping, or from sheer ABV is a bit much. It has this grainy/wheaty thing. Like a triple imperial hefeweizen...if that's a thing. I don't know. But the sourness. The sourness of this is throwing me off, and it just feels confused. A fruited spontaneously fermented wild barleywine? A tart Belgian triple? A spiced sour Trappist ale? A sour strong ale? I greatly appreciate any barrel aged offering, but this one just doesn't do it for me. Drinkable, but not quite enjoyable
Mar 27, 201912oz bottle - poured into a snifter at cellar temp (50ish)
Pours a hazy tangerine hue, with a quick centimetre of beige head that dissipates to a soapy film and collar. Some erratic lacing on the glass. This one exploded when popped open, and I had to hold a towel over the top, while high pressure gas and foam escaped for about five minutes. This one was dying to get out of the bottle...so let's go!
Nose: Right away, I wonder if perhaps this is infected. Lots of vinegar, wild yeast, and farmy/barnyard funk. Quite sour, musty, and fermented. Reminds me of many a wild ale I've had. Some oak, butter, musty brett, fermented peaches, and fermented cherries.
Palate: I am truly unsure if this is infected, or just the weirdest beer I've ever tasted. An initial sweetness greets the palate, followed by a puckering banana, coconut, vanilla, cherry, oak, clove, and a ton of booze. Big alcohol bite on the finish. Lots of yeast and ester notes. Very reminiscent of a Belgian triple or a Belgian strong ale. Banana, clove, bubblegum, nutmeg, booze, candi sugar, yeast. The vanilla and coconut are definitely notes from the barrel. The acetic bite is rather distracting, as is the intense boozy finish. It's bitter. Not hop bitterness, but actual alcohol bitterness.
Mouthfeel/Body: The ale is certainly full-bodied. It's very round. A slight stickiness to it. But it isn't viscous, slick, or thick. There's a fair bit of effervescence action going on for a 12% ABV ale. Quite fizzy.
Overall: If I'm being completely honest, this one missed the mark for me. American barleywines can be hit or miss for me, but this is different. The strong bitterness, either from over-hopping, or from sheer ABV is a bit much. It has this grainy/wheaty thing. Like a triple imperial hefeweizen...if that's a thing. I don't know. But the sourness. The sourness of this is throwing me off, and it just feels confused. A fruited spontaneously fermented wild barleywine? A tart Belgian triple? A spiced sour Trappist ale? A sour strong ale? I greatly appreciate any barrel aged offering, but this one just doesn't do it for me. Drinkable, but not quite enjoyable
Reviewed by maximum12 from Minnesota
3.76/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.76/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Picked up as part of the $9.99 barrel aged four pack – who could resist? 12 oz. bottle.
The pour is light for a barleywine, appears to be a light orange IPA with a teaspoon of floaties suspended in the liquid. Smells like green apples crushed underfoot. Not what I was expecting.
Empyrean Barrel Aged Barleywine is a tasty barrel aged golden ale. This beer is to a barleywine as Charlie Sheen is to Mother Theresa. Plenty of nice barrel on top a fruity, banana-y, estery ale that I’d swear had Belgian yeast if I didn’t know better (do I?). Light & cheery, & I received a slight cattle prod shock when I looked at the ABV – zero in the taste. Louisville Sluggable.
Possibly the best barrel aged hefeweizen I’ve ever tasted, or maybe the only. Judged to style this is a Goldwater-level failure, but as a straight-up beer it’s very good. I choose to judge it thusly.
Sep 17, 2016The pour is light for a barleywine, appears to be a light orange IPA with a teaspoon of floaties suspended in the liquid. Smells like green apples crushed underfoot. Not what I was expecting.
Empyrean Barrel Aged Barleywine is a tasty barrel aged golden ale. This beer is to a barleywine as Charlie Sheen is to Mother Theresa. Plenty of nice barrel on top a fruity, banana-y, estery ale that I’d swear had Belgian yeast if I didn’t know better (do I?). Light & cheery, & I received a slight cattle prod shock when I looked at the ABV – zero in the taste. Louisville Sluggable.
Possibly the best barrel aged hefeweizen I’ve ever tasted, or maybe the only. Judged to style this is a Goldwater-level failure, but as a straight-up beer it’s very good. I choose to judge it thusly.
Reviewed by hoptheology from South Dakota
4.39/5 rDev +16.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.39/5 rDev +16.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Carpe Brewem BBA Barleywine pours a light shade of blonde and retains a beautiful Head in my miniature snifter. Lace is left on the sides and sediment is chunked together on the bottom. The opacity is 80% and it's looking great so far.
Sweet aromas of almond butter and coconut, and what I imagine banana bubble gum would smell like. Nice malty profile behind that with some bread. I like this!
Flavor follows suit beautifully. Oh my goodness. Banana liqeur meets a lightly roasted malt profile, some freeze dried pineapple, that hint of coconut again, peaches, plum skin, and a warm, boozy finish. Bourbon and barrel are distant, but there. The 12% is DANGEROUSLY hidden in the great complexity of flavor here.
Feel is on par, but less creamy or substantial than I'd like for a beer of this stature. The finish is pure barrel though - an oaky dryness unmistakeable. If anything, (and im reaching) the feel is the weak point of the beer - but I had to focus on it to actually notice anything was awry.
Overall an odd duck but a sure as hell tasty one. Unlike many Bourbon Barrel Aged beers, this one is subtle in the barrel...I mean c'mon, we all know it's there - and the spotlight is where it should be : on the beer...not on the barrel. A ridiculously delicious Barleywine, and something I plan to stock up on soon.
May 26, 2016Sweet aromas of almond butter and coconut, and what I imagine banana bubble gum would smell like. Nice malty profile behind that with some bread. I like this!
Flavor follows suit beautifully. Oh my goodness. Banana liqeur meets a lightly roasted malt profile, some freeze dried pineapple, that hint of coconut again, peaches, plum skin, and a warm, boozy finish. Bourbon and barrel are distant, but there. The 12% is DANGEROUSLY hidden in the great complexity of flavor here.
Feel is on par, but less creamy or substantial than I'd like for a beer of this stature. The finish is pure barrel though - an oaky dryness unmistakeable. If anything, (and im reaching) the feel is the weak point of the beer - but I had to focus on it to actually notice anything was awry.
Overall an odd duck but a sure as hell tasty one. Unlike many Bourbon Barrel Aged beers, this one is subtle in the barrel...I mean c'mon, we all know it's there - and the spotlight is where it should be : on the beer...not on the barrel. A ridiculously delicious Barleywine, and something I plan to stock up on soon.
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!