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Barrel Aged Barley Wine
White Birch Brewing
- From:
- White Birch Brewing
- New Hampshire, United States
- Style:
- English Barleywine
- ABV:
- 10.8%
- Score:
- 81
- Avg:
- 3.53 | pDev: 24.36%
- Reviews:
- 33
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Aug 22, 2014
- Added:
- Dec 10, 2009
- Wants:
- 41
- Gots:
- 9
Brewed in an English style, this beer is rich and malty with notes of toffee vanilla and wonderful oak. Full bodied with a smooth finish. Batch one is a beer that will drink nicely for years.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Holland:
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Rifugium from North Dakota
2.05/5 rDev -41.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 2
2.05/5 rDev -41.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 2
Whew. How do they sell this stuff? Dark rusty brown color, with a thin cap of off-white head; a little oily streaking on the glass. Looked harmless enough. Gnarly aroma, acetone, fusel alcohol, rotting wood, grease, some caramel malts coming through. Tasted basically like a strong ale aged in Windex barrels, conditioned on French fries; some caramel sweetness in there, lots of barrel notes but not really in a good way, shots of acetone and naphtha, with some lightly discernible bourbon. Body was about light-medium, thin mouthfeel for the style. Really not a pleasant beer at all. The non-BA version was at least somewhat drinkable, perhaps in very small doses. This was not. Infected? Poorly made? Both? You decide.
Nov 17, 2013Reviewed by ChadQuest from Illinois
1.5/5 rDev -57.5%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5
1.5/5 rDev -57.5%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5
First off, i opened this over my sink, expecting a 2009 White Birch beer to gush, but it did not, good job at achieving what is expected.
The head is so thin in density it looks like the foam on soda and leaves as quickly. The body is a mahogany hue.
The aroma has a cherry and tannin note, cheap biting port is as close a description as i can imagine.
Flavor wise and mouthfeel wise, this is hollow and dry for a barleywine, like somehow an enormous amount of tannins from the barrels leached into this, oaky notes that remind me of beers labeled "virgin oak", cherry, and a thin low quality Shiraz, thin, alcohol in moderation and is only noticable due to how thin this is overall.
Not quite a drainpour, well, maybe i will since i am alone. 22oz of this could be too much.
Mar 14, 2012The head is so thin in density it looks like the foam on soda and leaves as quickly. The body is a mahogany hue.
The aroma has a cherry and tannin note, cheap biting port is as close a description as i can imagine.
Flavor wise and mouthfeel wise, this is hollow and dry for a barleywine, like somehow an enormous amount of tannins from the barrels leached into this, oaky notes that remind me of beers labeled "virgin oak", cherry, and a thin low quality Shiraz, thin, alcohol in moderation and is only noticable due to how thin this is overall.
Not quite a drainpour, well, maybe i will since i am alone. 22oz of this could be too much.
Reviewed by johnnnniee from New Hampshire
3.84/5 rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.84/5 rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Batch 1 2009
Pours a deep clear dark brown color with a solid two finger off white head that shows moderate retention and lace. Smells of oak, bourbon, vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, light dark fruits, hints of sherry and alcohol. Taste is sweet with caramel and brown sugar up front with hints of dark fruit midway. Light hints of vanilla and oak. Lots of warming almost burning alcohol midway and into the finish. Medium to thick body, low to moderate level of carbonation, sweet almost sticky mouthfeel. Its been a while since I had one of these, but I don't remember as big an alcohol presence as I see here today. This beer smells fantastic, and tastes pretty good if not a bit hot.
Nov 05, 2011Pours a deep clear dark brown color with a solid two finger off white head that shows moderate retention and lace. Smells of oak, bourbon, vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, light dark fruits, hints of sherry and alcohol. Taste is sweet with caramel and brown sugar up front with hints of dark fruit midway. Light hints of vanilla and oak. Lots of warming almost burning alcohol midway and into the finish. Medium to thick body, low to moderate level of carbonation, sweet almost sticky mouthfeel. Its been a while since I had one of these, but I don't remember as big an alcohol presence as I see here today. This beer smells fantastic, and tastes pretty good if not a bit hot.
Reviewed by alpinebryant from Connecticut
3.65/5 rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.65/5 rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Batch One - Bottle 19 of 280 - Bottled December 7, 2009
A: Pours a large light brown head with tons of carbonation visible. dark chestnut brown with lacing present.
S: Bourbon, oak and sweet malt along with a hint of sourness.
T: When I first poured this I was worried I was going to have an infected mess, but it turned out to be ok in the end. Mostly present is a strong bourbon flavor with mixed oak tastes and roasted caramel. The caramel is muted slightly from what this probably once was as the infection has taken away some of the body and deeper flavors from this barleywine. What is left of this beer is still pretty good though. Roasted toffee, some peat flavorings and a bit of smoke.
M: Light mouthfeel for the style and I think only a hint of what it used to be.
O: Not great. I had heard great things about this a few years back and wanted to give it time in the bottle to see what developed. Unfortunately it went downhill from what it was at one time I am sure.
Oct 15, 2011A: Pours a large light brown head with tons of carbonation visible. dark chestnut brown with lacing present.
S: Bourbon, oak and sweet malt along with a hint of sourness.
T: When I first poured this I was worried I was going to have an infected mess, but it turned out to be ok in the end. Mostly present is a strong bourbon flavor with mixed oak tastes and roasted caramel. The caramel is muted slightly from what this probably once was as the infection has taken away some of the body and deeper flavors from this barleywine. What is left of this beer is still pretty good though. Roasted toffee, some peat flavorings and a bit of smoke.
M: Light mouthfeel for the style and I think only a hint of what it used to be.
O: Not great. I had heard great things about this a few years back and wanted to give it time in the bottle to see what developed. Unfortunately it went downhill from what it was at one time I am sure.
Barrel Aged Barley Wine from White Birch Brewing
Beer rating:
81 out of
100 with
49 ratings
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