15th Anniversary Barrel-Aged Barleywine
Fremont Brewing Company

Since I have nowhere to be for about 36 hours, though I’d take this 22 oz. gem tonight. Lovely silver waxing.

The pour is very dark with hints of crimson & plenty of head, especially for a high ABV brew. The nose senses basics: bourbon, toffee.

Fremont 15th Anniversary Barrel Aged Barleywine ticks all the genres boxes. The warming alcohol is front & center backed by a gentle waggle of bourbon. Baseball beer brings toffee, caramel (the two are near indistinguishable to my palate during this age), oak, vanilla, perhaps a suggestion of molasses. Very sweet. Thick; chose this over a stout because I thought it would be lighter than a K-Pop song. I were wrong. Clearly drinkable, since I’m about 90% through this big bottle.

I can feel the results of this ABV in my head. And in my soul. Excellent beer & I’m eager to discover the pleasure of the 14th Anniversary brew.

Pours a turbid brownish-orange and looks nearly opaque in the glass; dense, lively carbonation; thin off-white head, yet dense and semi-creamy. Fine nose blending elements of barrel wood and caramel sweetness; toffee. The taste explodes upon the smell; rich caramel flavors with a refined yet not-shy presence of whiskey; beautiful layers of dried figs and dates; tobacco juice; candi sugar; star anise. Heavy body; super silkiness glides over the tongue; excellent lip-smacking stickiness deftly coats the palate; fine over-arching note of boozy warmth that nicely complements the taste.

Good god ah-mighty! This wonderful anniversary release is one fine beast!! It delivers rich complexity with alluring flavors with each sip. Gentle yet bold, high octane yet refined and gentle.

ABV: 15.4%; pouring temperature: 45.5 ℉; bottling info: Limited 2024 release
Source: local purchase (Coaltrain Fine Wine, Craft Beer & Spirits)

22oz bottle into a tulip. Pours a murky brownish mahogany with a half-finger head. Looks like raisin juice.

Aroma is bursting with toffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, dark stone fruits, and booze.

Taste is likewise sugary sweet with a gently bitter counterbalance. More of the aforementioned aromatic qualities on the palate, along with a nice warming effect from the alcohol. Bourbon-soaked figs/dates. Good complexity while also managing to be a pretty straightforward affair.

Mouthfeel is sticky and medium-heavy, lingering finish.

Overall another stellar anniversary barleywine from Fremont—happy 15th a year late!

Pours dark brown color with slighest reddish hue. Aroma is traditional maltiness, oakiness, some dark fruits & bourbon. Taste is a wonderfully complex & sweet. Incredible combination of malts, dark fruits, vanilla, bourbon, oakiness & hints of licorice. Doesn't feel like 15.4%. Medium body. Overall, this is a great barleywine.

Opaque brown body with a khaki sudsy head and lazy lacing blobs. Aromas of of barley, toffee and bourbon lead with a light rustic natured barrel with vanillins, brown sugar and earth in the background. Taste is much the same, the brown sugar really shines through to match the barrel and barley, but hey there is dark fruit in the backend here which is a nice addition. Feel is drier and lighter but still has good amounts of barrel and barley textures. My favorite anniversary barleywine in years

22 oz. Bomber
Gray Wax/Capped
Limited 2024 Release

Poured into a Westy glass a very nice murky dark brown color, very nice carbonation, with a very nice one-finger/creamy/fizzy tan head, which leaves a pretty nice medium size island, and some sticky lacing behind. The nose is very nice, malty, hoppy, with a very nice dark fruit complex (cherries, figs, raisins, plums, dates, grapes), vanilla, oak, bourbon, licorice. The taste is very nice, malty, hoppy, with a very nice dark fruit complex (cherries, figs, raisins, plums, dates, grapes), very nice vanilla sweetness, very nice bourbon note, oaky, licorice. Full Body, ABV hidden very nicely, a very complex brew, a very nice sipper. Overall, this is a big beer, very tasty.

22oz bottle picked up at Wisconsin burger, in Spokane, WA, for $15.99 (I know!). Released in 2024.

Poured into a large Fremont snifter courtesy of the excellent Nik, this was a dark, russet colored brew, with a relatively thin, beige colored head. Said head receded to a thin ring rather quickly, to be expected considering the abv.

Smells of dark fruits, toffee, molasses, and a bit of booze soaked pipe tobacco.Things got sweeter as it warmed.

Tasted like raisins, chocolate covered figs, toffee, vanilla, and, of course, bourbon. It packs some boozy heat, but not nearly as much as I feared for something this relatively new.

Medium bodied, surprisingly. I had expected something more thick.

A really nice barleywine at this point, albeit a little boozy. I've got another that's going to be set aside til at least next year for comparison.

Modest head production; no retention worth mentioning. Completely still and flat topper after mere moments. Body is dark brown and almost syrupy in appearance around the edges of the glass.

Very potent aroma, featuring enough wood to almost give an ABW-like impression. Some neutral alcohol heat from the high ABV, as well. Just a hint of syrupy sweetness and caramel malt, but it's mostly woody, earthy, and strong, taking quite the cue from the bourbon barrels (if not the corn-like pungent sweetness). Slightly nutty; hints of brown sugar, prunes, and plums.

Unsurprisingly very malty on the palate, along with a heavy dose of Heaven Hill barrel influence. Smooth and rich, with a nice amount of heat to balance the sweetness, but not an aggressive amount of boozy burn. Could use more balancing hops for bitterness. Very, very tasty caramel-forward profile, along with toast and dark fruit, but a bit lacking in complexity.

While of course there's some boozy heat, this is a very easy sipping beer. Full bodied, a touch sticky, not overly thick.

2024-11-27
22oz bottle served in a little Hoppin' Frog snifter. 2024 release, don't see a specific bottling date. Bought it at the brewery a while ago.

Pours a muddy brown with a slow uprising of head that settles quickly into a thickish ring and a small island. Smell is bourbon, vanilla, toffee, booze, dates, roasted nuts.

Taste is more on the bitter walnut side, creamy toffee and oak, astringent oak and booze. Maple / brown sugar sweetness, still lots of vanilla.

Mouthfeel is thick, smooth, creamy. Overall, very nice, will be interesting as it warms up.

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a snifter at 54 degrees.

Look- Ruby brown, light brown frothy head, opaque, below average head retention and lacing.

Smell- Bourbon, molasses, raisin, oak, vanilla, high strength of scent.

Taste- Molasses, raisin, bourbon, oak, vanilla, mildly sweet, highly boozy, very high strength of flavor.

Feel- Between medium and full body, slightly below average carbonation, moderately mouth coating, highly mouth warming, highly boozy, mildly sweet.

Overall- A flavor packed and boozy delight. This beer provided a complex and delicious drinking experience.

So the golden anniversary offerings were fine but I wasn't going to invest in any more of them. This more traditional barleywine is much better. Not sure how different the recipe is from the brewk series though? Anyone have any insight? Regardless, I'm liking it.

I get lots of brown sugar with lesser notes of raisin, butterscotch, and vanilla. The booze is NOT shy at 15%+ but it is just sooo smooth. This is familiar and comforting, a wonderful sipper.

 

On tap at the brewery in Seattle. Pours dark brown. Nose is bourbon, vanilla, toffee, and raisin. Taste follows the nose. Apricot jam, toffee, biscuits, bourbon, vanilla, figs, and a touch of oak. Boozy and delicious!