Barrel-Aged Ardelle
People's Brewing Company

22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled in 11/2014. Pours very hazy deep ruby red, light orange/copper color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice dense spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, citrus peel/zest, peach, plum, pear, fig, date, apricot, red apple, white grape/wine, honey, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, toasted oak, nuts, biscuit, and brown bread/dough; with lighter notes of coconut, peppercorn, pine, leather, tobacco, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of citrus/earthy hops, fruity yeast, dark/bready malts, and light-moderate bourbon barrel notes; with big strength. Taste of huge tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, citrus peel/zest, peach, plum, pear, fig, date, apricot, red apple, white grape/wine, honey, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, toasted oak, nuts, biscuit, and brown bread/dough; with lighter notes of coconut, peppercorn, pine, leather, tobacco, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Mild pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, citrus peel/zest, peach, plum, pear, fig, date, apricot, red apple, white grape/wine, honey, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, toasted oak, nuts, biscuit, brown bread/dough, coconut, peppercorn, pine, leather, tobacco, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/earthy hops, fruity yeast, dark/bready malts, and light-moderate bourbon barrel flavors; with an awesome malt/bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and bourbon/oak spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/creamy/grainy, and lightly slick/sticky/resinous/rindy/tannic mouthfeel that is great. Mild increasing warmth of 10%, with minimal lingering barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic barrel aged American barleywine. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of citrus/earthy hops, fruity yeast, dark/bready malts, and light-moderate bourbon barrel flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV, with the mildly bitter/tannic/drying finish; great soft feel for the ABV. Fantastic balance of citrus/earthy C hops, fruity yeast, and rich malts; with solid barrel presence/integration. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstanding spot on style example. Expected more barrel, but it was adequate. Minimal oxidation after 5 years. Did not prefer it over the base beer.

 

22 oz. bottle into a tulip glass

A - Beer pours a 2 finger head that is off white in color with a bit of an orange tint. The head is frothy in appearance and dissipates slowly. Carbonation is significant with numerous fast rising bubbles easily visible. Beer itself is clear and a deep amber in color. 3.75/5

S - Dark stone fruit, vanilla, and oak hit my nose right off the bat with the dark stone fruit really leading the way. The vanilla acts as a base for the stone fruit to come out of with the oak being a secondary note toning down the sweetness. Caramel and white bread form the malt aroma base. A bit herbal with peat moss and musty hay coming out. 4/5

T - Caramel, dark stone fruit, and Belgian candy sugar are the initial flavors with a bit of white bread, graininess, and a lactate note immediately following the sweetness. Vanilla and oak come out in the middle of the tasting but do not linger long. These notes transition to a bitter herbal hops note that lingers on the palate but it is not an overpowering bitterness. No real alcohol flavor but there is an alcohol warming sensation in the stomach after a few seconds. 4/5

M - Carbonation is not really a burn, but rather a scrubbing bubbles sensation during the initial part of the sip. This moves into a bit of creaminess. Slightly dries the palate as the sip goes on, but mainly after the swallow. 3.75/5

O - Flavorful but somewhat underwhelming barleywine. Sweet, as a barleywine should be, but it is slightly more bitter and astringent than most barleywines that I have had. Well balanced with an abv that is high but is really not noticeable on the palate. 3.75/5

 

 

On tap at The Pint during People's Brewing tap takeover. Aged Barleywine in Wild Turkey barrels for 6 months.

This was a really sweet base beer with the barleywine already. The Wild Turkey barrels just compounded that aspect and made the beer almost too rich to consume.

Bourbon does dance nicely on the palate but overall a 4 oz. sampler was enough for me.