Babushka
To Øl

Quite frankly, StonedTrippin summed it up perfectly. I found this a couple months ago and picked up a few. As of 2023-01-8 it is a spectacular brew I hope to find again somewhere.

 

a big and beautiful barleywine here from these guys, brewed with prunes and dates of all things, and aged in port barrels, a really complex brew and these added ingredients make it memorable. ive been saving this one a little while, nice to break it out with friends and family during a pre-easter feast this weekend. pale for what it is, amber colored and hazy with a rich froth of tan head, great lace in the glass, lots of retention, and creamy feeling. this is huge beer, it smells fusel and boozy and hot, but i also get that tawny port walnut richness right away in the nose which is cool with all the booze, a definite tangy plum element, and the sticky long boiled malty baked character that goes so well with the dried fruity sweetness of the dates too. i think the added fruits are brilliant for the barrel, i get all of it right up front in the flavor, the port is perfect with these english malts and the yeast and wood, it comes together magically, and i dont even mind it being so boozy, it works and the hugeness is appealing to me with all these flavors. i taste and feel it forever, its around my whole mouth, and it stays for ages, the prune fruitiness quite robust and the sticky malts. i love barleywine, and this is one of the many reasons why, its so unique and mature and complex and well planned, just wonderful. i could see other barrel treatments also working great, cognac for sure, brandy of different sorts, i hope it keeps evolving. i adored this and so did my guests!

Clear, brown body topped with finely dense, creamy, bone colored head. Roasted grain aroma; leather and caramel; hazelnuts. Dominant caramel flavor; brown sugar, molasses; vanilla; boozy, rum-like undercurrent. Heavy body but with a deft softness on the palate; large residual sugar sweetness; warm alcohol presence.

An outstanding barleywine, very malty blend infused with a prominent yet nicely balanced alcohol edge. Rich and luscious on the palate, rounding out some fantastic depth and complex flavor qualities. A must try for big beer, barleywine fans...

375 ml bottle into snifter, no bottle dating. Pours hazy dark ruby red/brownish color with a small fairly dense cream colored head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of huge caramel, toffee, brown sugar, brown bread, raisin, prune, plum, cherry, fig, date, berry, apricot, red wine, and toasted oak; with lighter notes of molasses, nuttiness, licorice, vanilla, tobacco, leather, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/bready malt, fruits, fruity yeast, and wine barrel notes; with great strength. Taste of huge caramel, toffee, brown sugar, brown bread, raisin, prune, plum, cherry, fig, date, apricot, red wine, and toasted oak; with lighter notes of molasses, nuttiness, licorice, vanilla, tobacco, leather, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light herbal bitterness and tannic wine/oak spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, toffee, brown sugar, brown bread, dark fruit, cherry, berry, apricot, red wine, toasted oak, molasses, vanilla, tobacco, leather, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt, fruits, fruity yeast, and wine barrel flavors; with zero cloying sweetness after the finish. S Lightly drying from herbal bitterness and wine/oak spiciness as well. Light-medium carbonation and very full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky, lightly slick/syrupy, and sticky/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is fantastic. Alcohol is very well hidden; a small pleasant warmth, with zero booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is an amazing English barleywine! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt, fruits, fruity yeast, and wine barrel flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV. Insanely rich, complex, and well balanced between malt and fruits. Nice Port wine barrel presence, without being overwhelming or tannic. Just enough hops to balance the sweetness. A highly enjoyable offering.

 

Far out from what I normally drink.

Interesting cherry, lime and wine smell that's a bit boozy.

Kind of ugly with a lot of carbonation in the beer. And a foamy head. Red/brownish color.

Really good sparkling grape juice, peach, cherry jam, and the slightest barrel character that's got a lot of sweetness fighting it.

Fucking weird. Really drinkable.

 

 

 

 

 

Aroma is toast, caramel and slightly nutty dark fruit. The flavor is dark fruit, slightly burnt caramel, malts, fruit and a mildly sweet/warming alcohol finish.

 

 

Bottle purchased at One Stop Brew Shop in Greece, NY.

This one pours a dark reddish-brown, with a long lasting foamy head, surprisingly- this is 14% after all. There's just a tiny bit of lacing.

Smells quite fruity and sweet, with prunes and dates, naturally, with some dark cherry, and lots of port. As it warms, more complexities come out, with toffee, caramel, and a fruity roastiness that kind of reminds me of coffee.

This is so so sweet and fruity. They tripled down on the dark fruit flavors, between the fairly fruity base barleywine, I get some raisins and dark cherries, plus the actual prune and date additions, as well as the big smattering of port wine barrel, as well. There's a ton of residual sugar here, but as it warms up, it becomes less of a problem. As it warms up, I get a little bit of coffee type flavors.

This is medium bodied, and quite syrupy, with a lower level of carbonation.

This leans maybe a little too sweet, but it's definitely very interesting, and another cool creation from To Ol.