Sister, Mother, Daughter
Anchorage Brewing Company

Throws me off seeing an 89 from the site raters and a 4.72 from my fellow advocates. I’d say this is somewhere in between. Normally I overrate, but with this one I may be under. It’s an extremely assertive barrel aged beer, as the barrels do all the work here, and they put in the overtime. Only issue is it’s a bit thicker and more syrupy than I want. Otherwise, damn good.

 

Sweet toffee and brown sugar malty, chocolate and caramel covered raisins, and a prominent, vanilla-bourbon barrel boozy heat nose on this one! Yum! And that barrel heat is strong enough to singe the nose hairs a bit! Taste follows with a really well-balanced, sweet caramel candy, molasses, and oak-barrel bourbon finish. The bourbon/brown water heat that is on the nose is actually pretty balanced on the palate...everything balances itself out! Great blend and great Lyfe!

The deep orange-flecked coloration appears pitch back in the glass. While initially agitating small amounts of carbonation, the head buildup is low and quick to dissipate.

The nose has a familiarity to it, exemplifying some of the best qualities of Anchorage barleywine. A complexity of raisin, vanilla, milk chocolate, luxardo cherries, and Werther's caramels create a rich, layered aromatic experience. A beautiful exhibition of robust base beers combined with complimentary emphasis from the time spent in oak.

The palate is a fantastic progression in the sensory experience. Boozy bread pudding drizzled in dark caramel. Subtle touches of vanilla and char. Stewed raisins accompanied by rich, syrupy cocktail cherries. This beer is a journey through what Gabe Fletcher does best; a well-thought out blend driven by the fondest memories of a loved one gone too soon.

The mouthfeel is full yet not overly viscous; a great marriage between A Deal With the Devil and Wendigo. While still coating the palate, it's well-carbonated, preventing the beer from feeling too "full". Trailing long into the next sip is a distinctly warm finish that brings with it whispers of contrasting bitterness.

 

Dark brown opaque body, brown ring. Aromas of bourbon, caramel, molasses and barley starting, dark oak, raisin and brown sugar accumulating. Taste adds tannins and vanillins, but nose more balanced as taste is boozier and in general more barrel forward. Feel is warm and boozy, heavier for style but not thick, smooth and refined. The wife loved it. Not ADWTD but in the neighborhood, excellent

Murky brown appearance with very sparse khaki head to recedes quickly to a collar. Bourbon, oak, fig, caramel, brown sugar, prune. Thick body, near still mouthfeel.

Pours dark brown similar to its component beers. Aroma is phenomenal balance of oak, smooth bourbon, dark fruits (plum-ish) and sweet caramel. Taste follows nose but with more intensity. Again, incredible balance of the intense oak & bourbon mixing with the plum, caramel & brown sugar flavors. Perfect execution. Mouthfeel is closer to medium than full bodied (my only nitpicking). Very much worthy of joining exulted status of ADWTD. One of the best barleywines I've tried.

poured from a white-waxed 375mL bottle into a Rev deep woods tumbler. pours a dark brown but in the glass parts look shiny black. lots of whiskey and oak on this one. both in the nose and the taste. also lots of caramel, toffee, light chocolate and light vanilla. really bourbon-forward, rich and decadent. a real sipper. thick, almost syrupy mouthfeel. lower level of carbonation. really, really good.