Barleywine Ale
BJ's Restaurants & Brewery

 

not sure i have had a beer from this location before, cool offering here from the rare beer club, neat to see one of these without barrels these days, and i think this is fun for a couple of reasons. i like it being american style, but its not just high alpha intensity to the hops, the choice of citra and equinox is interesting, super unconventional, its always pine to me, never fruit in these, really makes this stand out, and the beer overall is super refined and approachable, paler than expected in the glass, and rather complex. i also feel like i so rarely drink this style fresh, i should do it more, its delicious and needs no cellar time in this instance. medium amber color, frothy inch of light khaki head, nice lace and retention, pretty lively for the style. aroma here is nutty, drier than most, slightly warm but not hotly alcoholic, and with hints of birch, almond, red apple, and the citrusy hops, even a cooked melon thing which sounds weird but its what i get, equinox hops in play for sure, faint weed to this, no oxidation at all, minerals, slightly bready yeast, very cool and distinct. the flavor is great, plenty hoppy but without being bitter or intense to me, which makes it decidedly not a big ipa, i know the line can often be blurry in the american ones. its super clean, drier than most, with a cool woodiness in the middle even without barrel. faint vanilla, apple cider, the citra hops pop as quite fresh up front, tangerine and cantaloupe to the equinox later, just the right amount of exposed alcohol, more as it warms, relatively light in body for the style, and kind of light on the grain in general for a barleywine, but also without being one dimensional. i like the ferment adding something, but its the hops that make this distinct. nicely executed brew, didnt know these guys did this sort of thing or packaged beers like this, really solid offering!

 

 

Pours dark amber brown with beautiful foamy cap. Notes of barrel wine and booze laced with caramel and notes of orange citrus, honey, and blackberry. Great BJ’s beer club take home pint corked bottle Barleywine Ale with a kick at 10.5% ABV and 55 IBU.

Poured from 750 mL bottle into snifter.
A: Pours a clear red amber hue with 2-3 inch bubbly tan head with excellent retention.
S: Interesting mix of honeyed caramel malt, red fruit, and herbal hops. Notes of mint, vanilla, and crème brûlée.
T: Herbal hops hit first, followed by honeyed caramel malt, almond, vanilla, and subtle fruit in the background. At the end, tart berry, tangerine, and a stronger lime note come forward.
M: Medium body. Lighter than expected. Dry and moderately bitter with some tartness. Soft malt throughout. Slightly chewy feel.
D: A very interesting brew due to the strong hop elements…not typical for a barleywine! Layered and well crafted. A unique beer!

 

Poured into a tulip glass and was an a beautiful dark red color. It was also very clean and clear looking with a decent amount of tan head on top that laced the glass well.

It smelled of sweet caramel malts and a little of hops but not much. Good smell overall but it leaned towards the english side of the barleywine spectrum. The strong bitterness of the flavor is why I called this an American Barleywine. The flavor had a good amount of both bittering and flavor hops to it. There was a strong tartness to it as well. There was also a ton of sweet malt present and an interesting chocolate flavor. Not sure if this is aged or if it just tasted that way. In any case the flavor was both interesting and pretty good.

The body was what a good barleywine should have. Heavy and smooth. A sipping drink.