Nobility Barley Wine
King Street Brewing Company

 

Stumbled upon this bottle at Crush in Anchorage (their last). 2014 Vintage. Poured out a clear, burgundy color with a small, tan head of foam. It smelled of roasted malt, toffee, dark fruits and toasted caramel. Sweet toffee taste with caramel, vanilla and rich fruitiness.

 

 

 

2014 vintage, this is an exceptional barleywine on a number of levels. for one, you rarely see this style of beer aged in white wine barrels, in this case its chardonnay, and the flavor they add is tremendous, but let alone also aged in whiskey barrels, the blend is awesome, and i am surprised more breweries havent employed both barrels into beer like this, it just makes so much sense in my mouth. secondly, this has aged really well, its not oxidized or cardboardy or bitter at all, which are things that i tend to notice in older barleywines, but not here! there is a nice european type of rich caramely malt base, long boiled with brown sugar and butterscotch notes, but the key to the whole thing is the barrels. i get the grapes and the chardonnay both, slight tannins and a lot of popping bright oak with vanilla and burlap elements to it, really relaxed for how sturdy it is. the whiskey is behind the wine, at least as far as i perceive it, but maybe because its more unique so it stands out more. char and vanilla and more oak from these barrels, but together its special. super mature and even drier for the style by the end, and with a neat strong euro yeast flavor as it winds down. mellowing and not boozy at all, a perfect night cap to a fine session of sharing cool beers. another gem from alaska courtesy of my intrepid homie who shared these!

Thanks Sean for sending. This was poured into a chalice. The appearance was a hazy ruddy burnt brown color with no head nor lacing. The smell had a wonderful combination of dried fig, vanilla, tobacco, light and dark fruits, slight woodiness all combine to develop and meld together. The taste was sweet and woody with a dry fruity to vanilla aftertaste leading to a dry sweet caramel finish. On the palate, this one sat about a medium on the body with a nice sticky sipping quality about it. Dry sweet caramel slightly sticks to my tongue. Overall, I say this was a pretty good English styled barleywine that I would have again.

 

 

 

2014 11.2 bottle into a Teku

L: Deep amber hue, with a thin ring of a beige head
A: Caramel, toffee, oak, rasins
T: Malty with a great bitter bite, roasted malt, not much sweetness, no heat
M: Great carbonation, thinner than expected, alcohol well hidden
O: A superb barley wine that is often overlooked - worth checking out

 

Cella tempatcha in ma snifta.

Just a fading sheet of tan froth graces the surface, but a remaining ring around the perimeter trails delicate beige lacing as I tilt. The color is deep, dark, slightly brackish ruby-tinted mahogany or something. You know... barleywine-colored. Pretty.

A classic English barleywine aroma greets the nose. Tons of caramel, ripe red fruits and dark ones including but not necessarily limited to cherries, red apples, raisins, and plums. Vinous. Toasted nuts. Some leathury oak. This is a very nice liquid to sniff.

Kind of tastes like caramel-coated apples, really! The vinous note starts to resonate more toward the finish, which leaves lingering toasted nuts, and dry, leathury wood.

The feel is a little thin for a barleywine, but not bad.

I feel this one comes a little short on some of the barleywine intangibles, but it's still pretty enjoyable. It's notably lighter in body and strength than most barleywines, so probably one of the closest-to-kuaffable ones yer gonna find.

 

 

 

 

 

This English-style barley wine was aged for several months in used whiskey and chardonnay barrels before being bottled. It pours a very dark honey color, with a small cream-colored head that dissipates rapidly to a collar. The nose is of caramel and toffee, with hints of oak. The mouthfeel is good and the carbonation is moderate. The flavor profile is quite malt-forward, in keeping with the style, with elements of toffee and vanilla, quite rich and flavorful. It falls away gradually to a nice, long finish. 9% ABV. Available in bottles only.