Rohrwerker
Pipeworks Brewing Company

2016? bottle courtesy of JohnnyHops.
I see this beer was added in 2016 but unsure if it was brewed repeatedly. Bottle undated.
L: mahogany brown. Minimum head.
S: raisins/dates, earthy, fruity, vanilla.
T: dates, caramel, apple, maybe some citrus flavor, Cola, little boozy bite.
F: medium, low carbonation.
Overall: Checks al the boxes for the style. Unsure on age but it tastes like it’s got a few years on it. Not oxidized though.

 

Pours a cloudy reddish brown, small khaki head that faded quickly, no lacing but does leave an oily film on the glass Nose get some toffee, oak, bourbon and some dark fruit. Taste follows the nose, getting some burnt sugars also. Medium bodied, minimal carbonation. Tasty and goes down a bit to easily.

 

L: Very deep red color, minimal head and lacing, light carbonation.

S: Oak, alcohol, caramel, brown sugar.

T: Oak, alcohol, caramel, brown sugar. Very good.

F: Full bodied, nicely flavored, smooth.

O: Nice barleywine.

 

 

Pours a dark burgundy brown with a finger and a half of khaki foam. Head retention is good. Aroma is toffee, raisins, caramel, molasses and brown sugar with hearty hits of toasty, caramely, nutty, bready malts for support and depth. Light bourbon notes kiss the back of the throat, offering up just a kiss of heat to curtail the sugary start. Despite the focus on sweetness, there is a quality balance within the aroma. Flavor profile carries that balance and focus forward, hitting notes of molasses, caramel, toffee, brown sugar and raisins alongside nutty, toasty, caramely malts. Bourbon adds a bit of depth and complexity, while playing call-and-response with the sugary start, bringing up a twinge of heat. Dynamics are great. Mouth feel is thick with a smooth, lightly creamy texture. Overall, thick and full with a dynamic and friendly display of sugary notes divulging into light heat at the finish. Dynamics at play here are fantastic, netting out a splendid barleywine.

Served in a 15.5oz Speigalau tulip from a 22oz bottle.

 

Tasted in a snifter from draught on March 26, 2019. Bourbon barrel aged barleywine style ale. This is a big beer with strong notes of booze, oak and bourbon.

 

World Class!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Batch 666" (possibly a joke).

Bottled June 2017; drank 8/20/17 @ the Yarchives.

Murky brown/orange rust appearance.

A violent pour yielded a small, noisy khaki head; minimal lace.

Caramel, white wine, oak & bourbon heat notes in the nose.

Medium thick, sticky mouthfeel.

Caramel & white wine flavors up front; dry oak & strong bourbon heat notes on the finish.

A boozy barrel bomb right now, with no subtlety; it might be worth laying one down to see what a couple years could do for some balance.

 

 

22 ounce bottle into a snifter. Batch # 666, bottled 2/10/16. Looking at the old batch log, it might have been put into barrels 3/20/15. Had 1/6/17.

Pours an opaque, dark amber, with a half inch, quickly dissipating head and some soapy lacing. The smell is grapes, bourbon, light cherries and plums, malt, dates, raisins, toffee, some oak, a bit of anise in the head. Kind of a berry aroma underneath. The taste begins with a bigger malt presence, then bourbon- more as it warms, oak, plums, raisins, caramel, figs, dates, brown sugar, some vanilla. Light alcohol. Smooth, a solid full body for the style, well carbonated.

Drank more like the English style, no hop presence at all. This was at its best when fully warmed. Well balanced, great flavor and aroma, complex. Would like to see this come around again.

 

 

Big toffee and caramel scent, molasses-like. Some oak. Similar flavour, a rich, full sweetness, fairly ready, with some oak. Bourbon is light but there, some vanilla. Rich body, low carbonation. Good!

 

 

 

 

Barleywine and bourbon have an undeniable affinity for one another. That being said, Pipeworks Brewing and Local Option play match-maker by bringing a strong, savory and sweet barleywine ale to be enveloped by bourbon drenched barrels for a sultry, complex and transformative taste.

Rohrwerker's ominous garnet hues are softly diffused and gentleman-like in its appearance. Strong bourbon fragrance wafts onto the nose and bring the beer's toffee, vinous, spicy and fruity scents. As its rich toffee, brown sugar and caramel malts roll onto the tongue, the beer's lavish sweetness soothes the sweet tooth immediately.

As the beer seeps into the tastebuds, the never-ending variety of flavors roll across the middle palate. While the beer's sweet taste holds firm, introductions of stone fruit bring date, fig, prune, apple, papaya and orange early on. A follow of sherry wine, port leather and oak ensue to take an edge off of the fruitiness. Still, the spiciness of bourbon offers its own caramel, oak, pepper and coconut along with on final rebuttal of cherry and curaçao liquor.

Full and spicy, the barleywine trails into a simmering warmth of brandy, bourbon and fine sipping elixir. Light numbing action is highlighted by oak tannin and peppercorn that balances the moderately high residual malts that struggle to retain a malt-centric taste.