Barley Wine
Standing Stone Brewing Company

2017 version is very much in the traditional BJCP (american) category. 10.7 % alcohol and tasted yummy from the tap. Quite hoppy and hot tasting. A tad too hot/burning, otherwise balanced and pleasant. Would be interesting to see how it ages.

 

Sampled from a one liter, tap-filled, swingtop bottle, refridgerated for about 5 days since filling.

Pours black with one finger tan head across my chalice. Okay retention...

There's a hint of dark fruitiness in the aroma, and some high-alpha PNW hop aroma.

Tastes big & roasty, and heavily bitter. Bitter from roasted malt and high-alpha hops. Big hop bitterness, but not much hop aroma or flavor. There's little complexity to the malt. Overall, it's a bit rough on the tongue. Nay, it's really quite devastating on the palate. Might also be a bit oxidized? (Understandable considering the serving type...)

With the big hop bitterness, Standing Stone's barleywine threatens to go the way of Rogue's Old Crusty and become a true PNW hop monster, but doesn't go far enough and just ends up being weird. Having none of the heavily caramelized, Maris Otter-type malt sweetness that I've come to expect from barleywines, the most prominent characteristic outside of the hops is the roastiness.
It's really more of a Russian Imperial Stout than a Barleywine. It's alright, but not that drinkable. Really, the roastiness and hop bitterness are a bit unpleasant

I really think this might just be too young. Too bad it was a tap fill, otherwise I'd try cellaring it. It's a bit of a shame, 'cause the smaller beers from this brewpub are always solid.

This barleywine has substantial bittering, a sumo sized body, and much charm. Its taste is of toffee and dark malts with an alcoholic dimension (10%) that makes its presence known without otherwise being intrusive. It is ebony black and uncommonly dense though not syrupy. I found no aroma, yet the stemmed wine glass showed thick wall-to-wall lace suggesting a fairly fresh tap.

Standing Stone’s Barleywine (I wish it had a proper name) is not especially fruity or sweet. But neither is it green or unevolved. I’d call it hearty and well tempered. Twenty-five cents from every sale is donated to the local food bank. Too bad they can’t donate barleywine!

Clear mahogany to ebony with chestnut accents, forming a decent light tan head with good retention and lacing. Aroma is very fruity with dark chocolate and bittersweet coffee. Taste is of raisins, prunes, drying alcohol, bananas (I think they ferment everything with the same strain of yeast which has a very noticeable phenolic character), very strong dark malts, and finishing with floral flavor hops and woody, dry bitterness. Mouthfeel is slick and cloying with a firm body. Warms as it goes down..very nice.