V.S.O.J.
Revolution Brewing

 

This elegant gem was sent to me by the exceedingly generous Luscious_Malfoy in our Barleywine/Stout BIF #2.
Pours a deep, mysterious cola brown in color. Mocha colored head pops up with a loosely packed fluff that rises north of 2 inches before settling in at a diminutive ring that leaves the thinnest lace line, like a fine point marker. Low retention-fine for style.
Nose is glorious. A warm, gentle embrace of Bourbon comes in and graciously introduces the toffee, fig, and caramel. But there is so much more going on. Delicate, fruity barrel notes akin to brandy and smooth coffee. After warming a bit, a warm, not quite boozy, note that wafts between rye and an herbal, almost peppery, spice.
This is luxuriously decadent. Yes, a bit sweet but still complex. A warmly Bourbon-kissed delivery of toffee, caramel, and dates starts things off. But she is profoundly alluring. Mild char, coffee, and again some fruity notes that are deep and "barrely." A melange of Bourbon and brandy notes but in a very "wet staves" way.
Mouthfeel is just a tad heavier than many barleywine but amazing. The finish tamps back the sweet just a tad and makes room for a hint of wood on the end. Politely warm in its presentation of ABV.
Overall, so grateful to finally try this classic.

 

Been waiting a long time to have this - finally got to get a proper pour during the Cellar Stout Week and man, what a beer. Tastes of toffee and some chocolate. Finishes with a great spice mix and bourbony goodness. Really lived up to the hype.

 

Yields a dark brown beer with a bigger mohagony colored head, which noisily dissolves entirely right after pouring.

The nose of this is defined by caramel candy which has fallen into a barrel of fine Bourbon, as well as burned grains and notes of milk chocolate to smooth out the heat, arising from the spirit.

Its mouthfeel feels medium bodied with a lively late carbonation among a very well balanced impression.

Tastes of milk chocolate covered toffee, together with utmost spicy licorice and balancing burned malts, inheriting a dryness which gets echoed by the prominent oak barrel, revealing notes of lavender, black pepper and creme brulee with a bit of heat to it. Its mid palate appears way calmer with the chocolate settling in more, revealing caramel and honey among cocoa and flamed wood. Finishes with an uprise of warming Bourbon accompanied spices, lasting chocolate and a licorice peak, slowly transforming into a warming, oak forward aftertaste.

A very solid and well balanced beer with a nice dry undertone to justify its overall sweetness.

 

Appearance: Pours a fairly clear auburn color with a one finger head that slowly fades; leggy with some spots of lacing clinging

Smell: Toffee, fig, date, nutmeg, and caramel apple ensconced in Bourbon, oak and vanilla tones.

Taste: Toffee and apple spice cake flavors forward with the fig and date adding a dark fruit aspect; through the middle, the Bourbon builds, with oak and vanilla lingering into the finish

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low carbonation; some warmth in the gullet

Overall: I love a good English Barleywine and this is about as good as it gets

 

 

 

 

Serving: 12 oz. can poured into a Founder's CBS snifter. Canned on 7/9/24, making this basically 4 months old at this point.

A: Pours a very muddy, dark brown color with a slight red hue. Kind of a nasty look, but usually typical of these BA barleywines.

S: This is where the beer shines. Huge molasses, fig, butterscotch, vanilla, and bourbon. Very inviting.

T: Very sweet! Wow. After that sugar punch, you get the vanilla, oak, some fig and plum notes. Little bit of gingerbread. Slight bourbon on the finish, but not boozy at all.

M: Nice and full, super decadent. Shockingly drinkable for the high ABV, but I imagine that has to do with the immense sweetness this beer has. Almost cloying!

O: Wow! Have not had a Top 25 beer in a while. Super lucky to grab this while in Chicago over the summer. Never was a huge Revolution fan, but I do know they're famous for their BA barleywines, and this is one of them. Right off the bat, I was super impressed. Instant flashback of BCBBW, and it's probably the best BA barleywine I've had since the BCBS 2-year. My only gripe (and I see this a lot elsewhere) is the sweetness. I think it's a touch (or a ton) too sweet, and even at 14% could use a small ABV bump to help it out. Also was bummed to see it was a cuveé and I wonder if that has something to do with it. Either way, great beer. One of the best in the style.

Recommendation: Maybe #25 is a bit inflated for a beer with this many flaws (overly sweet), but it's still a standout for the style and a great beer for those longing for old-school BCBBW.

 

a famous beer that ive had my eye on for ages but only recently finally got to drink, and its worthy of all the hype, like i cant believe the quality, the size, the complexity, and the refinement, its truly epic, one of the best examples of this style i have known, super mature and woody, killer barrel treatment, and this is way up there for me. dark brownish reddish in color, obvious body but not as downright thick as i expected, not a lot of head or bubbles, but who needs them in this style anyway. smells like liquid lumber, so much wood on this, maple and oak notes, strong vanilla, some tannins, and of course the bourbon, rich and regal and strong. malt layers are awesome, toffee, caramel apple, butterscotch, red velvet cake, rum raisin, and more vanilla, it keeps changing too, strong all the way but not obnoxiously so, sweet but appealing, heavy wood. i taste and feel different parts of it all over my palate, its like i have multiple tongues doing work here, epic. vanilla up front, english malt everywhere, creme brulee in the middle, leather and cedar swirling, gooey stretchy soft caramel everywhere too, no oxidation at all, dripping bourbon, almost seems like it straight up has whiskey blended into it, high end, and i taste it forever even after its gone, some umami to it, lots of body but very plush too, wicked smooth from all the oak, just a tickle of carbonation, warms up very well, and i sip it slowly as to make it last as long as possible. downright fantastic barleywine, easily stands out from the crowd of these, totally its own thing. unforgettable! would love to try some variants, looks like they do quite a bit of playing around with this, and i can see why. elite and with unrivaled complexity, had it on tap but i find it crazy that its packaged in a can not a bottle, less ideal for aging i would think, and this seems built for the cellar. whatever, it rules and im thankful to have had a chance to drink it!

 

 

 

 

Poured from a twelve ounce can, the body pours a dark brown with a light brown head. No much lacing.

Aroma is a sweet rush of bourbon barrel, toffee, and caramel.

Taste follows nose as the huge flavors translate to taste without diminution. More deep flavors appear: figs, oak, and vanilla. First rate malty goodness here. The ABV is well masked as there is just a little booze on finish.

Mouthfeel is very good, soft with supportive carbonation.

A strong, malty delight. Some folks may find it too sweet, but it's a rare beer that's wonderful to sip and patiently savor.