Barleywine
603 Brewery

 

Aged this for a couple of years before tasting.

Poured nearly flat. No head.

Smelled faintly of honey, candy, malt and bourbon.

Tasted faintly sweet but overall lacked any real complexity and tasted flat. I could taste the alcohol but overall it was faint. The taste was reminiscent of a poorly made home brew. Next to no carbonation impacted the taste I'm sure.

Overall very disappointing given the high cost and how long it was aged.

Canned 2020/06/15
Pours a light fizzy tan 1/2 finger head with lowish retention, fair sticky lacing though, dark hazy murky brown color

Nose sweet candy malts, caramel, toffee, molasses, etc, quite fruity with apple cider, apple brandy, a bit of fig and raisin, smooth vanilla oak and mild whiskey, rich caramel under that, hint of port wine like and mild papery oxidation

Taste rich sweet characters, caramel and toffee up front, caramel candy with a bit nutty, more apple brandy and a little apple cider note, more rich fruits, candied raisin, unripe fig, buttery and vanilla oak with toffee, mild whiskey and brandy with that, a bit more port like oxidation and hint of papery notes, touch of spicy hop in the background, med bitterness, sticky sweet finish with more bitterness

Mouth is med to fuller bod, med small bubble creamy carb, very little alcohol warmth

Overall not bad, seems like a pretty good base barleywine, but not getting a lot of barrel, not sure if age affected it or it wasn't a big barrel to begin with, but still a nice barleywine

Many thanks to SawDog505 for this can!

A - Deep garnet/ruby color with a slight bit of haze and floaties, lacing is thin (but dense), carbonation is low, and lots of viscocity / legs on the sides of the glass when it's swirled.

S - Raisins, brown sugar, some dark fruit, spicy rye, whiskey, green apple, and some toasted caramel. The green apple aspect is a little unusual but first time for everything.

T - The green apple is big on the nose and just as big on the palate from start to finish. After the green apple is toasted caramel, brown sugar, a slight bit of molasses, rye, whiskey, brown sugar, and some light oak.

M - Big body that's silky soft with a syrupy texture. There's some warming on the way down but it doesn't detract from the beer.

O - This one opens up after an hour and the apple starts to subside. It's a unique blend that's starting to grow on me!

Canned 6/15/20

I gotta admit, I totally went for broke when beer shopping last weekend. I saw “barleywine” and “rye” on the can and pulled the trigger without much thought despite the $12 price tag. Oh well, I’m hoping it’s good, but if not at least it’ll be a decent buzz either way. Let’s crack it open and find out

Pours a murky orange-brown with a finger of light tan head that fades to a ring and leaves minimal lacing

I tend to prefer English-style barleywine, and even though this one is American, the whiskey seems to give it a sweeter character in the nose. I’m picking up on aromas of booze soaked raisin, earthy whiskey, sticky toffee, lightly spicy rye, brown sugar, light vanilla, and red grape

Hot damn, this is a boozy mess taste wise. It’s not awful and there’s some nice notes in the finish, but it’s too aggressive and there’s not much going on. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting hot booze, red grape, and spicy whiskey. The swallow brings notes of burnt pecan, fig, hot booze, and a more pleasant aftertaste of raisin, brown sugar, and earthy whiskey

A medium full body pairs with tingling carbonation from the booze, resulting in a sweet and hot beer. Finishes thin and boozy

This one is kinda weird. I appreciate what it’s going for but it leans a bit too much in the aggressively boozy vibe for my liking. Again, it’s not bad, there’s some interesting stuff going on here. It’s just not ideal

19.2 oz can.

Pours a deep copper color with amost no head. Leaves a few random splotches of lacing.

Strong aromas of rye whiskey, molasses, caramel and vanilla.

The flavor is boozy as all hell. Rye whiskey, vanilla, some oak and a little bit of brown sugar.

The feel is full-bodied with low carbonation. Syrupy, sticky, and incredibly boozy.

Overall this is a pretty good barleywine. Lots of strong whiskey notes. Not even remotely worth the price, though.

This beer was just OK. I paid $13.50 for a 19oz can. For that money, I was expecting a masterpiece. But what I got was something a little better than a homebrew. It was little more than one dimensional booziness'. For that price, I was looking for depth and complexity, and there are many examples available that have those qualities.

A real pedestrian effort...

Can from the Packie.
Lightly hazy dark brown with and off white head that recedes. Rich caramel and toffee with bits of dark dried fruit, oak tannin whiskey and light sherry oxidation. Not bad.

[IMG] Pours a very attractive mahogany with a finger plus sticky off white head that leaves thick patches of lace with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma the rye immediately hits, oaky vanilla, dates, fig, brown sugar, and some molasses. 4.25

Taste follows rye whiskey, woody vanilla, fig, dates, brown sugar, and a hint of molasses in the bold yet balanced finish. 4.5

Mouthfeel is above average, gentle carbonation, not dry, and at 10.3% it may drink a tad bigger, but extremely approachable. 4.5

Overall I will be sitting on a can or two off these and see how this ages. Very drinkable now but I bet a little time in the can will smooth it and bring the flavors together even better. Really a nice Fall and Winter Beer. 4.5

Picked up a 19.2oz can yesterday at 603 ($15) and quaffed it last night while laxing on Thanksgiving eve...

Poured the new brew into a snifter. It was a slightly cloudy, chestnut-mahogany color. Head was rather thin, beige in color, and had decent lacework. Aroma had some nice semi-sweet malts, with toffee, caramelized brown sugar, and some subtle whiskey notes. Body was a decent medium, though it did have a bit of prickle on the tongue.

Flavor also had caramelized brown sugar on top of a solid base of malt. More toffee appeared, with some vanilla and mild dark fruit notes. Whiskey action also was lurking in the dry finish. Fairly good, though a bit pricey. Prosit!!

4.21/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

2223

From the 570 ml. tall thin can dated 15 June 2020. Sampled on Nov 22, 2020.

Attractive looking amber brown appearance with reddish hues around the edges when held to the light. Modest, fading tan head.

An array of complex aromas greet the nose including caramel malts, toffee, brown sugar, rye grain, dark fruit, wood, and floral hops. Perhaps a creaminess too.

The mouthfeel is medium to full and smooth.

The taste is a fine sweet malt forward character with the same toffee, caramel, and mild floral hops. Yet, this also has a cellar, wood or boxy character and a warming and mild to moderate finish. Not harsh or boozy at all. Nicely done. I could drink more than one but it is $15 a can.