The Big Expense
Our Mutual Friend Malt & Brew

 

Pours black with two fingers of off-white foam. It has oily legs that cling to the glass after a swirl. Aroma hits vanilla hard, with fig, toffee, and caramely, toasty malts just behind. Sweetness is mild, despite being vanilla forward. Flavor profile brings a larger array of notes, but starts on the same vanilla note from the aroma. Fig, raisins, molasses, and toffee meet roasty, toasty, caramely, and bready malts. The latter two malt notes start to become more apparent as the beer warms. Mouth feel is medium-thick with a fuzzy sock texture, and a minor softness underneath. Overall, big time vanilla while still hitting some barleywine notes along the way. Not overly sweet, nor overly boozy.

Draft. Reviewed from notes.

Had on tap. Super dark brown opaque body with an oatmeal colored cap. Vanilla soaked caramel, dark fruits and barley in the nose. Taste has vanilla, caramel, dark fruit that sweet but not sugary, barley, and earthy malt, vanilla starts, is covered up before returning to finish powerfully. Almost like a pasty barleywine if that is a thing. Feel is viscous, sticky, heavy, yet brightens big time with the vanilla coolness for the finish, but certainly sweet for a barleywine.

Double Mash Barleywine aged on Tahitian Vanilla. I wasn't sure that vanilla would work a barleywine, but it really was a nice balance between the bitterness and sweetness.