Batch 969
Triptych Brewing

Review: 2388
Name: Batch 969
Brewery: Triptych Brewing
Location: Savoy, IL
Style: Barrel-Aged Barleywine
ABV: 14.1%
Canned: June 2021
Date: 7 May 2025
I was excited to see this beer aged in Amburana. I am serving the beer at 50 degrees in a tulip glass. The pour created a half-fingered, dark tan head with poor retention. The color is dark rusty brown with dark amber hues. It is semi-transparent and charting at SRM 28. Overall, it is a below-average showing for a high-ABV stout.
Nosing the glass, I smell toffee, cinnamon, cinnamon rolls, light-roasted coffee, a hint of char, Maillard, whiskey, dark chocolate, dark roasted malts, wood resin, treacle, caramel, earthiness, and a malty sweetness.
Sipping the glass, I taste cinnamon rolls, fresh grated cinnamon, dark chocolate, char, toffee, medium coffee, molasses, caramel, dates, whiskey, wood resin, earthiness, malty sweetness, and tobacco.
The mouthfeel is chewy and coating, finishing silky-soft with a slight warming sensation. The body is heavy and low in carbonation.
The Amburana in this beer is incredible. The flavors it produces create this magical beer. Usually, beers with cinnamon are often described as tasting dusty or stale; this one is not. Coupled with barrel aging, this beer is a decadent treat to enjoy. I am glad I got to try this beer.

fobab 2023

12oz stubby bottle with hot pink wax that has a pull tab so you don't have to cut the wax! Thank you triptych for thinking of all the details here! Wish more breweries would do this... Poured into Rastal Lawrence tumbler.

Appearance: blackish brown barelywine with an off white to light tan colored cap of head. The head drops down to a ring of foam around the outside of the glass.

Smell: caramel forward malts. Spicy cinnamon like aroma mixed with dry oak and hints of bourbon. Getting a decent dose of toffee and vanilla frosting in the aroma. Really loving how this smells.

Taste: Caramel, vanilla, & brown sugar / cane sugar blast your mouth with sticky sweetness right out of the gates. I taste some fresh baked cinnamon roll in the middle as the barrel as base beer flavors seem to meld together after the sweetness fades away from the initial sips. This beer finishes with a Big Red brand gum kind of flavor mixed with Spanish cedar.

Mouthfeel: This beer is all too smooth for 14.1%. This is definitely a calling card / signature move for the Triptych barrel program. A medium bodied barleywine with low yet adequate carbonation. The texture of this barleywine is sticky sweet and not overly thick; just the right hefty to optimize smoothness. This beer literally has no boozy burn to it at all.

Overall: Was excited about this BA BW because it was aged in Spanish Amburana barrels which is a new barrel to me and it sounds like they are getting some usage by other Chicagoland breweries. Let also not forget that Triptych barrel program is pretty fricking good! This is also my first barrel aged barleywine from Triptych.

Anyways, my overall thoughts... Really smooth sipper. It's desert beer and goes well in 4oz to 6oz pours. I like the uniqueness of the Amburana barrels, it imparts a profile similar to what a cedar barrel would taste like if you added spicy quality to the cedar. You do definitely get some cinnamon roll vibes from this barleywine without any cinnamon actually being used to brew the beer (that I am aware of anyways). I wonder if this is what Triptych was going for when they constructed this beer? A cinnamon roll barleywine without using any cinnamon...