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Liquid Riot Bottling Company

 

500ml bottle - dated Sept. 2019 - poured into a snifter at 50°F. Purchased directly from the brewery for ~$20.

Pours a murky reddish cherrywood brown - almost garnet red when held to the light, topped with half a finger of airy, fluffy tan head that quickly recedes to a thick, irregular bubbly collar. Slow micro-streams of effervescence can be seen feeding that collar.

Nose: Sweet rich malts support an explosion of dark fruit including dates, raisins, fig, and a bit of cherry. There's also this crazy fruity red apple note. Fruity English yeast, pairs really nicely with some spicy, floral European hop notes giving this a real spring garden/orchard aroma right after a morning mist. There's a subtle but well-defined spearmint note as well. Plenty of dry oak, and an absolute ton of cognac, with overripe dark fruit, stone fruit, leather, tobacco, spices, caramel, brown sugar, black peppercorn, and pure, oaky maturity. Just insanely complex.

Palate: The barleywine greets the palate with caramel red apple, dates, fig, walnut, cherry, and malty barley. An immediate fruity red wine note comes in, lending some grapey acidity and some fruity wine notes, but absolutely no tartness. Just a slightly vinous dry red wine character. Some dark berries peek through - blackberry, mullberry, and quite a bit of strawberry, and then dry French out starts to come through, with a huge cognac presence. The cognac quality seems very mature, as it bears zero resemblance to bourbon whatsoever. This is fruity, deep, rich, oaky cognac with some perfumy port wine, sweet sherry oxidation, and even a faint hint of that rancio from a high-end extra old cognac. There is a hint of hops towards the finish, lending some light, delicate flowery notes, and then leads to a final nuclear explosion of oaky mature cognac which lays down the finish, as all sweetness completely subsides.

Mouthfeel/Body: This element took me by surprise. The barleywine is rich, full-bodied, and thick, with plenty of malty chew and viscosity, yet it's far from overly sweet, sappy, or cloying. Because it isn't syrupy or cloying, it actually drinks remarkably well for a 13% ABV ale. Not only is it thick and chewy, but the effervescence is quite higher than you'd expect from something of this calibre. It isn't fizzy and bubbly, but it also doesn't feel like it's lacking effervescence in any way. Really perfect carbonation that only furthers the drinkability. Sweet up front, with a fruity characteristic in the middle, and finishing semi-dry, with drying oak, hops, and cognac.

Overall: This is a true surprise. You hear of local gems, but encountering them is a different story. This is the definition of a local gem. By far the best barleywine I've ever had, and barleywine is one of my favourite styles. This is so perfectly balanced, with just the right sweetness, fruitiness, oak, hint of hops, and explosive mature cognac. I have a hard time believing it can get better than this. If you're a fan of barrel-aged barleywine, this is an absolute must, and if you're a fan of cognac and barleywine, this is the pinnacle right here. Absolutely world-class. I wish I could have bought a case of this.