Farmstand Raspberry Barleywine
Berkshire Brewing Company

22 oz. bottle

Pours hazy dark maroon red amber with an off-white colored foam head. Smells like raspberry preserves, fresh jammy berries, dark dried fruit, toasted bready malts, caramel, molasses, dark toffee, hint of chocolate, citrus and floral earthy piney hops. Tastes like candied raspberry, some notes of strawberry, grape, cherry, plum, prune, raisin, fig, dates, red fruit, dark fruit, dried fruit, caramel, dark toasted bready malts, toffee, molasses, hint of chocolate, citrus medley, and floral earthy piney hops. Feels medium plus bodied, thick and smooth with moderate low carbonation. Overall a really nice raspberry barleywine style ale.

Unknown vintage, but the bottle it self was manufactured in 2014 so this is pretty damn old

It’s been quite some time since I’ve had anything from Berkshire. I found this dusty old bottle on the shelf and I was intrigued by the this old school brewery making a Barleywine with raspberries. I don’t have the highest hopes for this one but it doesn’t really matter, I’m just curious. Let’s get into it

Pours a murky brownish orange with a finger of off white head that quickly fades to a thin ring and leaves minimal lacing. Lots of sediment in suspension

Surprisingly this is still pretty fruit forward in the nose. I’m picking up on aromas of jammy raspberry, cherry cordial, sweet caramel, burnt sugar, leafy hops, orange marmalade, light cocoa powder, and dark bread

In taste it takes a very odd turn. While still fruity there’s a weird bitter and sweet interplay. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting jammy raspberry, cherry cough syrup, dark bread, cocoa powder, molasses, earthy hops, and light caramel. The swallow brings notes of cherry cordial, cocoa powder, burnt sugar, leafy hops, jammy raspberry, dark toast, and tobacco

A medium full body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a slick beer. Finishes neutral with a lingering bitterness

This one is super odd, but not that bad all things considered. It’s not much like a typical Barleywine either

22 oz bottle shared by Paul, thanks for the opportunity!
Hazy light gold color with a thin off white head that slowly dissipates.
Rich bready malt light alcohol and sweet bready maltiness. Hints of berry and light butterscotch.
Glad to try again but unimpressive.

Had a full bomber of the stuff and I didn't pour it into a glass. The nose is mostly raspberry with a hint of malt and the taste is this ^2. Fresh-pressed raspberry juice the whole way, minimal straining. There is a good deal of funky yeast that I wish would ease off the gas a bit. Toffee and caramel malt round things off to give a very rich experience. It feels think and creamy with medium carbonation and a noticeable alcohol warmth. This is my first barleywine, so I don't know if it is representative of the style. It's certainly sold me on raspberry beers.

First Barleywine and first Berkshire Brewing beer. Poured from bottle into pint glass.
This beer is brown. It advertises itself as "ruby-hued". This beer is brown, and there is nothing wrong with that, but it loses points for false advertising. No head, really, but nice scattered lacing. Faint smell of raspberry. Tastes like raspberry, and then you get some lovely strong caramel notes from the malt, and then you get raspberry again. They were not lying about the raspberry. Quite alcoholic on its way down, for a beer, but I read that's normal for this style of beer. A dark, full-bodied beer. Creamy. Almost syrupy in the mouth. Not at all bad, but not an easy drinking beer, and from that I would expect a little more complexity of flavor- I am really mostly just getting raspberry here.

 

Poured from a 12 ounce can into a pint glass. One fingered head that dissipates rapidly. The body of the beer is amber tinged with a reddish color. Nice aroma of raspberry on the nose. Tastes strongly of raspberry on the first sip, and the 9% abv is well immersed in the flavor of the beer. The barleywine style has faded from the craft beer scene lately; one of my all time fav's was Sierra Nevada's BigFoot. I am pleased that Berkshire is experimenting with the style, and this raspberry version is quite tasty.

Strange beer, didn't enjoy it. When poured its head and body look like a sour in that it has no head and its carb is spritzy with bubbles that jump out of the glass so you think it will drink bright and tart but it doesn't. Oddly it drinks creamy and has a strange aftertaste. Wish I could return the remaining cans.

 

22 oz bomber from connecticutpoet poured into Full Sail pint glass.

Hazy amber glow with a fluffy head of 2 fingers, receding to 1/2 finger.

Fresh picked raspberries - incredibly tart and juicy, with a backdrop of toffee malts.

Taste is of jammy sweet raspberries, followed by slight caramel and toffee notes, sour apple, and grainy malt.

Feel has a particular slickness to it, with a creaminess underneath and a solid moderate carbonation. Finish has mild warming drying alcohol.

Overall a really tasty and decent barleywine ale that I'd gladly have again.