Old Devil's Tooth Barleywine (Barrel Aged)
Sockeye Grill & Brewery

this one is a monster, super boozy and intensely flavored, grain stew with maple and brown sugar sweetness running through it. definitely a one and done for me, a slow sipper, almost irresponsible beer here, wintery and warming, nice for the holiday season. 11.6% abv on the menu this year, wow. also not sure if this is always barrel aged or if we have a special edition here, but the barrel character is not really a huge part of the experience here, at least for me. the beer has a maturity to it, but more in terms of fermentation than ageing. not quite brown not quite red in color, rather dense looking, and with almost no head in the globe by the time it gets to our table. it smells sweet and somewhat minimal really, malty but without a ton of depth to me, a light butterscotch and golden raisin thing, a little bit of oak and vanilla and honey, maybe a hint of whiskey. in the flavor its about the same, except that the whole thing is intensely alcoholic, almost even hurts my tongue, sharp and exposed, but i guess thats part of it. sweet and alcoholic really is what i get from this, and its a little bit hard to finish after a big meal. not the most complex or refined take on the style, especially considering the relatively subtle barrel aspect, but enthusiasts of the style will find it enjoyable...

On tap at the brewery, RBSG bus stop. Used this to wash the Lonesome Larry out of my mouth. Bright amber body, small ring of head. Boozy aroma, sweet malts. Taste is more of the same, caramel and toffee soaked in whiskey. Liked somewhat, again I had hoped for a better experience.

 

 

On tap at Bittercreek tonight... A healthy pour shows a fairly clear deep amber brew.. More clarity than I remember with the regular version. Tannish head has nice lacing.. The brew has good viscosity.. Nose is fantastic mix of vanilla caramel and big hoppiness.. The barrel adds a great layer of complexity but never gets out of whack and honestly tames the abrasive hops I normally encounter with ODT... The barrels also sorta smooth out the flavor and adding a nice complexity to the malts.. marshmallow/vanilla with a nice hit of something that I associate with Tennessee and not Kentucky. Certainly in the top 1-2 of the brews I had at BC tonight.

4.25/4.75/4.75/4.5/4.5