Rye Whiskey Barrel Defcon Red
Wolf's Ridge Brewing

22 ounce bottle, label says packaged on SEP 28 2018. Served in a snifter, the beer pours a copper/brown color with about an inch light tan head. Head retention is decent, and there's a good amount of lacing. I like the aroma, the brew smells like caramel, dark bread, vanilla, rye, raisin and oak. Taste is similar to the aroma, with caramel, rye, dark bread, toffee, vanilla, oak, raisin, fig, and some boozy flavors. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's coating and smooth with a moderate amount of carbonation. I thought this was a good barleywine, but then pretty much everything from Wolf's Ridge is a fine choice and worth trying! Some age wouldn't hurt this at all, though. $15.99 a bomber.

Clear but dark copper red, darkening greatly at certain angles, this builds a moderate, creamy tan head that settles to a persistent film rolling to a thick collar leaving wavy lace all over. This is a beautiful beer.

Smell is classic, well-made barleywine, with a faint astringency and a touch of booze. Aromas include shortbread and graham cake, caramel cowtails, a touch of deep vanilla and some whiskey that has a noticeable spice.

Taste is sweet, dense biscuit, caramel, and woody whiskey with an assertive booze. The woodiness actually adds a bit of bitterness, yet there's a contrasting note of faint red grape. Overall the malt sings fantastically here.

The medium-full body is smooth and round with a soft flowing carbonation before finishing with a stingingly warm, numbing semi-dry finish.

 

Form the 22 oz bomber in a snifter via Weiland's market in Columbus.
This mighty fine barleywine pours a murky deep brownish mahogany with
red highlights and a decent light head of off white foam that subsides to a
thick ring, thin light pool, and shows subtle lacing. Nose of rich caramel
and spicy rye with subtle vanilla and medium heavy notes of oak and
booze heavy whiskey. Flavors exceed the rather muted nose with aplomb;
caramel and fig hit to the fore with a rich whiskey and oak note that takes
middle to rear of the taste with a dried cranberry and plum note amid spicy
rye notes. Nice mouth feel; light carbonation, medium body, smooth but
highly warming from the booze of the barrel, and finishing dry and warm
with lingering rye notes.

Overall, a brew that would mature nicely over a year or two giving
rise to more character.

Brewed in collaboration with Platform Brewing using rye and
Sagamore Spirits Rye Whiskey Barrels.

Nice