Bishop's Barrel 15
Saint Arnold Brewing Company

Bishop's Barrel 15Bishop's Barrel 15
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From:
Saint Arnold Brewing Company
 
Texas, United States
Style:
English Barleywine
ABV:
13.1%
Score:
95
Avg:
4.36 | pDev: 5.28%
Reviews:
14
Ratings:
53
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 19, 2019
Added:
Oct 03, 2016
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  15
The base beer for Bishop’s Barrel No. 15 is an English Barleywine. The style focuses on malt complexity, rather than hops like an American Barleywine. Test brews consisted of a dry hop post aging with Amarillo hops to add a citrus-like character. But after several trials, we felt the hops were distracting from an already great barrel aged beer.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Can_has_beer:
Photo of Can_has_beer
Rated by Can_has_beer from Texas

3.81/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Oct 27, 2016
More User Ratings:
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

4.2/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled on 9/13/2016. Pours moderately hazy deep ruby red, light copper/brown color with a small fairly dense and fluffy light khaki head with solid retention, that reduces to a minimal spotty lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing on the glass, with a fair amount of steaming carbonation. Aromas of big raisin, plum, prune, cherry, fig, date, apricot, red apple, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, spicy rye whiskey, toasted oak, and brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of coconut, licorice, leather, tobacco, peat smoke, peppercorn, herbal, grass, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Slight booze in the aromas as it warms, but not overwhelming. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/bready malts, fruity yeast, rye whiskey barrels, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with big strength. Taste of huge raisin, plum, prune, cherry, fig, date, apricot, red apple, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, spicy rye whiskey, toasted oak, and brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of coconut, licorice, leather, tobacco, peat smoke, peppercorn, herbal, grass, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness; and rye whiskey/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of dark fruits, apricot, red apple, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, spicy rye whiskey, toasted oak, brown bread/crust, coconut, licorice, leather, tobacco, peat smoke, peppercorn, herbal, grass, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malts, fruity yeast, rye whiskey barrels, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitterness, and rye/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering bitterness and spicy rye/oak. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth and creamy/bready/sticky/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Mild increasing warmth of 13.1%, with minimal lingering barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic barrel aged English barleywine. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malts, fruity yeast, rye whiskey barrels, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the huge ABV, with the modestly bitter/tannic/drying finish. Fantastic balance between rich malts, fruity yeast, and rye barrel presence/integration; with nice earthy hop presence/balance. Mild residual sweetness with lingering dryness. Not overly sweet/heavy for the ABV. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstanding style example.
Jul 19, 2019
Photo of puck1225
Reviewed by puck1225 from Texas

4.42/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Very nice beer!

Poured from tap into a a snifter. Beautiful reddish brown color with nice beige head and lacing. Smokey bourbon smella nd taste. Flavors of caramel, vanilla and toffee. Smooth pleasant feel. Even my wife liked it!
Jun 16, 2019
 
Rated: 4.4 by Loudenough from Louisiana

Mar 30, 2019
 
Rated: 4.24 by kkarimi from Texas

Dec 27, 2018
 
Rated: 4.34 by hcproff36 from Texas

Aug 19, 2018
Photo of Treyliff
Reviewed by Treyliff from West Virginia

4.24/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12oz bottle poured into a snifter
Bottled in 2016

A- pours a hazy amber brown color with a one-finger foamy white head that reduces to a ring around the edge of the glass

S- rich and malty aroma with notes of caramel and dark fruits. Plenty of rye barrel on the nose, providing some peppery & spicy aromas. Also picking up a subtle floral note to close it out

T- caramel and brown sugar notes up front, along with dark fruit notes of fig and raisin. Mid-palate brings out the barrel, with plenty of spicy rye, which continues into the finish, along with some light floral notes. More rye on the linger

M- medium -light body with medium carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that continues into a warming finish

O- plenty of barrel presence makes this one a nice balance of the spicy rye and malty sweetness of the base beer
Jul 11, 2018
 
Rated: 5 by Knickfan3 from New York

May 20, 2018
 
Rated: 4.55 by cmbeddoe7997 from Texas

Apr 06, 2018
Photo of Sabtos
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio

4.01/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Foggy burnt copper with a minimal tan head that quickly fades to a thin ring and a stretched film.

Smell is prune, fig, caramel, dry oak and gooey ginger snap dough with candied orange and peach in the background.

Taste has toffee, toasted graham and vanilla up front, followed by peppery oak, subtle whiskey and spiced rum. Toffee comes back around in the swallow, with a red grape accompaniment.

The medium to light body has a moderate, soft but crisp carbonation and a woody dry finish.
Dec 13, 2017
 
Rated: 4.19 by ruzzal from Texas

Dec 08, 2017
 
Rated: 4.44 by Eddiehop from Texas

Nov 29, 2017
Photo of Furlinator
Reviewed by Furlinator from California

4.46/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pours translucent copper with a thin khaki head that quickly disappears completely. Caramel, dark fruit and booze on the nose. The is of caramel, raisin, butterscotch, toasted bread and subtle rye spice. Warm as it goes down. Outstanding.
Nov 01, 2017
Photo of zachary80
Rated by zachary80 from Indiana

4.29/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
No visible date mark. Rated in 10/2017
Oct 29, 2017
Photo of darktronica
Reviewed by darktronica from Indiana

4.26/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a dark amber with minimal head, suggesting lower carbonation than is actually present. Smells of significant rye barrel character, something the flavor doesn't dispel--some peppery spice alongside the vanilla, malt, cherry and biscuit of the base beer.
Oct 23, 2017
 
Rated: 4.12 by CharlesK from Pennsylvania

Oct 23, 2017
 
Rated: 4.59 by Tuck_leepulin from Texas

Sep 20, 2017
Photo of KensWorld
Reviewed by KensWorld from Florida

4.5/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
Thanks Stein in NOLA for this rare bottle. Has a cool Amber look to it, nice. Smell is just about perfect for a BA beer. Taste is a Rolo Carmel bomb with whisky barrel undertones. Very drinkable and enjoyable which is Quite unique among american made English Barleywines. Well exicuted, perfectly done and better then most out there.
Aug 24, 2017
Photo of Mindsculptor
Rated by Mindsculptor from Texas

5/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
This is a heartbreakingly good Barleywine. The reason it breaks my heart is because I will never have the pleasure of drinking it again.
Jul 07, 2017
Photo of maximum12
Reviewed by maximum12 from Minnesota

4.18/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Thanks to nolahophead for this bottle. Which I traded for in the mistaken impression that it was a barrel-aged version of D.R. #15. I blame the brewery for my stupidity. 12 oz. bottle with the familiar purple D.R. label, except in white.

The pour is light gold shot through with a few drops of red dye #5, with a touch more carbonation that the completely unrelated D.R. #15. Le Nez is mostly barrel with spicy rye mingled with a bit of toffee & aimless fruit.

Bishop’s Barrel #15 makes my liver bleed a little. Warm alcohol rides through my veins from the second sip onward, putting the spurs to a lovely shot of rye whiskey. Spicy (not the Sean kind), boozy warming, drier than Pelosi’s womb. The supporting actors are long, deep, sweet caramel, vanilla bark. I could drink a lot of this.

More of a barrel showcase, the malts make a great backdrop for the rye whiskey, & the two interact well. Reminds me a great deal of my local favorite, Lunker, though that has an exponentially bigger alcohol snap. Excellent beer.
Jun 13, 2017
Bishop's Barrel 15 from Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Beer rating: 95 out of 100 with 53 ratings