Arcane Rituals
Bottle Logic Brewing
Beer Geek Stats:
| Print Shelf Talker
- Style:
- Barleywine - English
- ABV:
- 13.6%
- Score:
- 94
- Avg:
- 4.56 | pDev: 5.48%
- Reviews:
- 12
- Ratings:
- From:
- Bottle Logic Brewing
- California, United States
- Avail:
- Retired (no longer brewed)
- Wants
- 10
- Gots
- 8
SCORE
94
Outstanding
94
Outstanding
Notes:
Collaboration with Ritual Brewing Co.
The crackling magic of Chevallier Heritage malt courses through this English-style barleywine. A combination of bourbon, brandy, and VSOP cognac barrels cast a spirited spell over the brew and mix to manipulate space and time, opening a viscous liquid portal into what surely must be immortality.
The crackling magic of Chevallier Heritage malt courses through this English-style barleywine. A combination of bourbon, brandy, and VSOP cognac barrels cast a spirited spell over the brew and mix to manipulate space and time, opening a viscous liquid portal into what surely must be immortality.
Reviews: 12
| Ratings: 39
| Log in to view all ratings and sort
Beersnake1 from California
4.85/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Poured from fridge temp. Very little head, and a nice dark brown color. Nose is insane. Screaming toffee, brandy, fudge, raisins, and classic malty notes from an English barleywine. The taste - good god this is good. Brandy, bourbon, chocolate, maple, vanilla, toffee, figs, and a bit of nuttiness. Mouthfeel is super viscous. Overall, a mouth-watering barleywine that has amazing flavors that linger for ages. I need more of this!
May 07, 2020
4.85/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Poured from fridge temp. Very little head, and a nice dark brown color. Nose is insane. Screaming toffee, brandy, fudge, raisins, and classic malty notes from an English barleywine. The taste - good god this is good. Brandy, bourbon, chocolate, maple, vanilla, toffee, figs, and a bit of nuttiness. Mouthfeel is super viscous. Overall, a mouth-watering barleywine that has amazing flavors that linger for ages. I need more of this!
May 07, 2020
gcamparone from Rhode Island
4.82/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Poured from a 22oz bomber into a bottle logic Mason glass. Thank you Daniel for this beer.
Pours a dark brown but translucent body with ruby tones and a small brown head.
On the nose is decadent sweet brown bread, molasses, milk chocolate, French vanilla, bourbon, dark fruits, caramel, peanut brittle.
On the tongue this is unreal - sweet, bourbon soaked pecan pie, caramel rocky road brownies drizzled with French vanilla cognac, espresso beans, roasty dark molasses and dark fruits, finishing syrupy and rich, dark maple syrup, decadent table of desserts all melded into one. Thick, rich body, definitely a sipper that opens up at room temperature.
This beer was packed with flavor. Incredibly complex and rich, yet easy to drink and sip inviting. My favorite beer of 2020 so far.
Feb 04, 2020
4.82/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Poured from a 22oz bomber into a bottle logic Mason glass. Thank you Daniel for this beer.
Pours a dark brown but translucent body with ruby tones and a small brown head.
On the nose is decadent sweet brown bread, molasses, milk chocolate, French vanilla, bourbon, dark fruits, caramel, peanut brittle.
On the tongue this is unreal - sweet, bourbon soaked pecan pie, caramel rocky road brownies drizzled with French vanilla cognac, espresso beans, roasty dark molasses and dark fruits, finishing syrupy and rich, dark maple syrup, decadent table of desserts all melded into one. Thick, rich body, definitely a sipper that opens up at room temperature.
This beer was packed with flavor. Incredibly complex and rich, yet easy to drink and sip inviting. My favorite beer of 2020 so far.
Feb 04, 2020
Sabtos from Ohio
4.79/5 rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
Dark mahogany brown, nearing black but not quite, with a moderate, uniformly dense khaki foam head settling to a short but persistently thick collar.
A bourbon syrup character gives an impression of thickness without any sort of absurd viscosity whatsoever, while an excellent barrel char delivers ribbons of Tootsie Roll, caramel and vanilla marshmallow all accented by black pepper. And the nose is just so chock full of vanilla nougat. It's just super deep and rich, yet mature and infinitely complex.
The moderate body is slick and smooth, broken up by a crackly carbonation that is pulling out chocolate and toffee drizzled graham in addition to dark fruit notes that come across like a wonderfully woody Madeira. But again, I must stress, this isn't an overly thick or decadent sugar bomb. Having recently had Maple BA Mecha Planetoid, the contrast is perfectly illustrative. Arcane Rituals is so much more complex, drinkable, mature and refined. It's just astounding, without anything having been added, how well the pastry notes get pulled out of the oak and malt interplay.
Is this the best beer Bottle Logic has made? Quite possibly. And it's also one of my favorite barleywines in general, full stop.
Jan 21, 2020
4.79/5 rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
Dark mahogany brown, nearing black but not quite, with a moderate, uniformly dense khaki foam head settling to a short but persistently thick collar.
A bourbon syrup character gives an impression of thickness without any sort of absurd viscosity whatsoever, while an excellent barrel char delivers ribbons of Tootsie Roll, caramel and vanilla marshmallow all accented by black pepper. And the nose is just so chock full of vanilla nougat. It's just super deep and rich, yet mature and infinitely complex.
The moderate body is slick and smooth, broken up by a crackly carbonation that is pulling out chocolate and toffee drizzled graham in addition to dark fruit notes that come across like a wonderfully woody Madeira. But again, I must stress, this isn't an overly thick or decadent sugar bomb. Having recently had Maple BA Mecha Planetoid, the contrast is perfectly illustrative. Arcane Rituals is so much more complex, drinkable, mature and refined. It's just astounding, without anything having been added, how well the pastry notes get pulled out of the oak and malt interplay.
Is this the best beer Bottle Logic has made? Quite possibly. And it's also one of my favorite barleywines in general, full stop.
Jan 21, 2020
ovaltine from Indiana
4.67/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
This murky, mahogany brown beer that sports a dense, dark tan head looks like an imperial stout from a distance. It’s only when you hold the glass up to light that you see the brown colors, especially on the edges. What a beautiful beer.
The nose is filled with boozy aromas that feature cherries, stone fruit, toffee, caramel, and a subtle milk chocolate note. This is SCREAMING “dessert beer.”
That dessert beer theme carries through to the taste. There’s a lot of sweet in this beer, with the cherries, caramel, toffee, and milk chocolate, but the stone fruit and booze reel this huge barleywine back in before it ventures into “Cloyingville.”
The mouthfeel is full and has a silky quality I didn’t expect. Stated quite simply, this is the best barleywine I’ve had. It’s truly magnificent.
Dec 22, 2019
4.67/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
This murky, mahogany brown beer that sports a dense, dark tan head looks like an imperial stout from a distance. It’s only when you hold the glass up to light that you see the brown colors, especially on the edges. What a beautiful beer.
The nose is filled with boozy aromas that feature cherries, stone fruit, toffee, caramel, and a subtle milk chocolate note. This is SCREAMING “dessert beer.”
That dessert beer theme carries through to the taste. There’s a lot of sweet in this beer, with the cherries, caramel, toffee, and milk chocolate, but the stone fruit and booze reel this huge barleywine back in before it ventures into “Cloyingville.”
The mouthfeel is full and has a silky quality I didn’t expect. Stated quite simply, this is the best barleywine I’ve had. It’s truly magnificent.
Dec 22, 2019
REVZEB from Illinois
4.68/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Had on tap. Medium brown with light edges and a tan collar. Toffee, raisin, cognac, brandy, brown sugar, plenty of wood, and a hint of dried cherry within some bourbon. Taste explodes intensely: bourbon, wood, dark fruit, and caramel start us, with a huge burst of cognac, brandy, plum, raisin, super rich toffee, malts, and cherry, with vanilla, more toffee, a huge spot of barley and moderate booze to round it out, superb. Feel is so smooth, well balanced, with great barrel character that doesn't allow it to get too boozy or sweet. Great contrasting extremes in the flavors, getting the most out of everything involved. The wife loved it
Nov 30, 2019
4.68/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Had on tap. Medium brown with light edges and a tan collar. Toffee, raisin, cognac, brandy, brown sugar, plenty of wood, and a hint of dried cherry within some bourbon. Taste explodes intensely: bourbon, wood, dark fruit, and caramel start us, with a huge burst of cognac, brandy, plum, raisin, super rich toffee, malts, and cherry, with vanilla, more toffee, a huge spot of barley and moderate booze to round it out, superb. Feel is so smooth, well balanced, with great barrel character that doesn't allow it to get too boozy or sweet. Great contrasting extremes in the flavors, getting the most out of everything involved. The wife loved it
Nov 30, 2019
Lingenbrau from Oregon
4.64/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
I can't possibly give a proper review as I drank this last night with friends and family for Thanksgiving. What I can do is say thank you very much to Derek for the bottle. This was extremely delicious and definitely the favorite if the night of said party. Rich, decadent, bursting with aromas and flavors. A must seek for any Barleywine fan out there. Cheers!
Nov 30, 2019
4.64/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
I can't possibly give a proper review as I drank this last night with friends and family for Thanksgiving. What I can do is say thank you very much to Derek for the bottle. This was extremely delicious and definitely the favorite if the night of said party. Rich, decadent, bursting with aromas and flavors. A must seek for any Barleywine fan out there. Cheers!
Nov 30, 2019
johnInLA from California
4.8/5 rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
500ml bottle, poured into a snifter.
Dark brown, very small off white head, which mostly diminishes. Fairly murky for an English Barleywine.
In the nose I get a lot of barrel, followed by leather, brown surgar, caramel, some cherry and cognac.
The favor is very complex and well balanced, flavors include vanilla, bourbon, caramel, cherry, brown sugar.
The feel is full bodied, syrupy and skicky. It coats the mouth and lets the favor linger.
Overall this is a really well executed beer. A great example of a beer that pulls complex flavors from the barrels. The base keeps it from blurring any lines. This is a barley wine. An excellent one at that.
As I dtink my last bottle, I'm left with the thought, I hope they rebrew this one.
Nov 15, 2019
4.8/5 rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
500ml bottle, poured into a snifter.
Dark brown, very small off white head, which mostly diminishes. Fairly murky for an English Barleywine.
In the nose I get a lot of barrel, followed by leather, brown surgar, caramel, some cherry and cognac.
The favor is very complex and well balanced, flavors include vanilla, bourbon, caramel, cherry, brown sugar.
The feel is full bodied, syrupy and skicky. It coats the mouth and lets the favor linger.
Overall this is a really well executed beer. A great example of a beer that pulls complex flavors from the barrels. The base keeps it from blurring any lines. This is a barley wine. An excellent one at that.
As I dtink my last bottle, I'm left with the thought, I hope they rebrew this one.
Nov 15, 2019
GreesyFizeek from New York
4.24/5 rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This one pours a slightly murky dark brown color, with a small head, and not much lacing.
This smells like cognac, jammy dark fruit, bourbon, oak, chocolate, caramel, and brandy.
The various barrels intertwining work very well here, adding a fruity sweetness that goes well with the toasty and caramelly malt backbone. It doesn't go into cloying or too intense territory - it's surprisingly balanced, as the barrel tempers the sweet desserty backbone.
This is medium bodied, and not boozy at all, with a pretty nice level of drinkability for the style.
Bottle Logic does a lot of barleywines and strong ales, but the ones that don't have "adjuncts" added are almost always better here.
Nov 10, 2019
4.24/5 rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This one pours a slightly murky dark brown color, with a small head, and not much lacing.
This smells like cognac, jammy dark fruit, bourbon, oak, chocolate, caramel, and brandy.
The various barrels intertwining work very well here, adding a fruity sweetness that goes well with the toasty and caramelly malt backbone. It doesn't go into cloying or too intense territory - it's surprisingly balanced, as the barrel tempers the sweet desserty backbone.
This is medium bodied, and not boozy at all, with a pretty nice level of drinkability for the style.
Bottle Logic does a lot of barleywines and strong ales, but the ones that don't have "adjuncts" added are almost always better here.
Nov 10, 2019
StoutFox from Ohio
4.59/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Tons of flavor in this bad boy the. Tons of figs and Brandy. The three barrels did this wonders. The cognac barrel balanced the Brandy over-sweetness. Everything you look for in a good heavy barley wine
Sep 24, 2019
4.59/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Tons of flavor in this bad boy the. Tons of figs and Brandy. The three barrels did this wonders. The cognac barrel balanced the Brandy over-sweetness. Everything you look for in a good heavy barley wine
Sep 24, 2019
lucius10 from California
3.92/5 rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Boozy bourbon, salty sweet aromatics on this one. Taste follows well, with a sweet boozy chocolate bite...a little heat in there. Decent on the palate...
Sep 24, 2019
3.92/5 rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Boozy bourbon, salty sweet aromatics on this one. Taste follows well, with a sweet boozy chocolate bite...a little heat in there. Decent on the palate...
Sep 24, 2019
emyers from Illinois
4.49/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
500 mL bottle poured into teku glass. 2019 vintage.
Dark amber-brown with a thin off-white lacing.
Nose: Bourbon, dark fruits, oak, and a bit of peach.
Taste: The barrels dominate with a healthy dose of bourbon and brandy. Nice backbone of dark fruit and caramel malt. Extremely balanced, very drinkable considering the abv. Just a hint of heat on the finish.
Feel: Full-bodied and extremely smooth.
Sep 16, 2019
4.49/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
500 mL bottle poured into teku glass. 2019 vintage.
Dark amber-brown with a thin off-white lacing.
Nose: Bourbon, dark fruits, oak, and a bit of peach.
Taste: The barrels dominate with a healthy dose of bourbon and brandy. Nice backbone of dark fruit and caramel malt. Extremely balanced, very drinkable considering the abv. Just a hint of heat on the finish.
Feel: Full-bodied and extremely smooth.
Sep 16, 2019
Furlinator from California
4.57/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Malt-heavy English barleywine with caramel, toffee, nougat, raisin and mild barrel accents. ABV is nearly undetectable. Thick and silky smooth. World class.
Sep 01, 2019
4.57/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Malt-heavy English barleywine with caramel, toffee, nougat, raisin and mild barrel accents. ABV is nearly undetectable. Thick and silky smooth. World class.
Sep 01, 2019
Arcane Rituals from Bottle Logic Brewing
Beer rating:
94 out of
100 with
39 ratings
0 characters. We love reviews! Turn your rating into one with ≥ 150 characters.
Explain why you're giving this rating. Your review must discuss the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) and your overall impression in order to indicate that you have legitimately tried the beer. Nonconstructive reviews may be removed without notice and action may be taken on your account.
Close