Parker
Transient Artisan Ales

 

Transient Parker (English Barleywine aged in Parker Heritage Rye Whiskey barrels). Believe this one was bottled back in December 2019, so this is 20 months old.

Pours a hazy, muddy brown/mahogany color with a finger of a tan head that dissipates slowly leaving a thick ring of lacing around the edges of the glass. Looks nicely carbonated, which you don’t always get in a barrel aged beer.

Aroma has a huge vanilla presence, almost to the point where I’d think vanilla was added if this was a blind tasting. There isn’t any vanilla addition, so this is probably just coming from the barrel. It gives this aroma a Cream Soda vibe. Outside of that vanilla (almost marshmallow) presence, there’s caramel, Werther’s Originals and Sugar Daddies candy, toffee, creme brûlée, slight whiskey, slight rye spice, charred oak, light fig. Definitely showing off the sweeter qualities English Barleywine can bring. Surprisingly not as much barrel presence as expected outside of the vanilla.

Taste thankfully brings a lot more barrel presence to this one than the aroma led on. This does have a Cream Soda vibe from all the vanilla, which is a little weird, but I actually do enjoy it. Caramel, Werther’s Originals candy, creme brûlée, toffee, fig, and raisin are all there up front along with this vanilla. As you get into the middle and finish, a rush of barrel character comes through and dries out the beer tremendously. Big rye spice, whiskey, charred oak, and oak tannins appear, with caramel, vanilla, and creme brûlée becoming undertones of residual sweetness. There’s heat, but I wouldn’t call this boozy. The age probably has something to do with this.

Medium body. Oily, slick, and only slightly sticky due to the drier finish from the barrel. Little airy softness to it.

This is an outstanding barrel aged barleywine. The barrel character is really interesting with both rye spice and plenty of vanilla. An awesome balance between the sweetness of the English Barleywine qualities and the barrel. This is indeed life.

It's good, but not worth searching after. I've had much better Transient beers than this one. It's a pass for me, I wouldn't get it again by any means

 

Pours a murky brown with a little caramel tint to it. Head is a finger of caramel-colored foam that lingers well. Aroma is raisins, toffee, fig and molasses before a big cymbal clash of dry rye that hits hard and fades quickly, the only thing lingering being toasty, nutty and caramely malts with a little char and dry heat. Good blend between sugary onset with dry heat. Flavor profile is nutty, caramely, molasses, chocolate, toffee, raisins and fig with dry rye adding a little heat and herbal spice. Rye is really well stated here, adding all that quintessential spice with a dry finish. Amazing. Malts are caramely and toasty malts. Mouth feel is thick with a rather still effervescence. Additional texture comes via lightly silty grain. Overall, great initial sweetness that breaks away for a dry rye finish. Amazing blend and temperament between the two.

Served in a 15.5oz Speigalau tulip from a 500mL bottle.

Murky layers of brown with a bubbly beige cap. Caramel candy with whiskey underpinned by smoky rye in the nose. Taste is so rich and full: caramel is lush and decadent without getting too sweet, warmed by expressive but not boozy whiskey, barley, brown sugar and roasted nuts support, with the smoky and rustic rye and oak backing it all in a way the simultaneously stars and complements. Feel is thinner for style, but plenty lush, smoky and wood tannnin shaped. The wife loved it

500ml at home with Lisa. Really good, nutty.