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From:
Cycle Brewing
 
Florida, United States
Style:
English Barleywine
ABV:
11.5%
Score:
93
Avg:
4.26 | pDev: 6.34%
Reviews:
8
Ratings:
44
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 27, 2022
Added:
May 30, 2017
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  10
Collaboration with Toppling Goliath Brewing Co.

A collaborative Bourbon Barrel Aged Barleywine with honey brewed with Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. Our first Barleywine! Released Thursday, 6/8/17.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by t2grogan:
Photo of t2grogan
Rated by t2grogan from Arizona

3.75/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Aug 06, 2017
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by Zaphog from Michigan

Jul 27, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by jschott75 from Illinois

Jan 17, 2020
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
22 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled in 5/2017. Pours opaque dark brown/black color with a 1 finger dense and fluffy tan head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big caramel, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, brown sugar, molasses, raisin, plum, prune, cherry, fig, date, apricot, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of coconut, licorice, smoke, oak char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Minimal booze in the aromas as it warms. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of dark/roast/bready malts, fruity yeast, and bourbon barrel notes; with big strength. Taste of huge caramel, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, brown sugar, molasses, raisin, plum, prune, cherry, fig, date, apricot, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of coconut, licorice, smoke, oak char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness. Mild herbal, grassy, roast, charred bitterness; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of caramel, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, brown sugar, molasses, dark fruit, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, toasted oak, roasted nuts, biscuit, dark/brown bread/crust, coconut, licorice, light smoke/char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast/roast/toast/oaky earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, fruity yeast, and bourbon barrel flavors; with a fantastic roast/hop bitter/sweet, and bourbon/oak spiciness balance; with no cloying/acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitternes and bourbon/oak spiciness. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/velvety/bready, and lightly slick/sticky/chalky/tannic mouthfeel that is fantastic. Mild increasing warmth of 11.5%, with minimal lingering barrel booze after the finish. Overall this is an incredible barrel aged black English barleywine. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/roast/bready malts, fruity yeast, and bourbon barrel flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV, with the mildly bitter/tannic/drying finish; fantastic soft/silky feel for the ABV. Perfectly balanced between super rich malts, fruity yeast, and bourbon barrel presence/integration. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazingly spot on style example for a black/roasted version. Doesn't feel like a stout.
Sep 02, 2019
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

4.21/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: Arrives mahogany colored with a one finger tan head; a few spots of lacing

Smell: Caramel and Bourbon, with oak, dark fruits (raisin and a hint of cherry)

Taste: Caramel forward with the Bourbon and oak taking over; the dark fruit tones emerge and add complexity, after the swallow; warming tones from the ABV

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation; warmth in the gullet

Overall: With this beer, Cycle shows that they are more than a one trick pony, regardless of how well they can brew a stout
Jun 16, 2019
 
Rated: 4.5 by teamwiggum from Wisconsin

Mar 05, 2019
 
Rated: 4.41 by Stinger80OH from Ohio

Sep 25, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by ufmib from Florida

Sep 12, 2018
 
Rated: 4.46 by Ristaccia from Nebraska

Aug 05, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by lupercmda from North Carolina

Jan 08, 2018
Photo of Jeffo
Reviewed by Jeffo from Netherlands

3.52/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Got this one from desp a while back. Love these guys. Cheers! This is apparently their first attempt at a barleywine.

From a bomber into a snifter
Collaboration with Toppling Goliath
Bourbon BA Barleywine with honey

APPEARANCE: Pours out clear dark mahogany red and yields a three finger, medium looking, fizzy tan head with decent retention. Deep bistre brown / mahogany body, virtually black, with next to no carbonation evident. Head slowly fades to a full, frothy cap and clings to the glass, then to a slight, swirly wisp. Looks mostly flat by the end and leaves no real lacing.

SMELL: Bourbon, oak, toffee, caramel and butterscotch notes on the nose. Touches of dark fruits and honey as well.

TASTE: Bourbon and hints of oak up front, with a base of alcohol as well. Sweet toffee and caramel at the swallow as well, moving into a medium but lingering finish of dark fruit and toffee sweetness, butterscotch, honey, caramel, with some notes of oak and bourbon. A decent bit of booze lingers as well. Definitely tasty stuff.

PALATE: Medium body and medium levels of carbonation. Creamy enough on the palate, goes down smooth with a bit of a bit at the end and finishes somewhat sticky. Enough weight. Some definite heat lingers.

OVERALL: This is certainly a good stab at a barrel aged barley wine. All the right stuff is there, though both the nose and the flavor could be just a bit more forthcoming for the style. It does come out a little more as it sits though. A good beer that I enjoyed enough, and definitely worth checking out if you get the chance. For me, however, given how world-classly awesome their imperial stouts are, I’d spend my energy on those. Anyways, thanks again, desp! Always a pleasure.
Jan 06, 2018
 
Rated: 4.33 by DVMin98 from North Carolina

Dec 17, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by billab914 from Virginia

Dec 02, 2017
 
Rated: 3.4 by chippo33 from Vermont

Nov 28, 2017
 
Rated: 4.33 by TheEpeeist from Maryland

Nov 10, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by Kurmaraja from California

Nov 07, 2017
 
Rated: 4.38 by MarshallBirdhouse from Kentucky

Nov 05, 2017
 
Rated: 4.28 by whitenads from Michigan

Oct 24, 2017
 
Rated: 4.5 by smartassboiler from Illinois

Oct 21, 2017
 
Rated: 4.56 by CharlesK from Pennsylvania

Oct 17, 2017
Home State from Cycle Brewing
Beer rating: 93 out of 100 with 44 ratings