Bombs Over Barley - Dickel Barrel Aged (2024)
Barreled Souls Brewing Company

I am sampling a cellar temp 500 ml bottle poured into my snifter. Bottled in March 2024, picked up at the brewery fall of 2025, been in my cellar since pick up.
The beer pours a dark rich mahogany color with very little light passing through the glass. A creamy, dense beige head foams up easy 3 cm and crests the rim of the glass, but doesnt spill.
The beer aroma is toffee, caramel, some vanilla and a good bourbon note. Not boozy nor fusol, I also dont get any hops on this one. I also get a little dark fruit, mostly raisin here. I like the aroma on this one.
First sip reveals a medium body with very fine carbonation and smooth texture. Drinks pretty easy for 14.7 % and isnt very sticky or coating to my palate. I kinda wish it was a little more sticky and coating, but that is minor detraction.
Flavor is sweeter malt notes with similar profile as the nose. I get some toffee and vanilla mixing with some bourbon and here a little char comes on the finish. This actually lingers after the swallow, even though its not super robust flavor note. Not really boozy and hops are absent here too. This beer is a pretty straightforward brew and is generally malt forward with some complexity. Id gladly drink this again, its good, maybe not the top tier of Barreled Souls stuff, but easily worth drinking.

 

500ml capped bottle into a Finback teku.

Pours a muddy brown. Dark, almost black. Spotty lace with a ring of carbonation. Nice, thick legs. Nose is molasses, brown sugar, breakfast syrup, and a mellow booziness. Beer opens raisin, brown sugar, molasses, and breakfast syrup. Mellow heat in the middle. Some toffee, caramel, and more dried dark fruit. Flavors carry to the end. Body is medium to full with moderate to low carbonation. Sticky with a touch of bubbles on the palate. Long, lingering aftertaste.

Just a touch on the thin side. Otherwise really well crafted.

Poured at fridge temp but tasted over a while to see how things evolve as it warms up. Pours a very dark brown with a solid inch of light brown head. Looks murky. The nose is really nice. The barrel is very strong with this one! Figs, toffee, caramelized sugar, molasses, sweet candy, and prunes.

The taste is freaking fantastic. Wow. Vanilla, toffee, bourbon, oak, brown sugar, Werther's candy, strawberry jam, bread, and extremely malty. This is just a perfectly balanced beer with a great contribution from the barrels. This is how a barrel-aged barleywine should be made. Others should take notice.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a toffee/fruity/bourbon aftertaste. Super smooth.