Blonde On Blonde - Double Barrel Aged (2026)
Barreled Souls Brewing Company
- From:
- Barreled Souls Brewing Company
- Maine, United States
- Style:
- American Barleywine
- ABV:
- 20.4%
- Score:
- +8 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 4.42 | pDev: 7.24%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 2
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- May 12, 2026
- Added:
- Feb 20, 2026
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
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After nearly 12 years, nearly 1,000 beers (counting different barrel treatments), and hundreds of adjuncts, sometimes it feels like we've done it all. But that's not true. There's always room for a new first -- including this one. Our new double barrel-aged Blonde on Blonde is our first beer to pass the 20 abv mark. This blonde barleywine spent just over a year in Willett Family Estate bourbon barrels before being transferred to Sazerac rye barrels for another year. After 25 months and 28 days in barrel, this delicious, light-on-its-feet barleywine comes in at a very drinkable 20.4 abv. Cheers to a new milestone!
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by LeRose from Massachusetts
4.74/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
4.74/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Pours drop dead gorgeous like a @jonphisher prom outfit. Absolutely crystal clear amber color deeply highlighted with ruby read. There's a fleeting burst of khaki colored bubbles. No head but a constant stream of microbubbles rise through the liquid.
Cold, the aroma is timid. It blooms explosively with just a little warmth. There's bourbon and it is certainly not restrained but its not a boozy smell. Then I get mostly the barleywine part with honey, caramel, brown sugar, fruitiness. There's a bit of a sweet tobacco smell and there's ample woodiness. Over the top is a mild spice like licorice or maybe clove, and I think I'm getting some maple and cedar. Some vanilla for sure. I can't say it smells boozy, even trying to find it, which is amazing considering. The bourbon and rye aren't shy but it doesnt scream alcohol. It's extremely harmonious - all the components just meld into an overall pleasing smell.
That ABV shows up on the sip, but only sometimes. Mostly the alcohol is pretty well disguised but every once in a while it delivers a slap across the face. Obviously there's plenty of bourbon but there's spicy rye that is noticeable. Loads and loads of barrel notes lead the way. Almost cedar-like resinous taste. And oh yeah - the rest of the barleywine chorus joins in. Plenty of caramel and a honey-like taste. Brown sugar. It's not as intense on the sweet side as some of their barleywines but it has some slight stickiness. Lots of woody oakiness. I do think I'm getting a little maple in the taste. Mild fruitiness - sort of in the apple or pear realm - not a typical dark fruit bomb. It's bold and it is intense.
The feel is actually light for as big as this is. The alcohol does show up as a tingle at the end but part of that is the oaky phenolic adding some spiciness. Faint licorice in the aftertaste.
This is a sipper, and I think it's pretty amazing. It's certainly brash and in your face with intense flavor, but it somehow isn't a sweet/syrupy/hot boozy mess. It's like a shot of whiskey with a "light" barleywine chaser. I have another bottle and I expect it to age elegantly.
May 12, 2026Cold, the aroma is timid. It blooms explosively with just a little warmth. There's bourbon and it is certainly not restrained but its not a boozy smell. Then I get mostly the barleywine part with honey, caramel, brown sugar, fruitiness. There's a bit of a sweet tobacco smell and there's ample woodiness. Over the top is a mild spice like licorice or maybe clove, and I think I'm getting some maple and cedar. Some vanilla for sure. I can't say it smells boozy, even trying to find it, which is amazing considering. The bourbon and rye aren't shy but it doesnt scream alcohol. It's extremely harmonious - all the components just meld into an overall pleasing smell.
That ABV shows up on the sip, but only sometimes. Mostly the alcohol is pretty well disguised but every once in a while it delivers a slap across the face. Obviously there's plenty of bourbon but there's spicy rye that is noticeable. Loads and loads of barrel notes lead the way. Almost cedar-like resinous taste. And oh yeah - the rest of the barleywine chorus joins in. Plenty of caramel and a honey-like taste. Brown sugar. It's not as intense on the sweet side as some of their barleywines but it has some slight stickiness. Lots of woody oakiness. I do think I'm getting a little maple in the taste. Mild fruitiness - sort of in the apple or pear realm - not a typical dark fruit bomb. It's bold and it is intense.
The feel is actually light for as big as this is. The alcohol does show up as a tingle at the end but part of that is the oaky phenolic adding some spiciness. Faint licorice in the aftertaste.
This is a sipper, and I think it's pretty amazing. It's certainly brash and in your face with intense flavor, but it somehow isn't a sweet/syrupy/hot boozy mess. It's like a shot of whiskey with a "light" barleywine chaser. I have another bottle and I expect it to age elegantly.
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York
4.1/5 rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
4.1/5 rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
This one pours a tea-like golden amber color, with a very small head, and no lacing.
This smells hefty, with honey, caramel, molasses, oak, tobacco, licorice, and maple.
On some sips, it feels like this hides the booziness fairly well, but on other sips, it feels super brash and boozy. It’s most certainly a very slow sipper, as the heat only increases the more you sip on it. This is first beer to hit 20% percent, and it definitely feels like it soaked a lot of barrel juice up along the way. It’s super bourbon forward, dripping with caramel, cedar, oak, and almost cinnamon-like spice. There’s caramel, maple, and molasses.
This is surprisingly light bodied for something as big and brash as it is. It’s not thin, per se, but it’s surprisingly soft on the palate, up front at least. As it winds towards the end of the sip, it gets harder edged.
This is a really tremendously ambitious beer that is mostly executed well.
Apr 17, 2026This smells hefty, with honey, caramel, molasses, oak, tobacco, licorice, and maple.
On some sips, it feels like this hides the booziness fairly well, but on other sips, it feels super brash and boozy. It’s most certainly a very slow sipper, as the heat only increases the more you sip on it. This is first beer to hit 20% percent, and it definitely feels like it soaked a lot of barrel juice up along the way. It’s super bourbon forward, dripping with caramel, cedar, oak, and almost cinnamon-like spice. There’s caramel, maple, and molasses.
This is surprisingly light bodied for something as big and brash as it is. It’s not thin, per se, but it’s surprisingly soft on the palate, up front at least. As it winds towards the end of the sip, it gets harder edged.
This is a really tremendously ambitious beer that is mostly executed well.
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