Reunion Barleywine
Drake's Brewing Co.

Damn! Last one but had another three before this final one....with review. I will say this is sadly turning. Sniffle.

Pours a nice murky brown with hints of burgundy highlights. Decent beige head that clings.

Getting some great brown sugar, molasses, tart booze, green apple, and walnuts. Big walnuts. Really great BW smell.

Taste is tangy and slightly bitter and buttery. Definitely more tang after two years of flavor enhancement though the booze is definitely warming the tummy. Candy apple and butterscotch.

Still a smooth mouthfeel.

Sadly this session was the worst of the bunch. After two years this monster has turned relatively tame. The sourness is much too prevalent for a brew this high in abv. The three others I consumed were better balanced with nary a hint of sour but a great blended brew. I made the mistake of holding onto this gem a little longer than I should have. Still...all in all....a great collaboration brew....though wish I would have reviewed it earlier.

A: Pours a deep chocolate color with a thin cream colored head.

S: Rich malt aroma, caramel, toasted grain, brown sugar, a little bit of chocolate covered raisin and just a hint of booze. Smells pretty awesome.

T: Definitely picking up a lot more dark fruit in the taste than the smell. Fig syrup, caramelized sugar, light raisin and just a touch of faded hops in the background. Slight dark chocolate and roasted malt bitterness along with some toasted fig on the finish. Mouthfeel is full without being heavy and doesn't give away the ABV at all. I wouldn't put this up against Great, Subaca or Mother of All Storms, but this is really delicious stuff.

 

 

 

 

This was delicious!

I caught a pour of this at the SF Beer Week opening gala, liked it so much I returned to it at the Toronado Barkelywine Fest. While there’s slight differences between the two I am basing this review off of the tap as I had a full 6 oz. pour to sip and enjoy.

This pours a muddy raisiny coffee colored with thin, tan foaming. That’s ok. Looks aren’t everything. There’s a rummy raisin boozy brown sugar aroma that’s bested by a pleasing bittering with stone fruits—figs, raisins—on the palate. I get a lot of stone fruits, dark candied fruits, and a caramel-toffee character. Wonderful as it warms, with a mild sweetness complementing a raisin-toffee note. A true sipper, I enjoyed this one for the better part of an hour and it just improved as it opened. Smooth, big, bold. There’s a lot going on but it all plays so well together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

this stuff looks good and smells good. taste is very fruit forward. some dark fruits, some sweet malts. mouthfeel good big and chewy, pretty thick. the utopias doesnt show as much as wantrnrntasty beer will enjoy the other bottle for sure. fuck the seahawks