Insanity
Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

InsanityInsanity
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From:
Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
English Barleywine
Ranked #114
ABV:
13.3%
Score:
92
Ranked #4,277
Avg:
4.15 | pDev: 11.08%
Reviews:
966
Ratings:
2,553
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 26, 2023
Added:
Jun 21, 2004
Wants:
  242
Gots:
  607
Insanity, 13.3% ABV, is made by aging our Blithering Idiot Barleywine Ale in whiskey barrels. The barrel aging imparts an additional level of complexity to an already intense malt profile by adding a combination of vanilla, oak and whiskey notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jonbeer89:
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Rated by jonbeer89 from Nebraska

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

Mar 10, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.5 by Nyoder

Nov 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.06 by Duncian from Pennsylvania

Oct 20, 2023
 
Rated: 3.25 by bruindre from Massachusetts

Feb 10, 2023
Photo of BitteNochEinWeissbier
Reviewed by BitteNochEinWeissbier from Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12 oz bottle
Brewed on: 11/11/16
Best Before: 11/11/21
Date Consumed: 04 Feb, 2023
Glass: snifter
ABV: 11.1%


Look:
Opaque chestnut brown crowned with a half-finger tan head. The head settles to a ring of tan lace.

Aroma:
Rich and sweet maltiness. Caramel. Toffee. Brown sugar. Stone fruits, especially cherry. Noticeable notes of oak and bourbon whiskey (vanilla, the aforementioned cherry and brown sugar, some coconut, wood, touch of baking spice).

Taste:
All of the notes from the aroma are here. The caramel, toffee, and brown sugar, and cherry (dark/black cherry) are more prominent in the taste than in the aroma. As is the coconut, though not as much. The alcohol can be noticed and provides nice mild but warming burn (which isn't surprising). The sip finishes warm and semi-dry.

Feel:
Creamy and a tad sticky. There is a nice warmth from the alcohol. The body is medium.

Overall:
A complex and enjoyable Barleywine of the English persuasion. This beer is drinking nicely at 6.25 years old (and 1.25 years past its Best By Date) and makes quite the nice winter time sipper.
Feb 05, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by mattmarka1 from Minnesota

Dec 16, 2022
Photo of clausthaler
Reviewed by clausthaler from Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
BIG CARB for a barleywine
Poured it and retaining some head
12/30/14
12/30/19 date code on label
Poured seemed eh a little thin but let’s get into this. Appreciated inside a Rona 360 mL Celebration wine glass

Nose is bad
Mildewy leather cardboard
Taste is better
Pruney raisin, thinner than id like
Leathery old flavor marginal barrel
I guess this fucker is pretty old and perhaps past it’s prime assuming it’s a 2014 release? So 8 years old, in that case let’s try to be nice.
Prune raisin, thin body, decent sugars pretty nice so it’s not bad but it’s not that good. I think you’ll need to take into account the extended age of this one. Assuming the body hasn’t changed since inception id appreciate a slightly thicker feel but can’t complain too much, there is a noticeable viscosity. 3.9/10
Oct 04, 2022
 
Rated: 4.18 by saymike32 from New Jersey

Jun 01, 2022
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Reviewed by brureview from Massachusetts

4.24/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Caramel color with a 1F head. The look is the only weaker aspect of the beer. Strong oak in the aroma, very smooth MF especially for the style, and very smooth. The taste mirrors the aroma with some added fruit. An excellent Barleywine. More balanced than Bigfoot and other beers in the style.
Mar 26, 2022
Photo of harrypowers
Reviewed by harrypowers from Massachusetts

4.17/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a nearly clear dark chestnut color with a small head and light lacing.

Smells of bourbon, oak and dark fruit.

Tastes of sweet malt, raisins, caramel and vanilla with a warm boozy finish.

Medium heavy body with very light carbonation. Lush syrupy mouthfeel.

This is one of the sweetest barleywines I have ever tasted.
Feb 26, 2022
Photo of ovaltine
Reviewed by ovaltine from Indiana

4.44/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours the most gorgeous brown color you’ve ever seen, a little hazy, with a light tan head that sticks around a bit. Absolutely beautiful beer. The nose is rich with caramel and toffee notes, and there’s a nice oaky aroma from the barrel - and of course, the stone fruit.

The stone fruit is the key to this, and the base beer (Blithering Idiot). I am literally salivating.

The caramel and toffee flavors are forward on the taste, as they should be, and there’s a delicious oaky flavor from the barrel, which also provides a bit of alcohol heat which fits this big beer (13.3% ABV) perfectly, but it’s that stone fruit that reels me in - the dark cherry flavor is the PERFECT complement to the aforementioned components. I could drink gallons of this.

The mouthfeel is substantial and a bit creamy. I loved the base beer, and I love this variant a smidge more.
Feb 21, 2022
Photo of micada
Rated by micada from New York

4.35/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Very oaky barrel. Good carbonation. Balanced between American and English style to my palate.
Oct 12, 2021
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Reviewed by Steve_Studnuts from Pennsylvania

4.41/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Aggressive pour yields more head (with more staying power) than anticipated. A pretty solid ring of lace forms as it slowly recedes. Body is a murky doo doo water brown. The label says that this was aged in "oak barrels", but it's pretty clear from the smell wafting into my nostrils that those barrels once contained whisky. And so, too, does this beer. Lots of it. Not picking up the usual "barrel char" notes that these bourbon barrel aged beers often lend; this is just neat, straight-up whisky. The base beer offers up some caramel notes and bitter hops and I'm getting rather excited that this is a proper barleywine and not just a triple IPA. *sips* Oh, it is! Malty sweet caramel up front with drying whisky to balance things on the back end. Very, very nice. Soft, "Sugar Daddy" caramel lingers on the palette. Pretty well full-bodied with proper "chew". Mild bittering. I really like this one. It's a little cold (left it in the fridge overnight), but I'm going to sip slowly and let it warm to see if it opens up any hidden complexities. Something tells me it will.
Jul 18, 2021
 
Rated: 4.42 by kraut6363 from Pennsylvania

Jul 03, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by doctorgary from New York

May 23, 2021
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Reviewed by CaptainHate from Ohio

4.38/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured a 12 ounce bottle of undetermined date (WTF Weyerbacher?) into a Lost Abbey long stemmed tulip. Thick off white head over a clear brownish ruby color. Smell was muted at cellar temperature but eventually warmed up and reflected malty dark fruit notes and brown sugar. Taste reflected the smell but more immediate and intense. Mouthfeel was deceivingly light for an ale of this heft.

For some reason (again WTF Weyerbacher with no data on the bottle) I was expecting this to be an American style barleywine, not having access to BA at the bottle shop (or being too lazy to look it up), so only bought a single. It's still not nearly as complex as JW Lee's Harvest Ale or Thomas Hardy, but perhaps aging can help that. Maybe not but this is too good not to experiment with.
May 10, 2021
 
Rated: 3.5 by blackcloud from Alaska

Apr 24, 2021
 
Rated: 4 by BeerRay from Rhode Island

Apr 10, 2021
 
Rated: 4.17 by Taenim from Maine

Apr 10, 2021
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Rated by Starflyer from Pennsylvania

4.85/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Excellent beer. If you are a fan of bourbon, you will enjoy the added whiskey dimension. Smooth, little sweet but excellent.
Apr 07, 2021
Insanity from Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 2553 ratings