Circle Of Wolves - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
The Veil Brewing Co. - Production Brewery

 

Poured a dark, copper-brown body with minimal head and no lace. The aroma is decent with strong booziness and some dark fruits as well. Get some plums and raisins in the first sip of this medium to heavy bodied beer that is really smooth and has a hot, boozy finish. The finish is tempered by a moderate sweetness like caramel and toffee (don't really get syrup), and overall the beer has good balance although the heat/booze makes it a very slow sipper.

Poured from a 500 ml bottle into a snifter glass.
L - Pours an opaque brown, almost black color, with a slight tan head that dissipates quickly, leaving a slight ring a around the diameter of the glass.
S - Smells of bourbon and dark fruits.
T - Tastes of caramel, dark fruits and bourbon, with a nice sweetness on the finish.
F - Full bodied and slightly carbonated.
O - Outstanding barrel aged barleywine.

Appearance - The beer was dark brown, almost black in appearance with little noted carbonation bubbles.

Smell - The nose had sweetness like honey with a strong malt presence.

Taste - After the first sip, I thought I read the label wrong. This was a stout! At least, that was what the viscosity and appearance suggested. The bourbon notes at the beginning we’re rich, laying on chocolate wheat. Notes of honey, dark fruit, and light maple are also present. Dark malts were a hero throughout.

Mouthfeel - This barleywine had a body like an imperial stout.

Overall - I enjoyed the beer, but it was barely a barleywine.

 

poured from a 500mL bottle into a perennial brandy snifter. pours a mahogany brown with a half finger of dense khaki head that never fully disappears. strong bourbon barrels and dark fruits on the nose and taste. as it warms the oak itself shows more as well as some chocolate covered cherries and light toffee. it’s pretty plum and raisin forward though with a natural sweetness to it. thick, full mouthfeel. no complaints there. not the most complex barleywine i’ve ever had but it’s damn solid for the style. highly enjoyed.

This one pours a golden dark brown color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells like caramel, honey, chocolate, bourbon, Werther's, raisin, vanilla, and oak.

This is definitely the Veil's wheelhouse, and they knocked it out of the park here. There's a nice sweetness that never gets overwhelming, with milk chocolate and honey, along with caramelly bourbon, Werther's candies, toffee, some vanilla from the barrel, and a touch of spiced oak. It's a classic barleywine build, maybe with a more heavy touch on chocolate sort of flavors, but still classic and tasty.

This is medium bodied, fairly creamy, with no boozines, at least compared to the usual trappings of the style.

I have a love-hate relationship with The Veil. Their IPAs just absolutely don't do it for me, but their big beers are usually a treat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snally

 

More stout than barleywine. Flavor profile lacks complexity.