2nd Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Barleywine, 2017
Mumford Brewing

Look: It pours brown with a tan head. Head retention is low.

Smell: Deep rich caramel aromas with bourbon. There are some dark fruits in the background with very low nuts and spice.

Taste: There are plenty of rich caramel flavors up front. There are some bourbon notes with a bit of toffee. There are some low dark fruits and a low level of spice. There is also a very low level of wood in the background.

Feel: It has a full, chewy body with plenty of alcohol warming.

Overall, this barleywine is highlighted by the caramel flavors that are very pronounce. The other elements are in support of the rich caramel malt.

 

A clear cherry amber color. Small, quickly disappearing tan head.
Aroma of booze, caramel, and fruit.
Bourbon, caramel taste. A little raisin.
A little on the hot side.

 

Poured from a 500mL bottle into my Bruery tulip.

Brilliantly clear, carmine body, a faint tendril of off-white surface slick; poor retention. Slick legs.

Bourbon and stewed fruit in the nose - hints of cocoa, caramel, and toffee.

Brett. contributes its characteristic peppery dryness, but speaks only a little louder than the floral (and slight citrus?) notes of the hops. Both elements are subservient to the malt, which is as it should be with the style. The barrel notes are potent as well, but well balanced with the base malt - such that I can't tell if I'm tasting kettle caramelization resulting from a long boil or residual sugars extracted from the oak.

Vaguely thin bodied but oily; carbonation is just sufficient.

Not on par with the best barrel aged barley wines (e.g. Mother Of All Storms), but well executed and a pleasurable warmer on a rainy day. Not the best value ($16)...

 

Pours a color somewhere in between an amber ale and a red wine, with soda-like carbonated fizz that quickly dies off. Whether intentional or not, this must have brett in it. There's so much barnyard musk and grape must standing out in front of the malt and hops of the base barleywine, like antifa defending peaceful protesters. There's a proper malt bill lurking under the surface, but it's quite subdued by comparison. The mid-palate is a confusing mix of nectarine and mandarin that simply doesn't belong in an English barleywine. However, I've given up rating to style these days, given how free brewers are with their labels. I'll say that it's an interesting take I'm glad to have tried, but I'm a bit regretful about a blind purchase of two bottles rather than the one.