Poet's Walk
Suarez Family Brewery

Got this one in an in-person trade with zid. Super nice guy and a super cool beer.This is my first beer from Suarez, an old world American Barleywine that was brewed 4 years before it was released, bottle conditioning along the way. It’s also intentionally oxidized, so I’m wondering how that’s gonna play out. Let’s pop it open and find out

Pours a opaque medium brown with a finger of creamy tan head that slowly fades to a ring and leaves minimal lacing

There definitely is a tart edge to this because of the oxidation, and I'm really digging it. I'm picking up on aromas of tart red grape, vinegar, toffee, brown sugar, perfumey alcohol, chewy fig, and sweet sherry

It's actually oxidized in a masterful way, bringing out even more complex notes than expected for the style. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting tart red grape, brown sugar, caramel, sweet sherry, brown bread, raisins, and light toffee. The swallow brings notes of tart red grape (I know, tons of that going on throughout the whole beer), chewy red wine, rich molasses, black cherry, sweet fig, toffee, light blackberry, and tobacco

A medium body pairs with moderate airy carbonation, resulting in a shockingly easy drinking beer. Finishes mostly dry with a nice sweet and funky balance

This is a fantastic beer. Wildly complex but somehow super easy drinking. It would be cool to see how this holds up over time

Poured a deep brown with burgundy to garnet revealed along the edge. Mocha colored head forms a slightly milky foam.Good retention, ight lacing.
Nose delivers some form caramel, dates, and figs but then makes way for some deeper vinous notes like a madeira: deeply fruity, with some leather.
Flavor really delivers what the nose foreshadowed. Yes, the deep fruity notes stay in the mix, but subtly so. The caramel, toffee, dates, and fig are the stars. Having said this, the Madeira qualities never surrender. A smooth, deep port barrel fruit, some leather, tobacco, and a very nuanced tannic nuttiness comes in for some variety. But the blend of the sweeter characteristics and vinous notes really make for a complex and varied flavor experience.
Mouthfeel is on the heft side for a barleywine, slightly warm, and smooth on the swallow.

 

Pours a dark mahogany with a miniscule, receeding head. Some caramel, toffee notes off the bat. Defintely some smoking room, leather belt vibes. Maybe a touch of dark fruit as well, like figs. The taste is less in your face than the barleywines I have had lately. It has a solid, malty base with a reasonable but not overwhelming fruit spread over it. It is figgy and bright, but it's also not overdone on sweetness. Tastes of wine and molasses. Full-bodied but not very carbonated and ridiculously smooth. A touch sticky.

A 2020 bottle drunk in 2024;

A: opaque; caramel colored; just a skim head that receded quickly to a wispy cap with a moderate tight collar; no lacing;

S: grass, dark fruit, alcohol, mild sweetness; nuts, leather, and tobacco as well; port wine; molasses;

T: sweet dark fruit with leather and tobacco; nice and bright; port wine;

M: full bodied; low to moderate carbonation; dry finish; alcohol is warming, but not hot at all; this is smooth;

O: a really nice, complex sipper;

 

375ml bottle, 2020-2023 batch, poured into a stemless wine glass. Enjoyed on 01.04.2025, reviewed from Tasting Journal.

The beer pours a rich amber color, burgundy and garnet hues, nice opacity with a thick finger of khaki head that yields a nice layer of film atop the beer. The aroma is pleasant, figs, toffee, hearty grain, brown sugar, caramel, and vanilla. The flavors offer a nice combination of rich grains, smooth toffee, brown sugar and caramel, stone fruits, vanilla, and a strong earthy candied hop bite. The mouthfeel is good, coating, smooth, medium body that is lively with an easy finish that is lightly dry.

Verdict: A nice barleywine from Suarez. The candied hop earthiness helps balance the beer and keeps it from being overly sweet, especially as it warms.

 

 

375 ml bottle
Served in a snifter

This beer pours dark brown with just a hint of lightening in color when held to the light. It is topped with an inch of tan head that leaves spotty lacing.

Figs. Brown sugar and molasses. Caramel. Nice

It tastes just like it smells. Figs, brown sugar, molasses, caramel, and mellow.

Medium bodied with an incredibly smooth mouthfeel. May be the smoothest flowing feel I have ever experienced.

Silky smooth and flavorful. Very nice beer

 

Poet's Walk pours a dark reddish/brown color, with a small, lacing head. The aroma has a sharp boozy fruity note. The flavor is sharp, boozy, fruity, sweet, but a hint of bitterness. Good feel, lots of flavors. Overall, a big flavored barleywine, sweeter, and just a little off near the end.

Last survivor from the BA BigBeerBox of 2024. Poured from a 375 ml bottle (brewed in 2020 and bottled in Autumn 2023) into a Sam Adams nonic imperial pint glass. Nut brown in color with a tan hued minimal head that settled down to a nice cap for about 10 minutes and left no lacing after that. Aromas of molasses, fig, roasted malts and toffee are up front with a slight whiff of alcohol. Taste follows nose with a very slight burn from the high gravity (10%).Medium to full in body with an almost syrupy mouth that clings to the palate. A very enjoyable and well put together brew indeed that i would seek out again.

I am sampling a cellar temp 375 ml bottle poured into a snifter. Ive had the beer for aabout 1.5 years
The beer pours a clear yet very dark mahogany with rich garnet highlights in the glass. A dense creamy beige head foams up about 0.5 cm and fades to a sturdy edging soon after the pour. Leaves some scattered lattice on swirls or sips.
Aroma is fruity , malty and a little funky. I get some brown sugar and some raisin notes with a little bit of a musty blanket note and definitely some pipe tobacco notes too. Not hoppy nor boozy at all. Interesting nose on this beer.
First sip reveals a very smooth texture with pretty full body and fine gentle carbonation. Texture is a little sticky on my palate with some light coating. The carbonation actually totally dissipates quickly if I hold the beer in my mouth. No boozy warmth on this one.
Flavor is very rich, lots of fruit with raisin and figs with some brown sugar and a bit of a cherry note comes through on the finish. Generally a pretty sweet beer, but definitely note cloying. Finish dries out a bit too, encouraging me to take another sip.
this is a complex brew that I am enjoying quite a bit, glad to have had the chance to taste this one!

375ml bottle. Label has the information of the brewing date being in December of 2020, then lagered in stainless steel tanks for several months before being bottled and allowed to referment until reaching its maturity in the autumn of 2023. Allowed to warm from refrigerator temperature to slightly below room temperature before drinking.
Ruby brown colored body, with hints of purple and red. Brief lasting tan colored head. The thin ring is fed by tiny rising bubbles. No lacing.
Aroma of raisin, plum, date, fig, brown sugar, and an added nutty essence.
Taste is brown sugar, toffee, raisin, plum, date, walnut/pecan, fig, and a late addition of funk (leather and tobacco). Has some sweetness but also a funky sourness from the leather and dark fruit. All blend into a longer lasting and deep aftertaste.
More than medium mouthfeel. Oily, silky, and smooth. Higher ABV% does not burn but is clearly present in both nose and taste. Quiet carbonation.
The dark fruit, sweet toffee, and the nutty essence deepen with repeated sips. Warms from mouth to stomach with a pleasing silky mouthfeel. The entire experience makes this a slow sipper, with lots of details to savor.

This was truly a joy to drink...

...Another one out of the BA 2024 Big Box - this one the last of the offerings that are not an IPA. Tried to get to this during the holidays but just couldn't - finding it as good as I suspected it to be. What surprised me most was not only the scent of raisins, plums, and nuts but the taste of these as well - a nice blend. Mouthfeel is very creamy and it poured like stylish motor oil - truly an exceptional brew...

Look: It pours brown with some clouding. It has a tan head with low head retention.

Smell: There are strong malty aromas with mostly toffee flavors. The aroma is sweet with dark fruits that have cherries and plums. It also has some nutty elements. The alcohol is noticeable.

Taste: There are toffee flavors with plums and cherries. There are some very low nut hints with sugary notes. It does have some additional orange marmalade notes.

Feel: It has a thick body that is not quite on the chewy side. The alcohol warming is quite smooth with the balance on the sweet side.

Overall: There are not the complex flavor combinations that other barleywine have, but the flavors are pronounces and well interegrated creating a very well put together beer.

Bottle pour - dirty murky brown bilge water, short khaki head, minimal lacing. Nose is pungent with stewed stone fruit, damp wood and a bit of funk. Taste follows more or less with sweet and sour notes that linger on the finish.

Pours a dirty, orange-like brown color; opaque in the glass; fantastic khaki colored head, dense and semi-creamy textured, long-lasting; outstanding aroma; initial waft of spiciness, cinnamon; follows with a dry, woody smell; light presence of caramel. Sweet malt flavor with a dry white oak character; caramel and light brown sugar; cinnamon and nutmeg; very minor phenol notes. Smooth mouthfeel with a fine residual sugar heft; lightly sticky; a bit of alcohol warmth and heat.

This is a well-rounded and somewhat uniquely flavored barleywine. The bottle label only mentions stainless and bottle conditioning, so I have no idea why I get a mild yet distinct wood barrel tone out of this beer. All the same, it's a treat for your palate.

ABV: 10%; pouring temperature: 44.8 °F; bottling info: brewed 2020, matured 2023
Source: BeerAdvocate Big Beer Box (2024)