Louie
Westbound & Down Brewing Company

Love the little baby 8oz cans for these!

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

This smells very caramelly, with chocolate, oak, tobacco, maple, brown sugar, and molasses.

Pretty much every iteration of this barleywine has been enjoyable to me, and this is another in a long line of excellent releases from Westbound and Down. It’s sticky, but not too sweet, lots of barrel, but not too boozy, and really complex, with chocolate and tobacco but then more typical barleywine notes like caramel and molasses.

This is medium bodied, not too boozy at all, with a really great drinkability overall.

I really wish more breweries would put their high ABV beers in smaller packages like this, it just makes too much sense.

Canned 6/21/23

I’ve heard good things about Westbound & Down, and when I saw they had a Barleywine available on Tavour I figured that it would be the perfect introduction to them. Let’s crack it open and see what it has to offer

Pours an opaque orange brown with a finger of light beige head that quickly fades to a thin ring and leaves minimal lacing

It’s definitely bourbon forward in the nose, but there’s some classic Barleywine notes to back it up. I’m picking up on aromas of sweet bourbon, orange marmalade, black cherry, toffee, toasted oak, poached pear, sweet vanilla, and light walnut

Things are even more about the bourbon in taste, but it’s still pretty damn good. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting sweet bourbon, molasses, black cherry, brown sugar, burnt caramel, smooth oak, and vanilla. The swallow brings notes of sweet bourbon, toasted walnut, black cherry, raisin, brown sugar, toasted oak, molasses, and a touch of leafy hops

A medium full body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a smooth beer. Finishes mostly dry with just a hint of booze, but drinks well below its abv

I’m not super impressed or anything, but this is still solid. I’m definitely open to trying more from these guys in the future

 

8 oz. can, "Born on 6/21/23". No bargain at $8 a can direct from the Idaho Springs, Co. location.

Pours a super dark shade of caramel, minimal cap.

Loaded sniff with caramel, honey malts and vanilla.

Over the top thick, filling and chewy in the mouth. This is a huge beer.

Delicious BW, 13.9% somehow super well hidden. Complex, well crafted and heady brew. Notes of more caramel, more honey, malts and again a hint of vanilla.

World class and well worth seeking out, even at $1 an ounce!.

Get over there and get some of this nectar.