Barbarlian - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
Jackie O's Taproom & Brewery

Drank at the barrel aged beer festival from a snifter, thanks to Brad for running next door to let us try this early...A watery light brown, lightly clear, not much carbonation at all...Seeing this was aged 14months I was super excited hoping to get tons of sweet vanilla notes, sadly that hasn't come through yet. Mostly a lot of wood not oak, and lots of alcohol. No sweet notes come through, the finish on the nose is a big time alcohol burn..The taste is pretty dead on the front, again none of the sweetness comes through, where is the vanilla? Mostly wood, alcohol, and there is a bit of tart finish...The feel is silky smooth and this is so easy to drink. The flavors are muted and you could literally crush a couple glasses of this really fast and at 12% you'd be in good shape.

A good start for a ba bw, needs some tweaking but if the smoothness can stick around and add some sweetness of the bourbon, this could be really good.

Growler courtesy of markwise, thanks! It pours amber murkiness creating an average level of opacity with copper edges and thin tan head. The aroma has a pretty good load of oak and lighter notes of vanilla and bourbon. I don't smell much in the way of beer in there. The taste is chewy goodness with notes of malts and a touch of roast before oak, a thin layer of vanilla, slick bourbony booze and more malts take this thing to the finish. To me it tastes and smells like it could have used a little less barrel time so the base beer isn't swamped out.

Growler purchased from the brewpub by trep; ironically, later consumed while brewing a barleywine.

Barbarlian is a beast of an American Barleywine, with a 12% ABV and months of bourbon barrel-aging. Pours a brick-brown, chocolate body, nearly opaque with a sexy cap of golden-custard head. Good retention despite the alcohol level, as the foam rests comfortably as a ring inside the tulip glass. The aroma is too intoxicating to put into words...I'd give this a 6.0 if I could. Dark cherries, rich caramel & toffee, charcoal & vanilla bean from the bourbon barrel. Hints of spicy hops and red grapes dart in and out of the malty sweetness that fades into succulent, vanilla booze.

The taste is nearly as impressive, with a plethora of flavors that range from tart cherries, red grape flesh, soft chocolate malts, peppery hops, and a finish of bourbon whiskey. The alcohol heat is so well-hidden, the only way you can tell this beer is 12% is the warmth in your stomach after half a pint. Finishes slightly sour and dry with a hint of residual malty sweetness; the medium-thick body is chewy, viscous, but oh-so-smoove. All in all, Barbarlian is an amazing brew, reminiscent of Schlafly's Reserve Barleywine with a similar history of bourbon-barrel aging. Again, I implore all the beer-lovers in the tri-state area (that's Ohio, WV, and KY) to visit Jackie O's. You WILL NOT be disappointed.