Brick Kiln
Jackie O's Taproom & Brewery

Rock solid English style. A bit less sweet than other Jackie O’s English style barleywines, but easy on the palate featuring a malt bill heavy with fig and molasses flavor. ABV well masked. Nothing novel here except a well executed beer.

 

Canned around 3 weeks ago

This is surprisingly dry overall and I'm liking it. Toffee, praline, spiced fig cakes, bitter orange marmalade, and a hint of black tea.

 

 

 

Another review from Christmas 2015, this one got poured in the evening.

Pours chestnut brown moving towards that dark ruby color towards the edge of the glass when held up to light. Pretty thin head on it, 1/5" beige stuff. Aroma of dark fruit, toffee, Maris-ness caramel that raisin word gonna pop up at least once might as well start now.

Taste was nice, strong, but not overly bitter to where you question its fitting for the English barleywine subgenre. Same aroma notes in the taste, toffee, raisin, caramel, thankfully the dark fruit bitterness wasn't full fledged. Didn't think it was that choclatey contrary to some assertions. Even though this is the base version, there is a wood like feel to it, although its like au naturale because a little bit of vanilla might have been nice.

This is a good cigar barleywine I bet. Was thrown into a trade as an extra, was worthy stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2014 bottling poured into a MadTree snifter. The pour is dark ruby-red with a hint of gold and sports a very thin head. Lots of toasted malt on the nose. Very sweet-smelling and toffee-like with a little alcohol on the nose that gives it a slightly medicinal quality. Possibly a small amount of oxidation as well.

Medium-full body with an oily feel and a sweet, malty flavor. Lots of malt up front with huge notes of caramel and toffee and just a small hint of roast. On the back of the palate, the flavors get a little abrasive as the soft, sweet malt turns to dark fruit, alcohol, and a little misplaced hoppy bitterness. These flavors linger along with just a little of the sweetness.

I have had the bourbon-barrel-aged version of this beer and it is a triumph. This one was a little disappointing, especially on the finish. It's wonderful up-front, but I don't care for that little bit of bitterness on the finish. Perhaps it's supposed to be there and I just don't drink enough English Barleywines to be a good judge. That is entirely possible. I'm simply reporting my likes and dislikes.

Thanks goes out to MastaaaGrillaaa for this brew, from NBS BIF#6

12.7 oz. Bottle
2014 Vintage

Poured into a tulip a pretty nice dark brown color, pretty nice carbonation, with a pretty nice thick/creamy one-finger tan head, which leaves some pretty nice creamy sticky lacing behind. The nose is very nice malty, with some nice sweetness, nice touch of dark fruits (raisins, figs, plums, cherries, dates). The taste is pretty nice, malty, nice sweetness, with a nice dark fruit comples (raisins, plums, figs, cherries, dates). Full Body, ABV hidden pretty well, a nice complex brew. Overall, a pretty tasty brew.

Bottle, purchased at brewery 3 months ago:
Pours dark, almost deep brown, but with a deep rusty red aspect to it. Head is nice, rust-tinged beige. Thick collar and interesting swirl design are nice, though there's only a few specks of lace.

Nose is a classic American barleywine nose, with toffee malt and a pine barrel balancing note. A light orange rind accent presents on a swirl.

Taste opens with a thin but light caramel note more than toffee. The orange note combined to bring a sort of bing cherry note. A little aspect of alcohol presents on the thin but soft liquid before the light spruce and wooden bitterness begins. The bitterness isn't strong in the end, and as it takes hold, there's a light hint of a cacao nib or two inthe transition.

A nice beer, to me at this point midway between English and American style, leaning slightly towards the latter.