Ol' Lifewine (2021)
Matchless Brewing

Got in a BIF from snaotheus. 16 ounce can into tulip glass, 2021 vintage. Pours hazy very dark brown color with a small dense tan head with good retention and reduces to a thin ring of lace. Light spotty lacing and moderate streaming carbonation on the glass. Awesome english barleywine. Aromas of big caramel, toffee, molasses, vanilla, cocoa, and lightly boozy whiskey/oak. Taste of big caramel, brown sugar, brown bread/crust, toast, nuts, cocoa, molasses, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, oak, raisin, fig, light herbal/grass/pepper, and yeast earthiness. Mild herbal/grassy bitterness and whiskey/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Light-medium carbonation and super full body; very creamy/silky/slick malts, light syrups, sticky hops, and oak tannin in the mouthfeel. Light increasing lingering bitter/tannin dryness, no cloying sweetness despite a super long finish. Increasing warmth and booze of 13.4%. This is bordering on being too rich for me, for the style anyways. It has the complexity of a barleywine, but a body of a stout. Easy sipper for abv, but it's thick. Very high quality BBA beer otherwise.

 

 

 

 

 

Pours black, and when held against a flashlight, the light never leaks through. It has one finger of khaki foam, before sitting still in the glass. Aroma is whiskey and caramel right up front. Molasses, toffee, and toasty, caramely, bready malts support the bite up front well, adding a strong depth. Start is pretty darn hot, but it mellows out to a sweet finish. Part of that sweetness comes from fig, which shows up later in the nose as the glass warms. Flavor profile is very well balanced between heat and sweat. Caramel, fig, molasses, toffee, and chocolate sit on top of whiskey. Soothing sweetness right out front, with enough whiskey on the back to bring the whole profile back into balance. Raisins and faint plum come on later, leaning the beer a little further in the 'sweet' direction. Mouth feel is thick with a really nice, still texture, sitting like a weighted blanket on the tongue. Some low neppy creaminess around the edges gives it a 3rd dimension. Overall, thick, full, and hearty. Whiskey is paired well to elevate the whole experience. While the nose carries some bite, the flavor profile sooths this out with its semi-sweet finish.

Served in a 12oz snifter from a 16oz can. Reviewed from notes.

 

Pours a dark mahogany brown color that definitely approaches Murkyville and sports a creamy, substantial tan head. The nose is a little booze from the barrel as well as some oak, and toffee and cocoa notes as well. I am literally salivating like a dog sniffing a ribeye steak.

The booze is present on the taste, but lurks in the background while the toffee, vanilla, subtle cocoa and an unexpected stone fruit note lead the flavor parade this beer offers.

The mouthfeel is substantial and on the creamy side, perfect for the style. I could drink this for days on end around a campfire on a cold Northern Indiana evening. World class stuff, IMHO.