Ol' Lifewine (2022)
Matchless Brewing

A - Pours a clear amber with a very thin off head head.

S - Aroma is brown sugar, toffee and whiskey barrel.

T - The taste is brown sugar, toffee, maple syrup, vanilla, oak and a hot whiskey finish.

M - Medium body with medium carbonation. Slick mouthfeel with a crisp dry finish.

O - Decent. Still a touch hot.

 

Received a 16oz can from @beersnake1 via trade on 3-13-23. 2022 edition consumed 2-20-24. The can sat in my beer closet for a number of months before recent transfer to the beer fridge.

Beer poured crimson tinged brown with a nice white head that dissipated quickly. Unique coloring for sure.

Nose is awesome as i am getting caramel, vanilla, and Heath Bar.

Taste is an eye opener as there is a whole lot going on. From the huge malt base i am getting toffee, maple, and brown sugar. The wet barrel imparts a warming heat, yet the whiskey flavor is well incorporated leaving a nice touch of vanilla on the back end which finishes very balanced after getting tons of char until the palate acclimated.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, soft and smooth.

Overall this beer gives the imbiber a lot to contemplate a whole lot of goodness. Tim, thank you so much for sending this along!

 

Burnt caramel colour with a small fuzz of off white head. Dissipates pretty quickly.

Nose is sweet up front. Booz raisins. Some high vanilla. Dark caramel verging on toffee, and spicy bourbon.

Flavour leads in sweet, with a bit of maple syrup that leads to some vanilla and tobacco before committing fully to the barreling aspect. Spicy, with a bit of oak and a return of the vanilla, the barrel is very prominent for the rest of the glass and becomes more so as it warms. The finish is hot and bitter with both alcohol and earthy hoppy bitterness contributing.

Fairly viscous, my initial impression was that it was clearly high ABV, but that it was incorporated well and would have led to a guess closer to the 11-12% range rather than the 15% that it actually is. Well, as I've worked through the glass and as it has warmed, that impression flips to where it feels AT LEAST 15%. That coupled with the bitterness makes this an obligate sipper.

It's tasty, but it's certainly not for the faint of heart.

This one pours a clear golden brown color, with a small head, and a little bit of lacing.

This smells like sticky toffee, Rolos, spiced bread, raisins, caramelly bourbon, vanilla, and oak.

The little bit of smoked malt in this is perfect – giving off a tobacco, woody, and just very lightly smokey vibe, on top of a sweet and candied malt profile – toffee, caramel candy, nut brittle, and leather. There’s also vanilla, and lots of caramel from the bourbon barrel, with a nice oaky finish.

This is medium bodied, and not very boozy, with a great drinkability.

This is extremely well executed, with a really well integrated barrel character, not too much sweetness, and a nice easy drinkability.

Taster at Bridge & Tunnel. Dark brown pour with a spotty beige head. Aroma is malty, toffee, raisins and whiskey barrel. Taste is sweet and malty and plenty warm. Pit fruit, leather and lots of bourbon.

 

this is glorious! i love matchless, and its a shame i dont have better access to their stuff, i seek it out every time i go anywhere in washington. cool to find this on tap too, a monster of a barleywine and a bold choice for the first beer of the day in early afternoon, but also an impossible brew to pass up, an assumed rarity, i love the name! super deep amber color, a decent tan head from the tap for what it is, leggy and viscous but also pretty well refined in appearance, nice low glow. the nose is super rich, woody and smoky to me, with raisin, toffee, fig, and wet oak in the mix, subtle bourbon, cedar, peat, and leather, and warming alcohol without it being hot, impressive for this strength, it fits in well, and there is trace oxidation which i always kind of like in these, definitely more in the english tradition. the flavor rules too, super smooth for its strength, not as stick or sweet as it smells, and with a nice wooden maturity from its time in barrels. nutty to me, long boiled and concentrated and rich with brown sugar, tobacco, and bread pudding character, vanilla notes from the bourbon and then the bourbon itself, really earthy and wet, decadent without being diabetic, and warm the whole way down, wintery and cozy for sure. subtle felt, birch, black tea, and stale bread. overall amazingly good, sure to age well if i can find it packaged. these guys continue to impress me, really incredible take on the style here, a standout from a very beery trip packed with rarities!

A new brewery for me in a 16 oz. can. Let us judge.

The pour is dark brown sprinkled with dull crimson around the edges. Alcohol & whiskey flares the nostrils & drowns out what might lurk beneath.

Ol’ Lifewine spits fire. The boozy ABV is hidden by nothing but a sheer shift. Alcohol imbues everything: whiskey (which is weird), toffee, caramel, desiccated cherry, barley (OK, I have no idea what barley tastes like), brown sugar, with a finishing lick of leather. Sticky & dry. That’s weird. I could drink this all night. OK. I tried that two weeks ago. Didn’t go well. Scratch that.

Well. Fore (fore!). Shit. I lost my train of thought. This is a damn good beer.

Shades of light brown to dark as you gaze down the glass, tan head. Rustic oak and barely with dark fruit and oak forward nose, pretty standard but well executed. Sweet Christmas cranberry tones seep faintly into plum, black currant, barley, a touch of smoked earth, and huge waves caramel malt. Feel is medium-heavy bodied, chewy, warm and smooth. The wife liked it

 

Poured from a can at fridge temp. Pours a murky brown with a thin layer of head. The barrel immediately makes itself present on the nose. My first thought is that it reminds me of Wulver from Thirsty Dog. Very barrel forward. Toffee, raisins, plums, some vanilla, and figs.

The taste. Oh my, the taste. This is incredible. The toffee just blows this up. Red grapes, plums, figs, bourbon, vanilla, tannins, a slight nutty note, brown sugar, sourdough bread. Unlike the nose, the heat from the barrel comes across in a perfectly smooth way. I honestly thought it might be a bit too boozy after smelling it, but it is not in any way. Super well integrated beer. Lingering sweetness. Doesn't drink like it's 15% ABV, that's for sure.

Overall, one of the better BA English barleywines I have had in a while.

Never heard of Matchless, let's see what this is about. First off I love then name, barleywine IS life. And I miss most barleywine names starting with old, ole, or 'ol. It's a heavy hitting, 15%!, English style barleywine that spent a year in Westward whiskey barrels. Tons of sticky tasting toffee that has a bit of char to it takes center stage. That char and the potent whiskey work sooo well with the toffee, keeping the sweetness in check and giving this almost a winter cocktail vibe. There are hints of fig and cinnamon here too. Warming and wonderful but far from hot. This is stellar, thanks so much for this!