Barrelywine: Volume 10 - Williquors
Kros Strain Brewing

Undated can courtesy of @bbtkd

The appearance in the glass is near black although the pour itself is more of a deep mahogany. One inch of quickly-dissipating head turns into a thin layer of mocha bubbles. No lacing. Nose is sweet with notes of brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, and raisin. Taste is vanilla, toffee, caramel, bourbon and a spicy element that I would peg as rye, cinnamon, or anise--it's not overbearing and works. Mouthfeel is low-to-moderately carbonated, thick body, somewhat sticky. Finish is anise (black licorice), dark fruit (raisin and cherry come to mind) and introduces some barrel oakiness.

Pours an effervescent chestnut/mahogany with a sliver of fast-falling tan head. Stays effervescent throughout the pour, some head retention & lacing & plenty viscous

S: Rich dark fruit, plenty of Bourbon, Toffee late

T: Follows the nose, toffee, leafy & woody hops, treacle & port notes up front, some booze bite. Brown sugar, toffee, molasses, dark cherry, figs, plenty of Whisky & tobacco like hops with a little dryness as this beer warms up, maple syrups as well. Finishes with dryness, subdued Bourbon notes, leafy hops, dark cherry, toffee & maple syrup

MF: Chewy, low volume carbonation & much warmth, sticky on the teeth & lips. Carbonation builds once warm

This a delicious mauler of a Barleywine, deserves to slow sipped, but so tasty I'd forget that about every third sip. Close to perfection in a glass

 

Barrelywine Volume 10 WiLLiquors from Kros Strain Brewing. Received from @bbtkd 27/03/25 in a LIF associated with BS BIF #2. 16 fl oz can. Reviewed 31/03/25 (Review 3488). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated can. Stored in at 39 degrees F at home: served at 60.9 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 64.0 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.25
First pour – Deep Amber (SRM 15), clear.
Body – Brown (SRM 20), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, amber at the edges.
Head – Average (Maximum 3.5 cm, aggressive center pour), tan, high density and fizzy, very short retention. Drops to a 0.1 cm bubble ring and a thin island, fed by a center upwelling of carbonation.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4 – Sweet toffee and some raisins, not very strong. No yeast, no malt, no hops, no alcohol, no whiskey, no barrels.
Flavor – 4.5 – Begins sweet but not cloying, with toffee and raisins. No yeast, no hops. No alcohol (13 % ABV, according to the label). No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Distinct gastric warming. Ends slightly sweet with (again) toffee and some raisin overtones, as well as suggestions of the whiskey barrels on the aftertaste.
Palate – 4 – Full: creamy but distinctly approaching syrupy: soft carbonation.
Style: Follows the style guidelines as condensed by BA.

Final impression and summation: 4 (After deducting 0.25 point for an undated can) The toffee is a pleasant change after the caramel of most English Barleywines, but quite good in its own right. The whiskey barrels make their appearance in the background, but shine in the aftertaste. Overall, good!

2025-03-09
Blind notes:
16oz can covered in blue tape. If there's a date on the can, it's covered up by the tape. Got it from @bbtkd in Stout/Barleywine BIF #2.

Pours dark brown, wouldn't quite call it black, looks thicc. Small dark head that doesn't last long, leaves a satiny smooth off-black surface. Evidence so far suggests big heavy stout.

Smell is supporting big heavy stout. Chocolate, cocoa, some roast coffee. I might get something a little bit along the lines of cinnamon, but that may just be my fear talking. Maybe it's a rye barrel. Smells boozy.

Taste is...not cinnamon. Sweet. Boozy. Something syrupy but not quite maple. Slight spiciness that could still be rye. Sweetened coffee. Could believe lactose is involved. Not as convinced this is a stout by the flavor, actually -- not much roast bitterness. It's almost a dark, barrel-aged, English barleywine vibe. Not quite, though. Dates, toffee, raisins.

Mouthfeel is thick and silky, as expected. It's really tasty.

Guessing in the 11-12% range, leaning toward a dark barleywine or a blend of stout and barleywine. Believe it's barrel aged, would guess (wildly) that it's rye barrel. I'll sip and cogitate while I pack my bag to leave the hotel in Fargo and go to Bismarck.

Reveal:
Barrelywine Volume 10 - Williquors, a 13% whiskey barrel aged barleywine from Kros Strain, in Nebraska! I'll give myself a B- on that one.

Cellared almost a year. Intensely dark brown body with a finger of lighter brown foam head. Smell has very agressive booze to it with caramel and dark fruit with a minor hint of barley and barrel. Taste is another story: though still very boozy, this is more complex with big caramel and toffee, plum and fig, black licorice, oh and some barley too, which while nontraditional it is pretty dang tasty. Malty coolness with booze shape the feel on the palate, but not heavy or thick

16 ounce can into a snifter. Had 4/27/24.

Pours a mostly opaque dark amber color, with a minimal head and sparse lacing when warmed. Aromas of caramel, bourbon, malt, brown sugar, oak, raisin, some fig, light char. Fairly similar flavors: bourbon, caramel, vanilla, malt, raisin, brown sugar, light oak. Smooth, a very good medium body, well carbonated.

Really enjoyable. Caramel for days, and a strong and delicious barrel presence. Lots of good, distinct aromas and flavors. This is really well done, hope I get to try other BA efforts from these guys.

A 16 oz. can without, unless I’m blind, the brewery name on it. That’s OK, I found it. No need to panic.

Very dark & very stinky. Mostly raisin-stained bourbon. A speed other than mine.

Barleywine: Volume 10 – Williquors dances to the tune of the shrunken raisin god. Raisin up front, raisin in the back, raisin wiggling in time to everything this beer does. Heavy malts weighed down the palate & the stomach, adding too-thick mouthfeel, icky black licorice, & spreading sweetness. Bourbon is a distant afterthought. Not excited about the rest of this stuff in my glass at all.

The black licorice & barbells of malt make this tough to drink & tough to enjoy. Almost OK, nothing more.

Kros Strain Barrelywine Volume 10 Williquors 2yr BBA English Barleywine, 13% ABV. Pours thick and blackish brown with a slight head that dissipated before I could get a picture, leaving no lacing. Aroma is bourbon and caramel. Flavor is strong caramel, bourbon, some fruitiness, moderately sweet, slightly tangy, slightly bitter, no bourbon burn. Excellent mouthfeel, overall world-class.