Wooden Sledwreck
Barley Brown's Brewpub

Many thanks to Jdense (jeff) for gifting me this beer.

The beer pours a reddish amber color with fairly good head retention and light lacing. The nose is attractive in this beer, and frankly became more impressive as the beer warmed up a bit. In any event, on the nose, the beer showcased considerable cherry, vanilla, hazelnut, light chocolate, a hint up dry citrus and light burnt toast. Remind me again who else is making beers that smell (or taste) like this. The flavor profile replicates the nose, and once again seemed to gain in complexity as it warmed. As is typical with barley brown beers, there is a blast of hoppy bitterness, which tends to dry out the cherry, chocolate and nut flavor I get initially. There is an intriguing hint of licorice on the finish, which marries well with the burnt toast and light roasty malt. Mouthfeel is medium bodied to full, with a fairly long, bitter and light licorice finish. Alcohol is well integrated in the flavor profile, though there's a sense that it's up there a bit. Still, the beer is not at all heavy, tiring or boozy on the palate, and as is often the case with barley brown beers, this was a beer that I appreciated more and more as I went along.

Another well crafted beer from Barley Brown. Despite Jeff's earlier comments, I thought this beer reminded me very much of an old english ale as well, albeit one with a NW hoppy bent to it. No one else makes beers like this. No one...

22 oz. bottle, 2009 vintage (!), shared as part of Twelve Beers of Christmas tasting 12.18.11. Note this beer is not an Old Ale, Shawn calls this an American Strong Ale.

Not a lot of head, medium tan over ultra dark brown almost black opaque body. There is a lot going on in the nose, vanilla, pronounced oak notes, some bourbon aromas, and of course big ass hop bill, citrus with some faint floral notes. Taste mirrors the complexity of the nose, surprised how well the hops have stood up, vanilla with oak to dry out the backend. Mouthfeel is on the light side of medium, decent effervescence with a pretty dry finish, probably from the oak. Shawn shared the story behind this beer, actually it's a blend of three different versions, one with Wild Turkey infused oak chips. This beer has aged exceptionally well, I'd advise drinking this now. Yummy.

Unlabelled 750 ml bottle, courtesy of jcwattsrugger who brought it back from his trip to the Pacific NW (thanks John!):

Pours ruby-brown with a creamy off-white head.

The smell is of oak, whiskey, dark fruit, and a toffee/caramel/chocolate combination. Complex, aromatic and inviting. Warming...

The taste follows the nose wonderfully...Oak, vanilla, toffee, chocolate, caramel, dark fruit and earthy notes. Flavors intermingle and work exceptionally well together. Full-bodied and creamy with a dry finish.

Complex and tasty ... and very warming... this is a treasure to sip on.