Barleywine
Zillicoah Beer Company

Picked up an 11.5 oz bottle from the Blue Door Bottleshop in Hendersonville on 5-16-24 for $6.00. Unknown 2024 bottling date consumed 8-6-25.

Beer poured clear amber with a nice white head with the original pour.

Nose is pretty good, getting notes of caramel and toasted malts and earthy hops.

Taste is a large but light malt base which i am getting toasted caramel malts, prunes, and marmalade. Hopping gives me a good dose of orange and grapefruit. Finishes with a balancing hop. I would consider this an American Barleywine.

Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied and is very smooth and satisfying with each sip.

Overall, this is a decent barleywine, just not getting the dominant malt flavors typically found with this style.

8oz draft pour at the brewery 11.1% ABV. The beer pours bright medium amber in color with off white head. The head recedes to a thin ring and scattered bubbles. The aroma is mild with pale malt. The taste is semisweet pale malt with fruity orange marmalade, honey & cane sugar sweetness. Minimal floral balancing bitterness. The feel is medium bodied with just less that average carbonation and a semi dry finish. Overall, good, albeit sweet barleywine. I wish the Marris Otter malt was more pronounced.

 

Smelled like stale lager. Taste was a bit of a disappointment. Light malt. A touch of honey. Notes of orange marmalade. Fairly dry. Low carbonation and fairly dead on the tongue. I didn’t like this as much as I wanted to. Still, a decent tipple.

A very bright copper. the aroma did not jump from the glass but this is an absolutely delicious beer that is malty, crazy soft, I would call it buttery. Very clean with very little bitterness, especially for a barley wine. I let it warm and would recommend the same.