Chapter 2 (Barrel-Aged Barley Wine)
Cabin Brewing
- From:
- Cabin Brewing
- Alberta, Canada
- Style:
- English Barleywine
- ABV:
- 11.5%
- Score:
- +5 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 4.39 | pDev: 5.01%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 5
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- May 25, 2026
- Added:
- Dec 13, 2020
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
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To mark our second anniversary, we are proud to release the second in our annual Chapter series of barrel-aged beers. For Chapter 2, we have lovingly aged our barley wine in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks for 10 months. It has big notes of raisin, dried fruit and caramel with underlying notes of coconut, vanilla and oak. It is full-bodied and luscious and smooth and chewy and is tasting incredible right now - but like our Chapter 1 beers it will continue to age gracefully for years to come.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)
4.02/5 rDev -8.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.02/5 rDev -8.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle: Poured a deep copper color ale with a medium size dark brown foamy head with some retention and some lacing notes. Aroma of caramelized malt notes with some madeira notes from the Ximinez with some dry fruit notes. Taste is also a mix of dry caramelized malt notes with some madeira notes and dry fruits notes with some faint residual sugar notes. Body is about average with good carbonation with limited discernible alcohol notes. Interesting but not a big fan of the madeira notes.
May 25, 2026
Reviewed by DIM from Pennsylvania
4.49/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.49/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
There is a lot of wonderful, softly sweet fruit notes at work here. Plums, grapes, cherries, and light pears. These are all the fruity kind of sweet, nothing sugary here. I also get toffee and a bit of peanut brittle. Some gentle warmth and faint vinous note blanket everything. This is a gem that my wife also unfortunately loved so I have to share. Thanks so much Tim!
Feb 17, 2024
Reviewed by Beersnake from California
4.62/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
4.62/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Poured from fridge temp. Pours dark brown with little head. Nose is huge toffee, sherry, bourbon, chocolate, a bit of cola, and nice dark fruits.
Taste is sherry, toffee, malts, chocolate, nuts, and bourbon. Amazing. Overall, this is amazing. Best barley wine coming out of Canada!
Nov 28, 2021Taste is sherry, toffee, malts, chocolate, nuts, and bourbon. Amazing. Overall, this is amazing. Best barley wine coming out of Canada!
Reviewed by leaddog from Canada (AB)
4.25/5 rDev -3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev -3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Appearance - Pours a garnet red with three fingers of frothy off-white head.
Smell - earthy, leafy, weedy, and floral hops, raisin, fig, plum, oaky aromas, hint of cherry, hint of vanilla, caramel, bready malts, and earthy yeast.
Taste - earthy, leafy, weedy, and floral hops upfront. The bold notes of raisin, fig, plum come through next followed alongside the oaky aromas, hint of cherry and vanilla. The caramel, bready malts, and earthy yeast round out the brew. T
Mouthfeel - Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes smooth and chewy with the fruits and hint of booze lingering .
Overall - A tasty barleywine that delivers on the fruit front and most certainly on the barrel front by making it more sweet. For me personally, this one doesn't "wow me" like the Chapter 1 versions but nonetheless is a easy drinking barleywine.
Jan 09, 2021Smell - earthy, leafy, weedy, and floral hops, raisin, fig, plum, oaky aromas, hint of cherry, hint of vanilla, caramel, bready malts, and earthy yeast.
Taste - earthy, leafy, weedy, and floral hops upfront. The bold notes of raisin, fig, plum come through next followed alongside the oaky aromas, hint of cherry and vanilla. The caramel, bready malts, and earthy yeast round out the brew. T
Mouthfeel - Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes smooth and chewy with the fruits and hint of booze lingering .
Overall - A tasty barleywine that delivers on the fruit front and most certainly on the barrel front by making it more sweet. For me personally, this one doesn't "wow me" like the Chapter 1 versions but nonetheless is a easy drinking barleywine.
Reviewed by TooManyGlasses from Canada (AB)
4.55/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.55/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
750 ml heavy bottle with a candle of wax halfway down the bottle.
Pours a tawny amber pushing to brown colour with finger and a half of khaki head.
Aroma is a tantalizing malty barrage of caramel, raisin bread pudding, dark fruits, and just a touch of woody/oaky scent.
Taste follows - sweet brown sugar, caramel malt with bready notes and raisin, vanilla, and that hint of oak - slightly boozy but not overpoweringly so.
Smooth full mouthfeel with sweetness on the palate never crossing into cloying; nicely carbonated - warmth of the 11.5% ABV is integrated perfectly.
Great barley wine - would be interested to see how this ages but hard to believe could improve drastically.
Dec 13, 2020Pours a tawny amber pushing to brown colour with finger and a half of khaki head.
Aroma is a tantalizing malty barrage of caramel, raisin bread pudding, dark fruits, and just a touch of woody/oaky scent.
Taste follows - sweet brown sugar, caramel malt with bready notes and raisin, vanilla, and that hint of oak - slightly boozy but not overpoweringly so.
Smooth full mouthfeel with sweetness on the palate never crossing into cloying; nicely carbonated - warmth of the 11.5% ABV is integrated perfectly.
Great barley wine - would be interested to see how this ages but hard to believe could improve drastically.
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