Unplugged Iced Barleywine
New Glarus Brewing Company

4.4/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

This got stuck in the back of my aging shelf. I would normally not let it sit for 8 years, but it's held up surprisingly well.

Poured deep red-brown mahogany color, with little to no carbonation. Light lacing on the initial pour, but it's pretty low on carbonation.

Smells of dark caramel, toffee, some vinous well aged sherry and lightly fruity notes. I don't detect any alcohol notes despite being 13.5%.

The taste is malty, dark fruit, caramel, toffee, fig, raisins, a little cherry perhaps. It's really smooth actually. The hop bitterness has aged out, leaving a sweet smooth liquid.

The mouthfeel is big and thick, but very smooth at this point. No alcohol warmth, a bit slick, but goes down easy.

Overall, I'm really impressed with this and how well it's held up over 8 years. Normally I would have had this quite a long time ago. This has held up impressively well. It seems some of the booziness and heat previous reviewers have mentioned are long gone. I hope I find another bottle or two of this.

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3.77/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12oz bottle into a wine glass appears a chestnut brown with ruby clarity. A khaki cap rises up less than a finger strong and quickly fades back leaving spotty lace.

Aroma has primarily solvent alcohol and herbal to fruity character. Slight pine aspect.

Taste is bitter and big with solvent booziness. A little tannic/astringent with almost an oakiness to it and lingering herbal to pine-like resinous bitterness.

Medium in body with light carbonation. Quite solvent despite being 8 years old. Feels more american than english in nature. Interesting and glad I got the chance to try it but yikes, this could use another 8 years aging.

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3.76/5  rDev -6.9%

poured 12oz bottle into chalice. Bottled back in Feb 2009.

A - Dark brown coffee color with a thin 1 finger sandy head. . Decent head retention and some lacing.

S - Malts, caramel, toffee, dark fruits, and earthy hops. I also notice the booze..

T - Still boozy, with dark fruits even citrus, caramel, toffee, with some burnt sugar and even cola.

M - Medium bodied and still decent carbonation given the age.

O - A good BW, but not quite top tier.

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4.03/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Nice lacing and they nailed the color. Dark fruits, caramel, booze, candy sugar, oxidation on the nose. Taste follows the nose plums raisins alcohol complementary oxidation to an aged barley wine. Medium carbonation and works with the style. I love aged barlywine's and this is a good one but the heat from the alcohol keeps this from getting a very good rating. Would drink again if I had another one.

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4.02/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Been sitting on this beer for quite some time. I assume that I have had it for 3.5 years now.

It's a nice drinker. Smooth, with good raisin and smooth and sweet tones. Unfortunately, there is a real strong alcohol/burning presence on this. It does detract quite a bit from the beer in that it robs it a full chance at delivering the flavor profile. Still a nice beer though. Always nice to exhibit some willpower and save something for a while.

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3.71/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle

Acquired via trade
Thanks, stig!

Dark copper in color with almost zero visible carbonation. This leaves some minimal stick down the glass, but this is basically still and not at all sticky.

A straightforward and malt-forward aroma, with good amounts of bread, caramel, toffee sweetness, mild plum character, and just a hint of alcohol. The alcohol is really well hidden though for this beer's magnitude.

At colder temperatures, I thought the flavor was going to be somewhat vegetable-like, but that has gone away after only moderate warming. A straightforward, though very tasty, barleywine: caramel, toffee, brown bread, moderate hop bitterness, and a bit of alcohol. A Sierra Nevada Bigfoot on steroids.

Full in body with nearly zero carbonation, though it seems perfectly appropriate all at once.

A perfect nightcap, though straightforward in practice.

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4/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark brown, reddish-purple color with a tiny off white head that disappears quickly. Scent is a bit cherry-forward. Sweet cherries with some dark chocolate and sweet molasses. A ton of dark fruits...figs and raisins mostly. A bit of alcohol and toasted malt. Very inviting aroma. Taste is rich. Sweet molasses and brown sugar up front. Lovely malt characteristics with some chocolate, cherries, and figs. Strong fig flavor. Some burnt toast with a bit of booze, but not overwhelming. Mouthfeel is velvety and warming. Drinkability is scary how high it is for such a high ABV. Overall, this is another very tasty beer from New Glarus. Jealous I can't get these beers where I live.

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3.78/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Two year old aging. Rich malty aroma, not boozy but the alcohol is there. Cocoa coloured body, thicker looking, no head. Full mouthfeel. Taste of chocolate and other malt, a bit of fig. A big drink, and not one I could fully conquer in the middle of the day.Thanks Steven of Warren for hooking me up.

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3.97/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Received in trade from MeadMe, thanks for the opportunity. Pours a slightly murky dark brown with ruby highlights and a smallish head the dissipates before I set the bottle down. Smells like a well aged fruity, caramel, ethanol, barleywine. It does actually smell pretty good, but it does smell a bit potent. The taste is sweet caramel and fruity with a hint of earth and enough heat to keep some balance. This one is tasty, but it is a sipper. Medium to thick body with a light level of carbonation and a sweet syrupy mouthfeel. Nice brew that I'm glad I finally got to try. Nice sipper for a cold June night ;)

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3.98/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Received this bottle in a trade a couple years ago. I’m guessing this is pushing 3-4 years old at this point. Kept in a cool dark cellar since I received it. 12oz bottle poured into a snifter. Pours a dark mahogany with just the slightest bit of lace as a cap. The nose is rich with wet woodsy notes, deep molasses, a bit of booze, and toasted caramel. The mouth is full, a bit oily, and heavy. This is a sipper, no doubt. Sherry-like flavors, raisin, plum, toffee, gingersnaps. Ethanol-burn on the finish. This is a really well-crafted beer, that stood the test of time for sure. A real treat.

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4.1/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

thanks to chewyrx08 for this beer in a trade!

poured into snifter glass.

Appearance: medium brown mahoganey bodied beer with a few white bubbles. No head to speak of.

Smell: Caramel, booze, vinous, fruity, estery, and earthy. Sweet and ozidized.

Taste: This is like malty beer candy! Caramel, toffee, brown sugar, raisins, and figs from the malts. Little boozy heat and spiciness are right there behind the sweetness to remind you its probably well over 14% or even 15% by now. Midpalate get just a hint of earthiness and a little woody; also some astrigent bitterness. Beer finishes with more caramel sweetness (that over take the bitter notes found midpalate) and mild boozy heat.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied beer with low carbonation just enough carbonation so that the beer is not completely still/flat. Slick yet sticky mouthfeel. Really a smooth drinkn english barleywine, I dont see this beer mellowing much more than where it at right now. Its a big beer thats a sipper.

Overall: This beer is really holding up very well. I wish that Dan would barrel age this beer for the next R&D series beer; it would be brilliant! The beer still has good carbonation and is fairly smooth. Lots of great english barleywine flavors with fairly minimal oxidation. I would say its at it peak right now, drink em up now! Wish I could have drank this one fresh for a comparision!

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3.82/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle sent to me by rudylaw. Poured into a snifter.

A: Pours a very deep raisin brown with almost no head. About an eighth-inch high light brown film that quickly faded into a faint collar. No lace.
S: Big sweet sugar scents. I get notes of caramel, brown sugar, leather and a hint of chocolate.
T: Sweet like the nose. Dark fruits, honey, brown sugar, leather, milk chocolate/cocoa, hop resin, and grape juice. The finish is sweet, bitter, dry and alcoholic.
M: This beer isn’t necessarily boozy, especially for such a high alcohol content, but a touch of warmth is noticeable. Carbonation is thick and tingly, and the mouthfeel is slick and heavy. Body is full.
O: For the alcohol this is quite a good sipper. As a barleywine it’s definitely good, but not the best.

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3.78/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A- Dark murky brown bodied beer. Decent head retention and some lacing.

S- Earth hops, honey notes.

T- Sweet alcoholic caramel. Omnomnom. "Liquid blowjob".

M- Full mouthfeel, perfect amount of carbonation for the age.

D/O- The best barleywine New Glaris has came out with as far as I'm concerned. Delicious! I'd drink it now if you have one.

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3.55/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A friend opened a bottle recently and told me this had taken a turn for the worst. With great trepidation, I open one of mine. 12 oz, red foil top bottle served in a snifter.

Pours an attractive dark cola brown with ruby-ish tinges and a massive, dense camel colored head. Excellent retention and light lacing. Pleasant boozy aroma of dark fruit, raisin, plum, etc, vanilla, booze, toffee and caramel. Flavor starts off similarly, before veering into the land of sherry, cardboard and wet dog. Body is medium thick, soft and chewy, but not quite viscous. Sigh, this tastes like something I would have liked, but the dry, bitter, cardboard aftertaste ruins this.

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3.97/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a brilliant reddish cola-brown in color, topped by caramel-tinged off white head and which falls quickly and leaves just a wee bit of lace as it falls. Still ample carbonation on this one...

Nose is booze-y, with big notes of rum, raisin, and light plum (almost like a fruitcake, come to think of it). Also possessed fainter vinuous and tannic qualities.

Fairly brisk (although bit viscous) across the palate on the first sip, with plenty of residual bitterness backing up the initial blast of malty sweetness. It's aromatic and phenolic and still a little bit "hot" throughout, and to my mind drinks very much in the manner of a port wine. All the flavors present in the nose are also in evidence on the palate, and the vinuous and tannic aspects are also a little more pronounced. Seems that there's also a little bit of oxidation here, but this in no way detracts from the experience.

A bit lighter in body than I expect from the style, but it actually is better than average in the sense that it increases the drinkability (in my mind) of this big beer!

Unplugged Iced Barleywine is a pretty unique offering and it makes for a really nice sippin' beer. It's one that I really hope to see eventually turning up on the New Glarus brewing schedule -- I'll keep voting on it, at least : )

A big, big thanks go out to BA "grantcty" for the opportunity to sample this one!

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3.65/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: poured dark brown, no lace, and NO floaties at all.

S: Alcohol, vanilla, oak, bread, tons of malt and raisens.

T: Malt and alcohol. Vanilla. Super bitter on the back end, guessing from the hops but I don't taste any hops.

M: Very thin and alcoholy.

O: I think this one should have sat for another year or two; way too hot.

Thanks Redliner8 for sharing the brew.

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4.42/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Rich mahogany in color with a thin foam cap sitting on top. Ruby highlights when held up to light. Very clear with scattered carbonation bubbles slowly rising to the top.

S - Aromas of toffee, caramel and a bit of lightly toasted bread. As the beer warms a hint of alcohol begins to seep into the smell. A faint hint of earthy, floral hops lingers in the background.

T - Light sweetness and lots of toasted bread initially. Get some dark fruits; maybe raisin? A caramel and toffee sweetness lingers throughout. Alcohol is certainly present and there is a bit of warming, but it is rather tame for a 13% plus beer. I find this one to be rather remarkable.

M - Medium to fuill bodied with a rather silky feel. As mentioned above, there is a bit of a warming sensation from the alochol and it does burn just a touch going down.

O - Wow, really impressed with this one. Well balanced and very easy drinking. Wish it wasnt the only one I had.

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4.25/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A friend of mine and fellow BA cracked open a 3 year cellared bottle of this, oh what a treat!!!

Poured a rusty brown with a thin head that leaves spotty lacing on the glass. Wonderfully complex aroma. Caramel, fig, raisins, champagne grape (sherry like), yeasty, caramel and toffee. Many barrel characteristics, scotch, oaky, earthy, woody and boozy. Lots going on in the month. Strong fig and raisin, sweet champagne berry grape like flavors, very earthy, dirty, woody, oaky, scotch, hint of vanilla in the back. Medium to medium full body. Very creamy on the tongue, mellow but hot down the pople, good overall body, chewy, woody, excellent. Love this, too bad there will be no more.... =(

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4.05/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Crystal clear ruby.

S: Sweet cherry.

T: A bit intense, starts with sweet berry, fades to be slightly bitter and ends with a mild alcohol finish.

M: Super crisp and clean with a nice medium carbonation.

O: Unexpectedly crisp and refreshing. One of the more enjoyable barley wines I’ve had.

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3.95/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle courtesy of bedethevenerable-- thanks man!

Served in nb globe.

A ruddy, brackish, rust color. Nice tan head with good retention for the ABV. Some spotty lacing.
Smells giantly sweet. Caramel and raisins hit big on the nose with some boozy notes.
The flavor is sweet with big caramel and toffee malt notes. Dark fruit notes of raisin and plum with a dry boozy finish.
Body is slick and oily. Medium feel with low carbonation.
Overall-- very nice. I am a bit of a NG fan, but this is better than I expected.

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3.98/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is my 100th new beer of the year and my 500th reviewed overall (reviews not reflected on BA)

Appearance: Deep ruddy brown with hints of garnet and deeper reds at the edges. No head appears after a super aggressive pour. Faint hints of carbonation pull through the body. It's dark, it's cloudy.

Smell: Loads of caramel, booze, toffee, and bread crust. Lots of booze and toffee. I'm shocked at the amount of stuff in the nose. Vanilla comes through after a few minutes of warming. Something akin to bourbon lingers in the back, but I know it's not bourbon-barrel aged. The combination of high ABV aromas, caramel, vanilla, etc. are deeply reminiscent of a good bourbon.

Taste: Almost harsh. Loads of flavor comes through, but the strong punch from the ABV cuts everything back a touch. Raisins, vanilla, a touch of smoke, and loads of toffee and biscuit come through. Crazy amounts of flavor, but the burn and straight up booze taste are distracting. Warming brings the flavors together a touch, but it's still alcohol flavor muting everything else. It's still good though.

Mouthfeel: A little thin overall. It doesn't really stick to the mouth or have any kind of heft to it. It's not actually thin, but it leaves a little something to be desired.

Overall: Not a great beer, but a damn solid take on the style. It's a big beer with big flavors to match, but the heat from the alcohol brings everything down a few pegs and stops this thing from being great.

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3.35/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Review from Backlog

Thanks to BuckeyeNation for the brew

A - The brew pours a ruddy translucent tea-brown hue, and is capped with a smattering of bone-colored soapy bubbles.

S - The nose is somewhat boozy, which is certainly to be expected. There are notes of corn, dried orchard fruit (pear, apricot, apple), and maple-soaked cardboard. It is interesting and complex enough to draw the focus away from the sizable alcohol component.

T - The taste is just not as interesting as the nose, and as a result the alcohol is intrusive. I get some naked and caramelized grain, some dried apple notes, a hint of herbal spiciness, a bit of cardboard, molasses and dark fruit. One of those things is not good, I bet you can guess what it is. There seems to be a lack of depth here, despite the variance of notes. Booze is still well-hidden, I guess, as this tastes every bit of 9% but not at all like 13.5%.

M - The feel is just above medium in body, and is somewhat velvety where many Barleywines are sticky.

D - Drinkability is moderately high, as the ABV is well-hidden. Overall though, this beer is not quite malt-centric nor richly-flavored enough for my EBW tastes.

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3.91/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle courtesy of jj21, thanks again!

Pours a beautiful garnet color, clear and bright with a faint white head.

Aromas are kind of dusty, vegetal, with hints of figs, oak, and a bit sugary. Kind of odd smelling, it's certainly interesting.

Taste is boozy, but not overly so. Some tartness, (cherries?) dark fruity sweetness, a bit woody, and little bit spicy. Finish is warm, boozy, and with crisp and earthy hop flavors.

Mouthfeel is surprisingly light, quite smooth, with moderate body.

Overall, a unique barleywine, more refined than I expected, I glad I got to try this, very interesting and tasty beer.

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3.83/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a very pretty, clear, deep ruby with a 1-finger, off-white head that hangs around a bit before falling to a cover leaving splotchy bits of lace.

The smell is dark fruit and a sweet caramel malt followed by a bit of alcohol.

The taste has quite a bit going on with it. There is sweetish malt, dark fruit, a little cherry and some noticeable alcohol. There is also a Dr. Pepper aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is pretty full, maybe leaning to medium with a just-right level of carbonation.

Overall: This is very nice and interesting beer that is well-made. Too bad NG isn't making this anymore but it's not like thet aren't making other good beers. I don't consider myself a big fan of BWs but this is enjoyable.

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4.62/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I've been sampling a ton of barley wines as of late and this still is as good as it gets....top notch fellow BA's. Poured this bad boy into a snifter and instantly smelled delicious malts and carmels....and the taste is second to none. Very complex and yet so easy to drink. The color is a nice light copper.

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