Third Press
Private Press Brewing

Beer Geek Stats
From:
Private Press Brewing
 
California, United States
Style:
American Strong Ale
ABV:
15%
Score:
+3 ratings needed
Avg:
4.38 | pDev: 3.42%
Ratings:
7 | reviews: 5
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 06, 2025
Added:
Feb 12, 2023
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
Blend of stout and barleywine ale aged in oak barrels.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of jrc1093
Reviewed by jrc1093 from Connecticut

4.18/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
2023 vintage; consumed on 9/4/2025

Pours an inky black body capped with a finger and a half of soapy, mocha-hued foam; great head retention see a half-finger of cap lingering atop the surface as a haphazard few strands of webby lacing hold to the walls of the glass.

Aroma brings melted toffee intertwined with wildflower honey, with milk chocolate contrasting oaky char into tinges of burnt vanilla and touches of dark fruit accenting.

Taste offers oak and honey upfront, with silky milk chocolate contrasted with malted char over the mid-palate into burnt sugar, toasted caramel, and walnut residuals on the back end of the profile.

Mouthfeel brings a medium-full body and minimal carbonation, leaving silky textures edged with charry, oaky undertones lending to dryness over time as a semi-stickiness counterbalances the finish.

Honeyed malt impressions expand with an oaky commitment in yet another effortlessly engaging blend from Private Press.
Sep 06, 2025
Photo of lucius10
Reviewed by lucius10 from California

4.44/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Sweet milk chocolate covered toffee bits, chocolate covered raisins, and a bourbon barrel boozy nose on this one! Taste follows with a chocolate and caramel and a bourbon barrel boozy finish. This gets much better as it warms...a nice and soft mouthfeel appears. This is a really good black barleywine!
Mar 02, 2024
 
Rated: 4.59 by SadMachine from New Jersey

Aug 12, 2023
Photo of M-Fox24
Reviewed by M-Fox24 from New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A: A decanted delivery that offers an embassy purple front to the emitted carafe, which gradually begins to highlight an insolent purple. The carafe is treated with a second – aerated – transfer over a branded bulb, where the iridescence selects a gothic grape to a matte purple weightage. These actions encourage the latticework past agitation, which generates an adhering cling. Nonetheless, they are deterrents to the stabilizations, behind hydrophobic polypeptides. During this period, the helmet is painted to a desert sand peak, which shortly carries & transfers across a brown wood substructure. A process that is handled upon the genuine nucleation stimulations, for adding an attentive mechanism across the annulled deposits, when contributing C₂H₆O alongside µ to the Gibbs-Marangoni Effect

S: The starch fractions are swathed under the vat complexions with an ester fineness, which comes with a humulus genus benefactor. A jotting to Espresso con panna unfolds near a Spartak Cake sketch, while fractioning molasses above the Dr. Pepper hints. Coincidingly, the fermentable reactions that ascribe the organic acids lean on ethyl hexanoates, where red fruits penetrate leather to convention. A timing constraint is enforced through an evolving warmness, which elevates the alpha/beta amylase deeds. Chiefly, at a beta level over the fermentable sugars, which kindly stages gâteau St. Honoré. The lupulin glands add a bulwark stability upon the oxidized passages, due to a natural – warming – airflow. At this point, hemicelluloses allude to the degradations on furfurals, while lignin/s allude to the degradations on guaiacols. This denotes a smoked hide existence with an oxidized nuttiness above vanillin, as sherry & brandy inscribe jazzy ramifications through forested bark. Particularly, at an Oloroso level, which nears Asbach poetries, for transcribing corncob pipes to sylvan landscapes

T: Lupulin oils are soft in their contributions to the blend, which compliments the yeast functionalities, while phenolic aldehydes address the diastatic conversions above. The unveiling delivers a nod to the honey munichwine portion, of the blend, by texting that authority across sweet jalao balls. Correspondingly, an oak lactone position to drive coconut through the low tones, while malt finds an affinity amongst the fermentable conditions. Such as, a heptanol butyrate connection to neighbor solbærsnurrer, when addressing the saccharifications. The microbiological stability comes with a ventilated manipulation, for parching the bite against a deciduous nature. Chiefly, a straddling on locust timbers to the more forward – coniferous – pines. There is a reassertion to Asbach @ > 5hrs, as oxidation is enforced at an intensifying (°F) interval, when stimulating ethyl acetates. Accordingly, black treacle pins down coriaceous licorice, while tannins revamp the weathered reverberations over burnt sugars, past cherry cordials. This characterization siphons the phenolic aldehydes through guaiacols, as an oak intensity builds off fumed floorings

M: The texture is upfront to presage C12H22O11, while polyhydroxy phenols build a refined dryness over time. This has a chewy ampleness with a rich lusciousness, as an inebriant fervor edges. Yet, cautious to only incinerate the roasted facets over a tempered forbearance, while handling the dry/wood barrel tannins above the diffused effusions

O: A duration that > 5.5hrs to further knock carbonation, for a new – directed – involvedness. The blend has unison amongst the linked anniversaries, where the casks are incorporated to harmonize. An approach that traces the lignin degradations to vat toasting(s), while showcasing malt aside the yeast transactions on wort, besides the hop civilities
Jun 26, 2023
Photo of GreesyFizeek
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

4.59/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
This one pours a very dark brown, nearly black color, with a small head, and not much lacing.

This smells like caramel, vanilla, dark chocolate, roasted malt, leathery bourbon spice, toffee, and raisins.

This definitely leans heavier towards barleywine, but certainly not in a bad way. There’s caramel, honey, raisin, and toffee, with a sticky and spicy barrel character. I also find some vanilla, and dark chocolate here, with a oaky and roasty finish that definitely leans stout.

This is medium bodied, with no real booziness to it. It’s wonderfully drinkable for the style.

Brad Clark clearly really knows what he’s doing with these intricate blends at this point
May 25, 2023
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

4.25/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Taster at de Garde 10th Anniversary party. Near black pour with a thin tan head. Aroma is chocolate and vanilla, molaases, roasty malts, figs, bourbon. Taste is carried in aon a dense body, sweeet and warm, chocolate, oak, whiskey, brown sugar, prunes. Very warming.
May 12, 2023
 
Rated: 4.38 by westcoastbeerlvr from California

Feb 12, 2023