Brewer's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Barleywine
Central Waters Brewing Co.

Gifted by a prestigious BA from Wisconsin , this delight pours dark burgundy with a film of Khaki lace on top that shrank to an octopus starburst swirling on top of my Don Mario Branded Barleywine glass. First sniff yields toffee, raisins, earthy toastiness. Taste has additional char, molasses , tangy bourbon, nutty. Mouthful is medium, granted I’m a sipper so it’s hitting nicely. Overall dynamic sweet, balanced , flavorful, dry finish. It’s very good obviously!

12 oz can canned 2/13/25 into a snifter.
L: Pours a murky dark mahogany color with a thin light khaki head that recedes to light edge foam, light steady carbo, no lacing.
S: Burnt caramel malts, bourbon, oak char, a nutty aroma, molasses, tobacco.
T: Sea salt, buttered caramel, molasses, tobacco, a hint of coconut, wood, bourbon burn, distant leather, a fringe hop tang off the tip of the tongue, it is fairly sweet and is a tiny bit pale. There is distant rye in the finish.
F: Very lightly brisk then glassy & smooth, medium-heavy bodied mouthfeel with a long and broad medium-dry finish thanks to the rye.
O: Such a gorgeous tasting beer and is not overly sweet. Deeply voiced flavors with superb balance. Dancing ingredients sip after sip. It is world-class in its style.

Poured the color of tea and appeared nearly black in the glass.
The taste is bourbon soaked caramel with dark fruit notes and oak surrounding it all.
The feel is lighter than expected but it doesn’t detract from the flavors.
OA, I really enjoyed it and was happy to get to try it.

 

 

 

I'm finally getting around to drinking this beer, just short of its 8th birthday (bottled in early 2016).

First impression is favorable, as the glowing amber color on the pour was very enticing, and there was a surprising amount of (admittedly short-lived) head. Aroma similarly impresses with plenty of brown sugar and sweet molasses.

My first impression of the taste & feel is that.....I'm not sure what I think. It struck me as a little watery initially, and the flavor profile didn't jump out at me. As I drink more of it, what I'm noticing is that a) there is more barrel than I was anticipating (and in a good way), and that there is a brilliant alcohol warming on what ends up being a long finish. Much less rich than the aroma implied. Hard to know if the notes I picked up on the nose have faded over time in terms of the taste.

Overall, this is an enjoyable beer.

 

 

 

 

2015 bottle

poured from a 12oz brown bottle – neck has code 25418 – label notched 2018

Bourbon Barrel Barleywine Ale – Brewers Reserve body is a hazy dark brown almost amber in color. A ½ finger kaki head was produced. The head quickly reduced to a collar of foam leaving only spotty lacing. The nose is of sweet caramel, brown sugar, and bourbon. The taste has flavors of caramel, dark fruit, and brown sugar followed by bourbon, then a hoppy light bitter lingering finish. The mouthfeel is a little sticky with a full body and a moderate amount of carbonation.
Overall, this is a flavorful barleywine with its drinkability only limited by its high abv. The Ale makes for a nice nightcap on a cold winter’s day.

2015 bottle consumed 8/24/21

This is getting up there in age. I always wish I would have tasted one of these aged bottles versus fresh to see what's changed, but I only have the old one. AT any rate, this is an amazing beer. So smooth and complex on the nose and pallet. It's all caramely goodness with tons of booze. But it's so smooth. As usual with these Brewers Reserve, they could be thicker for me in appearance and while drinking. it's not a huge distraction though. A world class beer but not on the level of the very VERY best barleywines for me. There might not be anything better though for the price.

12oz beer review from notes:

A big beautiful overly hopped aromatic beast of a beer. Tastes like an old leather shoe filled to the tongue with hops, malt, rye, booze, tobacco, and leather (more or less in that order).

A+

16oz can at share. Amber pour, cloudy, thin beige head. Malty aroma, as expected, caramel, toffee and plenty of bourbon barrel. Rich malty taste, woody, tobacco and more bourbon and its prerequisite heat. Smooth and strong.

 

 

2017 vintage, aged for 3 years. Super mellow and balanced with just about enough bourbon to add to the complexity of the profile. A very nice Barleywine.