Brewer's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Barleywine - 5 Year Aged
Central Waters Brewing Co.

 

Had on tap. Pitch brown opaque body with a lighter brown cap. Aromas of barley, toasted caramel, pronounced toffee, big bourbon and rich barrel with vanillins, some raisin, earth, and orange peel in there too with slight oxidation. Taste is way more refined than I expected, plenty of booze and barrel but in a rich and not saturated way, barley and malt notes are all there of course, especially toffee and butterscotch. Feel is boozy and full, complex and smooth without losing the barley snarl, still a sipper for sure as this is a massive beer

From a 12oz can:

Appearance: Dark brown, starts with a small head but it fizzes out.

Smell: Wood, oxidized caramel, pretty weak.

Taste: Boozy, a kind of wine-like tannin and bite. Some caramel sweetness but boozy, woody flavors dominate. Caramel and alcohol in the finish.

Overall: While I liked the 4 year version, the 5 year seems to be a little too woody and boozy like the barrel has completely taken over. There's a bit of caramel from the beer in there but it's hidden by the wood and booze. An interesting experiment.

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a can at fridge temp. Pours a very dark brown with a good amount of light brown head. The nose is heavy on the booze. I can't say I'm surprised after 5 years in the barrel! Lots of bourbon and oak.

The taste follows the nose. I feel like I'm drinking bourbon right now. Some vanilla and oak come through, along with some really nice notes of caramel. I also pick up faint hints of plum and raisin. Really nice and smooth!

 

Here again are the huge notes bourbon soaked caramel and butterscotch that I love so much about CW barleywines. No better unapologetically brazen, all-American barrel aged barleywines around regardless of price as far as I'm concerened. Extended aging adds extra richness and baker's chocolate while the hop presence is diminished. Glorious. It's been too long since I've had the 4 to compare accurately but I think the aroma is pretty similar. I think I taste more wood and baker's chocolate here. I'm loving this but I believe I slightly prefer the 4 year. The carbonation is gentle while the body is full and lightly sticky.

I think I'm driving my school bus to Wisconsin next year to stock up.

 

 

12oz can dated 02/22/2023 poured into a snifter shows a headless, dull, cloudy, cola colored body with nice ruby highlights and leaves the glass clean.

Aromas of oak, vanilla, caramel, and stone fruits.

Flavors of caramel, wet oak, and stone fruit all float in a charred bourbon soaked cigar with slight ash and leather.

Mouthfeel is creamy, smooth, medium feel, with a slightly drying finish.

Overall an easy drinking, yet complex, elixir of loveliness.

Sits almost plum colored in the glass (although quite garnet when held to the light). It has a thin khaki head that’s fairly short-lived but sticks around slightly longer than younger vintages, leaving a surprisingly long-lasting and messy crown. There’s also some visible churning from the center once the head is gone.

Sweet and boozy smelling. I got strong cocoa when I first cracked the can, but once poured, cherry, fig, prune and vanilla stand out the most, with some stale hops behind.

The chocolate character does show fairly strongly up front in the taste, which is much less fruitier than the nose implied (although the prune, raisin and fig are all in there again). There’s also some nice wood, vanilla, caramel and distant piney hops.

Oily and slick feeling, with too much carbonation for the style. I don’t expect a barleywine to be belch inducing, and it honestly detracts from the taste.

I was hoping this age would be the best of the bunch, but I probably like it the least. It’s solid overall, but the over carbonation is hard to get past on what should be a slow savoring beverage like this.