Siren of the Sea
Pelican Brewing Company

There is a huge variation in barrel-aged barley wines, hence, I will not nitpick over subleties of personal preference. I think that Siren of the Sea is excellent because the beer taste and flavor of a barley wine are perfectly balanced with the flavors of a Scotch whiskey barrel. The beer is well attenuated with moderate mouthfeel and is an excellent example of a barley wine. The characteristics of barley wine stand out, and the characteristics of the barrel are secondary.

 

Pours a slightly purplish medium brown, foggy, no head. Smells like an English barleywine— very rich and sweet; figs, molasses, vanilla, whisky, and something quite interesting that I’m not sure of, slightly dank and salty, a bit like the ocean. In the mouth, lots of molasses upfront, figs, honey, lest roasty than I expected, then come the hops with some balance, just a bit of resin and citrus, and then plenty of whisky and some spice notes. The alcohol is noticeable on the lips, but it goes down smooth. Carbonation is light. Overall, this is a delicious beer that drinks a lot like a barleywine, though it’s more balanced and generally less of a punch in the mouth than a lot of the better barleywines I’ve had. Bravo.

Amber ale aged in clonakilty whiskey barrels. Pretty solid.