Irish Walker | Olde Hickory Brewery
Brewed by:
Olde Hickory Brewery
North Carolina, United States
oldehickorybrewery.com
Style: English Barleywine
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 10.14%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
A long slow fermentation and cold aging makes Irish Walker a well rounded, complex Barley Wine Ale. Released only once a year, it exhibits malty sweetness, fruity esters, and hoppy balance. This ale will age well for years to come.
Added by oberon on 12-25-2009
Ratings: 334 | Reviews: 98
3.8/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a 22 oz wax-sealed brown bomber into a clear glass snifter. 2010 vintage. Purchased at Peabody's (Boone, NC) and cellared at about 60-65F for several years.
A: Fairly clear medium-brown with short cap of light beige head fading pretty quickly to leave a few blobs of lace.
S: Malty aroma with a heavy dose of medium and darker, burnt caramel, herbal and floral hops, not much in the way of fruity esters but a bit of mustiness, faint oxidation but nothing off-putting.
T: Really nice full-flavored English barleywine, not at all hot but very well-balanced. Definintely favors the caramel style of barleywine, not much for fruitiness but a lot of darker crystal malts leaving a slightly sticky burnt caramel character along with some leafy, herbal hoppiness, almost tobacco-like. Alcohol is well-hidden. A shade under medium bitterness. A delight to drink.
M: Creamy medium-full body with low-medium carbonation and reasonably dry finish despite the sweetness and nearly full body.
O: I really enjoyed Irish Walker and it makes me want to look through the cellar to find my other bottle (2011 vintage) and give it a try to see how long I should hang onto this in the future!
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a 22 oz wax-sealed brown bomber into a clear glass snifter. 2010 vintage. Purchased at Peabody's (Boone, NC) and cellared at about 60-65F for several years.
A: Fairly clear medium-brown with short cap of light beige head fading pretty quickly to leave a few blobs of lace.
S: Malty aroma with a heavy dose of medium and darker, burnt caramel, herbal and floral hops, not much in the way of fruity esters but a bit of mustiness, faint oxidation but nothing off-putting.
T: Really nice full-flavored English barleywine, not at all hot but very well-balanced. Definintely favors the caramel style of barleywine, not much for fruitiness but a lot of darker crystal malts leaving a slightly sticky burnt caramel character along with some leafy, herbal hoppiness, almost tobacco-like. Alcohol is well-hidden. A shade under medium bitterness. A delight to drink.
M: Creamy medium-full body with low-medium carbonation and reasonably dry finish despite the sweetness and nearly full body.
O: I really enjoyed Irish Walker and it makes me want to look through the cellar to find my other bottle (2011 vintage) and give it a try to see how long I should hang onto this in the future!
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4/5 rDev +1.5%
Appearance: Mahogany color. Almost no head but some tan foam forms. Does not stay around. Completely hazy and opaque. Some redness to it. 3.5/5
Smell: Strong caramel sweetness. Strong alcohol. Hoppy bitterness. 4/5
Taste: Starts with maple syrup. Some caramel and sweetness. Lots of barley and bread. Some alcohol. Good strong hops. 4/5
Mouthfeel: Syrupy. Sweet but balanced by bitterness. Some warmth. 4.25/5
Overall: a good english barleywine, on the hoppier side for the style but in a good way. definetly a good value from what I hear it costs and a good year round big beer. it'd be a good beer to throw in the cellar and play around with.
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Appearance: Mahogany color. Almost no head but some tan foam forms. Does not stay around. Completely hazy and opaque. Some redness to it. 3.5/5
Smell: Strong caramel sweetness. Strong alcohol. Hoppy bitterness. 4/5
Taste: Starts with maple syrup. Some caramel and sweetness. Lots of barley and bread. Some alcohol. Good strong hops. 4/5
Mouthfeel: Syrupy. Sweet but balanced by bitterness. Some warmth. 4.25/5
Overall: a good english barleywine, on the hoppier side for the style but in a good way. definetly a good value from what I hear it costs and a good year round big beer. it'd be a good beer to throw in the cellar and play around with.
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4/5 rDev +1.5%
22oz Bomber
$9.99
Brawley's - Charlotte
2014 Vintage
Irish Walker is chestnut brown as it pours with a ruby hue but when the glass is full it's flat out dark, basically as dark brown as brown can get. A frothy milk chocolate crown sits atop the body. The beige foam doesn't grow much but does stick around for ages and leaves puffy drink lines down the glass.
This barleywine is English all the way. Sugary plum and raisins in spades, orange marmalade, black cherry, a veritable fruitcake in a glass. Deep, rich caramel and a drizzle of molasses bring through some sweetness though a touch of toffee is included as well. Soda bread and cashews add more depth still. This beer just keeps getting deeper and deeper. My descriptors barely scratch the surface but are the most noticeable.
The flavor profile is much the same, staggering in its depth. Deep caramel lays the foundation and gets richer as it works through until you're finally left with molasses. Dark fruits; figs, raisins, plums, black cherries all pop up in the front, that fruitcake again. Soda bread and tea leaf hops join the fray mid palate while flashes of stone fruit hit. The finish is a touch boozy which adds to the overall dessert quality of this beer, port like. With the booze comes back the dark fruits. Depth.
The body on this beast of a beer is full and robust. The sweetness, luckily, vanishes fairly quickly and actually dries up in good time. Carbonation is soft and helps boost the velvety feel. This beer, while most safely served in small sample sizes, is so easy to consume I would consider it dangerous.
I thoroughly enjoy a good English style barleywine and Irish Walker is just that. The complexity is immense. The depth, staggering. The....Nevermind. It's good. Go get some!
1,772 characters
22oz Bomber
$9.99
Brawley's - Charlotte
2014 Vintage
Irish Walker is chestnut brown as it pours with a ruby hue but when the glass is full it's flat out dark, basically as dark brown as brown can get. A frothy milk chocolate crown sits atop the body. The beige foam doesn't grow much but does stick around for ages and leaves puffy drink lines down the glass.
This barleywine is English all the way. Sugary plum and raisins in spades, orange marmalade, black cherry, a veritable fruitcake in a glass. Deep, rich caramel and a drizzle of molasses bring through some sweetness though a touch of toffee is included as well. Soda bread and cashews add more depth still. This beer just keeps getting deeper and deeper. My descriptors barely scratch the surface but are the most noticeable.
The flavor profile is much the same, staggering in its depth. Deep caramel lays the foundation and gets richer as it works through until you're finally left with molasses. Dark fruits; figs, raisins, plums, black cherries all pop up in the front, that fruitcake again. Soda bread and tea leaf hops join the fray mid palate while flashes of stone fruit hit. The finish is a touch boozy which adds to the overall dessert quality of this beer, port like. With the booze comes back the dark fruits. Depth.
The body on this beast of a beer is full and robust. The sweetness, luckily, vanishes fairly quickly and actually dries up in good time. Carbonation is soft and helps boost the velvety feel. This beer, while most safely served in small sample sizes, is so easy to consume I would consider it dangerous.
I thoroughly enjoy a good English style barleywine and Irish Walker is just that. The complexity is immense. The depth, staggering. The....Nevermind. It's good. Go get some!
1,772 characters
Irish Walker from Olde Hickory Brewery
3.94
out of 5
based on 334 ratings.
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
T: malty molasses sweetness, but as soon as that wears off an overpowering bitterness from the hops come through. Really more of an American Barleywine than English
M: Many detected a medium body, but I detect both heavy body and thin body, varying in between sips
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