Barleywine Suggestions

Stone Old Guardian is a solid pick

 

JW Lees Harvest Ale - limited, but not super hard to find. The older the better!

Arcadia Cereal Killer is fairly widely distributed.

 

Eh, blurred lines. If North Coast labeled it an English-style Barleywine, would you question it?

 

Alesmith Numbskull. Or keep it local and go with Berkshire Brewing's Holidale.

 

Yes. Also, Mirror Mirror should be under American Barleywine. Too hoppy for an English Barleywine.

 

Some good nationally (or at least widely) distributed stuff would be:

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot
Great Divide Old Ruffian
Lagunitas Old Gnarlywine
Green Flash Barleywine
Victory Old Horizontal

All will be quite hoppy fresh, and mellow as aged.

 

Pelican Mother of all Storms

 

Well we'll have to disagree. Personally my review notes on aged Old Stock are very similar to JW Lees Harvest.

Not that they are the end-all authority, but the BJCP Style Guidelines actually list Old Stock as a commercial example for 19B English Barleywine. Not 19A Old Ale.
http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style19.php#1b

 

That's too bad that you can't tell the difference between the two.

 

Bigfoot is arguably the most popular American made BW, and it always bugs me that you have to let is sit 3 years before it starts tasting like a Barleywine. I have a couple friends who each buy a case of Bigfoot every year, and we regularly have various ages and verticals. At 3 years the flavors start to reveal themselves from the cloud of hops they are hidden behind.

 

Most beers labeled as Old Ales (GD Hibernation, Avery Julbilation), there is definitely a difference - and usually it's because they aren't as strong, with their OG much lower than that of English Barleywines, and they a little drier due to higher FG.

Old Stock has the sweetness and higher ABV of a barleywine. And BJCP agrees. If Old Stock were blindly submitted to a homebrew competition under 19A, it would probably be graded "Out of Style".

 

Ol Leghorn - 3FLoyds & Firestone Walker collab... Might be difficult to find, but this is a great Blonde Barleywine to make any Thanksgiving dish pop.

 

I really don't find myself enjoying too many American Barelywines, but the English style.... oh boy. Some of the tastiest brews out there and the perfect beer for a barrel.

 

Sucaba

Mother of All Storms

Arctic Devil

Bourbon County Barleywine

If you can find any of these, you are in very good shape

 

fixed. I realized I wrote that backwards, but the editing time was up.

 

Sucaba and bcbbw.

 

This has been my issue with American Barleywines. I've only had them fresh or within 6mo. and the hops+sweetness comes across as either cough syrupy or medicinally bitter tasting. All have been bad IMO. Old Ales and English BW varieties seem to have a flavor profile that works alot better for me.

 

I agree 100%

 

Anniversary from Uinta, but it is a trainwreck when aged IMO, so feel free to buy and drink now.

 

And as someone who is just getting into barleywines, these are great distinctions that I'm happy to have made for me.

Of course, I knew there was a difference between English/American, but I'm happy to read who likes what of each style. Interesting on Bigfoot. Three years, huh?

Do the English version lends themselves to aging as well as their American cousins? I feel like American BW's are the ones people are saying need a few years. How about the English ones?

Kudos to us, I should add. For a while, I wondered if we were on IPA Advocate or even Barrel Aged Advocate. Not much BW love.