Top 5 Barrel Aged Barley Wines

CCB/Swamphead Cognac Church on a Hill
Great
Leon
King Henry
ADWTD

 

I really, really, really liked Weyerbacher's Insanity. I rated it a 4.75/5

 

While I've not had that many, three to be exact, they are in order:

1. Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Barleywine
2. Weyerbacher Insanity
3. DuClaw's Bourbon Barrel Aged Devil's Milk

This is a style that I have to explore more deeply, especially since I have so many of them in my cellar:

AleSmith Old Numbskull (brandy barrel)
Brooklyn Hand & Seal
Deschutes Mirror Mirror
J.W. Lees Harvest Ale (Calvados Cask)
J.W. Lees Harvest Ale (Port Cask)
J.W. Lees Harvest Ale (Sherry Cask)
To Øl Mine is Bigger Than Yours

I think I need to open some of these and give 'em a try!

 

My top 5 (in order):

1. Firestone Walker Sucaba (only experience with it is a 2-year-old bottle I traded for. It was very nearly perfect)
2. Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Barleywine (very, very close to #1, but it's a hair behind Sucaba in my book)
3. Hill Farmstead Aaron (was given a small sample at a tasting last year and it was incredible)
4. Jackie O's Bourbon Barrel Brick Kiln (hmmm. I still have a bottle of this. I know what I'm drinking tonight!)
5. Weyerbacher Insanity (for the combination of quality and availability, this is hard to beat)

 

I'm just gonna tell you the best one that I have had, and it is this: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/14879/72827/

An out of this world BA Barleywine. Totally worth the price tag, IMO. If you see it, nab it!

 

It's only "hot" if you drink it fresh. With 5 years on it, Samael tastes like liquid marshmallows .

 

IMO, King Henry, 2011 Bligh's, and 2012 MOAS were as good as I've ever had. Abacus/Sucaba has been a consistent winner while the others have either changed a bit or (in the case of KH) are no longer being produced.
Bligh's and MOAS are still good, but I think both have a bit more heat right away and need a few months to mellow.

 

Kuhnhenn BBBW
Sucaba
BA Brick Kiln
BCBBW
BA Cereal Killer

 

Ok Then

 

1. Straight Jacket
2. Old Stock Cellar Reserve 2011 (old ale, but let's let it slide)
3. Sucaba
4. Stone Southern Charred (does this count?)
5. BCBBW

got a MOAS on the way and hoping to try ADWTD soon

 

Bourbon County Barleywine (2013)
A Deal with the Devil
Old Stock Cellar Reserve Brandy
Sucaba
Old Stock Cellar Reserve Bourbon - Revolution Straight Jacket - Arctic Devil

(last ones are tied)

 

Not sure I totally agree with that. Strong Ale is a good catch-all grouping for beers that are now considered things like "Imperial Red," "Black IPA," "Belgian IPA," and others. Both the Beer Advocate and Brewer's Association styles have changed over the years...mainly to add new styles. Often it comes down to what you consider important, especially in the case of the ABV, yeast, and hop profile. Many beers that came out prior to 4-5 years ago were shoehorned into other styles because their current style names didn't even exist. Sometimes a beer can be shoehorned into a style in which it doesn't belong, which can be worse than a catch-all category. Give it another 10 years and our current list of styles might seem unbelievably vague, too.

 

Twisted Trace (Batch 1 - tasted like birthday cake)
Leon
BA Monster 29
King Henry
Gratitude (Had a 2006 a couple years back courtesy of @Schlais )

*Have not had Aaron or ADWTD, and I imagine those would change things significantly.

 

Anyone else get a Rochefort 10 vibe from the BCBBW?

 

No.

 

1: A Deal with the Devil
2: Aaron
3: King Henry
4: Sucaba
5: BCBBW

 

I still am not a huge fan of barleywines, but BA barleywines do the trick for me almost all the time.

~ Straightjacket (so good)
~ Sucaba
~ Bourbon County Barleywine
~ The Murderous

 

King Henry
BCBBW
§ucaba
Barrel Aged Naked Evil
Church on a Hill (cognac)

 

Voodoo K13
GI King Henry
Sebago Single Batch
Pelican Mother of all Storms
Alpine Great

 

I love barley wines. The only BA version that I have tried is Sucaba and I love it. I also enjoy Sierra Nevada Bigfoot and Old Ruffian. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot is my favorite barley wine.
So, I really don't have a top 5 as I have yet to try 5 barley wines, only three. But I will be working on this and expanding my barley wine portfolio, cheers!