Where to start with Barley Wine.

Agreed, this one is fantastic, though it's only a once a year release. All the more surprising that my store still has half a case on the shelf. More for me, I suppose.

 

king henry...you'll be disappointed forever afterwards

 

I echo anyone who has said BCBBW is great. It is barrel aged but it's perfection I think. I would say it's the best barleywine I've had.

1 of my favorites, and it hasn't been mentioned and you'll probably have to trade for it, is the Mother of All Storms. Incredible barleywine. It is English style and a bit sweeter but it is sooo good.

 

Mine as well, and I love the style. I know you're staying away from sweet, but Lagunitas Olde GnarlyWine is another tasty barleywine, leaning a little more to the English style. I could be wrong, but I sometimes think of Brown Shugga as a barleywine. A beer that is the best of both worlds is Founders Devil Dancer, the DIPA that drinks like a barleywine. It reminded me of Bigfoot. I am going to try some of the other recommendations in this post myself!

 

Second! Limited distro though, but I have a few too many in the cellar if anyone wanted to get their hands on it. (hint hint)

 

No. 1. Obviously.

 

I think you mean Old Ruffian?

 

I'm in the same boat. Bought a sixer of 2011 Bigfoot in February 2012, so about a year+ old. Gave one to a friend and drank two. Could barely tolerate them for the reasons you mentioned—they were a chore to finish. Cellared the rest and drank one each of the next 3 winters. The unpleasant qualities mellowed somewhat over time, but not enough to change my mind about the beer. I think that if I ever decide to give it one more chance, it would have to be super fresh. The only other American BW I've had was Old Ruffian. Had the same qualities that turned me off to Bigfoot although not as objectionable.
Guess I'm squarely in the English style camp. Loved J.W. Lees, King Henry and Insanity.

 

Here is a good entry barleywine:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/779/88064/
Tally-ho is English, so it will be sweet and not very hoppy. But it shouldn't be "too" sweet. If it is, you might want to stick to American barleywines exclusively.

American barleywines often have a significant hop profile compared to English.

It also depends on what you like, and it looks like you don't want them too sweet. But "sweet" might not be the exact right word. Some beers in this style have a particular type of sweetness that is just unpleasant to me personally, but others are very sweet in a general sense and don't bother me at all. If you want to know the particular flavor I'm talking about, get Samael's Ale by Avery. It's the only barley wine I've ever had that I really didn't care for.

Barleywines I've really enjoyed:
-Bigfoot (and bigfoot barrel aged) by Sierra Nevada
-Deal with the Devil by Anchorage
-Old Guardian by Stone
-Third Coast by Bell's
-Gnarleywine by Lagunitas
-#100 by Nøgne Ø
-Solstice D'hiver by Dieu du Ciel

and yes I like that Tally-ho also.

Be prepared, though, as occasionally you will run into some beers that are called "barleywine" on BA and RB, but their flavor doesn't really fit in with the rest. For example Big Worse (the whole series) by Mikkeller.

 

Underrated BW in my book is Old Godfather Barleywine.

 

I have seen the same thing here in Denver. I grabbed up 7 after the release and last week I got 2 more and now they are out. Ages well!

 

I hope they release a BA version of this guy!

 

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, and Anchor Old Foghorn are pretty approachable. Lower alcohol/sugars than most, and also hoppier than typical barleywines.

 

On the barrel-aged side, all of the barleywines by Baladin, Firestone Walker, or JW Lees are fantastic, albeit a little hard to find. Non-barrel aged, try Bells Third Coast, North Coast's Old Stock Ale, Founders Old Curmudgeon, or Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot.

(I'm also of the opinion that, at present, there isn't a real difference between old ales, barleywines, or wee heavies.)

 

I have never met a Barley Wine I didn't like. The British ones tend to be sweeter and the American ones hoppier. AleSmith Old Numbskull as moshea suggested is a good place to start. Bigfoot is good as is Old Foghorn. Buy several, hide them in your basement and try them in a few years.

 

Killer Penguin is more hop forward (and a great bottle), Old Crustacean from Rogue is also moderately hoppy unless aged, Green Flash also makes an excellent example with moderate hop notes, Nogone 100 is also fantastic as is Old Guardian in most of it's incarnations.

Of the newest I have tried Mirror Mirror from Descutes is FANTASTIC and one of the best most recent incarnations of the style.

IF you can wait, "supposedly" The Thomas Hardy's is being re-released......if it is only 90 percent as good as the original it will be worth the wait.

The little lady and I BOTH love barely wines and try them every chance we get. Ah--so nice to have a traveling partner on this journey.

Cheers, and good luck-----

by the way, I would suggest splitting them with someone of similar tastes so as to not overwhelm da' system.

 

I would agree 100 percent except for the wee heavies, more malt forward and lighter on the booze aspect, as well as the hops. JW Lee's is a fantastic brew and should be sought after----especially the cask versions.

 

That's a tasty one.

Cheers!

 

Anchor strikes a good balance between the sweet and bitter.
Bigfoot is just too bitter for a BW imo.