Barley Wines/barrel aged beers

I 2nd the Central Waters suggestion. See avatar to the left. haha. All of their brewers reserve stuff is top notch.

Kentucky BB is actually considered low end BB beer as they only age it in barrels for a short time. If you like that you'll be very pleased with anything BB aged by CW.

There's also Weyerbacher Insanity. BB aged barleywine. Enjoy!

 

Me neither, unfortunately.

I really wish Chicago got Weyerbacher.

 

Pilgrims Dole by New Holland is a great beer

 

Anybody know if Barrel Chested from Upland hits Chicago anymore? Seems like Upland has very few SKUs on the market now and I didn't see it last year. Folks at Binny's have told me mixed things and couldn't confirm, but the overall message from most of the other beer stores I frequent is that in general barleywines aren't selling in this market anymore so there isn't much coming in this year.

 

Maybe they should start making hazy barleywines? Idiots would chase trucks to buy them up then.

 

I still see barrel chested in the far north suburbs, up near the wi/il state line

 

You can usually find New Holland's Dragon's Mile yer-round, and you might also find Arcadia's Shipwreck Porter most of the year. Both are bourbon barrel-aged. The Shipwreck is a bit pricey at $8 per 12oz. bottle, but it's a very good beer. Dragon's Mile is a reasonable price for a BBA beer.

 

So did Upland Barrel Chested already hit Illinois? Been keeping an eye out for it, but have not seen it. We still haven't seen Straight Jacket in CU yet either though. I think our distro is holding onto it, as I saw someone from OH say they already got SJ.

 

Im resurrecting this thread because a few barely wines came out/are coming out. I'm pretty new to barley wines this year and they are really growing on me.

Murderous is set to come out this weekend and wanted to know what everyone thinks of it.

So far, VSOJ has been my absolute favorite and BCBBW being up there.

 

CW BBBW should be April. I must've missed Upland Barrel Chested, or maybe that's not an annual release. It's pretty good though. Can't remember when it comes out, but Angel's Share by Lost Abbey is pretty fantastic. It's one of the few LAs I'm willing to foot the bill for.

EDIT: I'm still holding my Clown Shoes Bluegrass Billionaire. I've heard it's pretty great. Probabaly long gone from the shelves these days...

 

Don't hold on too long. Clown Shoes beers don't hold up as well as most.

 

Yeah, I've heard that before. Good to be reminded of it.

Another couple of good barley wines I've picked up in the not too distant past are Bruery Mash & Vanilla and Great Divide Barrel Aged Old Ruffian.

 

Had one recently and I agree, didn't hold up well

 

I had a GI Grand Prestige on draught last Friday and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I definitely recommend anyone who enjoys Backwoods Bastard and the like to give it a try.

 

Sounds like I've got unexpected homework. I do need to do some spring cleaning...

EDIT: Can you guys define "not holding up well"? Want to know what to be on the lookout for.

 

So I popped by Bluegrass Billionaire last night. I thought it was just fine. Had fairly light barrel characteristics, slightly hoppy for an English style - I'm actually glad I waited to drink this as the hops likely toned down quite a bit over the last 8-9 months. I prefer a smoother barleywine over a hoppy/spicy one - just my preference. Only problem I suddenly was faced with was consuming it all on a Tuesday night by myself. Fortunately, I emerged victorious.