Barleywine Appreciation Thread (2022)

Discussion in 'The Bar' started by DIM, Jan 4, 2022.

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Which type of Barleywine do you prefer?

  1. American

    97 vote(s)
    17.0%

  2. English

    295 vote(s)
    51.8%

  3. That's like asking me to choose my favorite child, I love them all!

    162 vote(s)
    28.5%

  4. Neither, if Barleywine is life then life has no meaning.

    15 vote(s)
    2.6%
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  1. jbakajust1

    jbakajust1 Pooh-Bah (2,552) Aug 25, 2009 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah

    Nice, I think mine are the Cocoa version.
     
    #541 jbakajust1, Mar 10, 2022
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  2. DIM

    DIM Grand Pooh-Bah (4,788) Sep 28, 2006 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Never heard of it, had to look that one up.

    Barleywine aged in 27% wheat whiskey barrels, 27% rye whiskey barrels, 31% pinot noir barrels, and 14% bourbon barrels with roasted Indian cocoa beans added.

    Sounds like that could be amazing, hope they make it again sometime.
     
    #542 DIM, Mar 10, 2022
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  3. jbakajust1

    jbakajust1 Pooh-Bah (2,552) Aug 25, 2009 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah

    If I remember correctly that was one of the Club Only releases last year, and Maple Barrel Rhino Suit.
     
    #543 jbakajust1, Mar 10, 2022
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  4. sulldaddy

    sulldaddy Grand Pooh-Bah (5,716) Apr 6, 2003 Connecticut
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Its thursday so start of beering for me for the week. Ive cross posted this in the What Northeast beer are you drinking thread. After looking around in the cellar, I realized I need to move through some of my Barreled Souls stash. Also was reminded of this as I ordered even more bottles from my bottle society membership! So I am aiming to do at least one Barreled Souls bottle each night this weekend. if you know anything about the brewery, doing a second bottle may be a little foolhardy on my part. But I gotta empty those boxes!!
    This is Crazy Squares 2.0 an English style barleywine with cinnamon toast crunch cereal added to it. ABV is 10.8%.
    Onto my review:
    [​IMG]
    Im sampling a cellar temp bottle poured into my trusty snifter. Picked up the beer last October and has been in cellar since then. Bottled on 7-02-2021.
    The beer pours a dark mahogany color with almost no light coming through the glass and a fluffy beige head of 2.5 cm foams up and fades slowly after the pour. Leaves very dense lattice on the sides of the glass and a large island on the center floating lightly on the beer.
    Aroma is actually pretty much what I expect with some toffee and grainy cereal notes and of course a sweet cinnamon sugar note. Makes me think of those old football player Domino cinnamon and sugar shakers! No hint of any booze and nothing in the hop family either. the lack of booziness on the nose is pretty impressive to me.
    First sip reveals a surprisingly light body with thinner texture than I would expect, maybe from the heavy dose of pure fermentables thinned out the beer? Carbonation is medium and very fine. The thinner body is a slight detracter for me.
    Flavor is similar to the nose, I get some light toffee and caramel, rolls to brown sugar and some cinnamon. The cinnamon lingers after the swallow but tastes real, not like a Big Red chewing gum. I dont get any hop character and the ABV is well hidden throughout the tasting....well maybe not at the end of the bottle ! :stuck_out_tongue:
    I enjoy this beer and think it all works, still liked Cinnsanity as my favorite cinnamon barleywine more, but this is pretty solid and Im glad to have tried it!

    4.22 in BA DB
     
    #544 sulldaddy, Mar 11, 2022
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  5. Equality72521

    Equality72521 Initiate (163) Mar 1, 2022 Minnesota

    When I buy barleywine I like to buy it in imultiples - a six pack or multiple bottles if sold singly. One for now, and the rest for cellaring. I have a couple bottles of 2014 Old Man Winter Warmer (Lake Superior Brewery in Duluth MN - now closed). They keep getting better.
     
    #545 Equality72521, Mar 11, 2022
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  6. DIM

    DIM Grand Pooh-Bah (4,788) Sep 28, 2006 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Tree of Bliss from Tree House is aged for 36 months in select bourbon and brandy barrels. After aging, it is transferred atop sweet orange peel, fruit-forward coffee, and vanilla beans.

    Curious to know the thinking behind this. I wonder if the extended aging is an experiment gone sideways, necessitating the add-ons at the end? And why can't we know the ABV?

    [​IMG]

    Well if the extras were added to mask something they've done their job. Not a darn thing wrong with this. The coffee is noticable but well incorporated, the vanilla is subtle, and the orange peel very faint. I get more brandy than bourbon barrel and the base beer sweetness shines through with caramel and chocolate syrup.

    My 250th barleywine rated!
     
    #546 DIM, Mar 13, 2022
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2022
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  7. Uberdachen

    Uberdachen Devotee (355) Jun 21, 2019 Minnesota
    Trader

    [​IMG]

    Don’t know if it was my current sense of smell loss or following ba darkness, but had a lot less barrel character than the last of these I had.
     
    #547 Uberdachen, Mar 14, 2022
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  8. DIM

    DIM Grand Pooh-Bah (4,788) Sep 28, 2006 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I've tried quite a few ryewines lately and I'm a fan. This gem comes from @FBarber thanks again! This is a gem. Revolution can do no wrong with barrels. I want to watch a cartoon based on that label.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    #548 DIM, Mar 15, 2022
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  9. Spade

    Spade Pooh-Bah (2,568) Mar 27, 2006 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Today I was fortunate to be on the receiving end of some @DIM generosity. The only one of these I've had is 2022 Bigfoot, and a side-by-side with this 2016 bottle may be in order.

    Thanks again, sir. It was great meeting you this afternoon. I don't do much online these days; the quality of people on BA keeps me coming back.

    [​IMG]
     
    #549 Spade, Mar 16, 2022
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  10. DIM

    DIM Grand Pooh-Bah (4,788) Sep 28, 2006 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Nice to meet you as well sir. I appreciate the opportunity to pay off the beer karma debt I recently incurred thanks to @FBarber

    Enjoy 'em!
     
    #550 DIM, Mar 16, 2022
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  11. EmperorBevis

    EmperorBevis Grand High Pooh-Bah (9,338) Sep 25, 2011 England
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    White Barley Wine

    in the words of Torrside themselves

    “We'd probably say a white barley wine would be hoppier (like a stronger white IPA), and a wheat wine more along the lines of a traditional barley wine, but with wheat.

    We're definitely not just making this stuff up as we go along. Definitely not ”

    [​IMG]
     
    #551 EmperorBevis, Mar 17, 2022
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  12. FBarber

    FBarber Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,325) Mar 5, 2016 Illinois
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    [​IMG]
     
    #552 FBarber, Mar 17, 2022
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  13. Hinda65

    Hinda65 Pooh-Bah (1,908) May 7, 2017 Utah
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    A great local English Barleywine only brewed once as a collaboration between 2row and a home brewer..pretty cool. and real tasty with all the fruits and booze you'd expect from a good English Barleywine

    [​IMG]
     
    #553 Hinda65, Mar 18, 2022
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  14. Bitterbill

    Bitterbill Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,036) Sep 14, 2002 Wyoming
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    I can't help but remember Monster, the cat, from Brooklyn Brewing. When he died back in 2012, Brooklyn retired that wonderful Barleywine.
     
    #554 Bitterbill, Mar 18, 2022
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  15. DIM

    DIM Grand Pooh-Bah (4,788) Sep 28, 2006 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Damn, has it been that long? Never met the cat but I miss that beer.
     
    #555 DIM, Mar 18, 2022
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  16. DIM

    DIM Grand Pooh-Bah (4,788) Sep 28, 2006 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    B.A. Baracus from Mason Ale Works

    I was not allowed to watch the A-Team as a kid, did I miss anything good? This a really nice, fruit forward, boozy barleywine.

    [​IMG]
     
    #556 DIM, Mar 19, 2022
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  17. msscott1973

    msscott1973 Pooh-Bah (1,739) Dec 28, 2013 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah

    Well all I can say is the real B.A. Baracus was not "fruit forward". :wink:
     
    #557 msscott1973, Mar 19, 2022
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  18. bbtkd

    bbtkd Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,790) Sep 20, 2015 South Dakota
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I'm not a big barleywine fan (prefer wheatwine), but recently took a chance on these two White Elm Stone The Crow English Barleywines, 14% ABV, one bourbon barrel aged, the other cognac barrel aged. Both were great, but the cognac was far better, 4.21 vs. 4.46. The cognac was sweeter and less bitter, and the BBA had an odd tangy flavor. I passed on the port barrel variant because I usually don't like wine BA. Still, may go back for it, because you never know. Might get another cognac, even though they cost more than BCBS variants.

    [​IMG]
     
    #558 bbtkd, Mar 19, 2022
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2022
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  19. SLeffler27

    SLeffler27 Grand Pooh-Bah (4,906) Feb 24, 2008 New York
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I pity you, fool!

    Well, actually, and I say this with great respect for George, Derk, and Mr. T, no. Your parents were right and you are a better person for having never seen the show. ;-)

    The beer sounds good though.
     
    #559 SLeffler27, Mar 19, 2022
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  20. jmdrpi

    jmdrpi Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,989) Dec 11, 2008 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Tasty locally brewed barleywine - Round Guys Brewing (Lansdale, PA) - Nautical Disaster. Great boozy caramel and toasty flavors but earthy dry finish, enough bitterness to balance the malt.
    [​IMG]
     
    #560 jmdrpi, Mar 19, 2022
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