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. CarolinaCardinals

    CarolinaCardinals Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,231) Jun 11, 2003 North Carolina
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Courtesy of @DIM who was kind enough to share a not widely available bottle, thanks Dan! Poured only one-half for today and will have the other half tomorrow night.

    Thought the nose was awesome with notes of vanilla, leather, citrus, and dark fruit. The taste was the sturdy base Bigfoot that provides an overall touch of citrus and is enhanced wonderfully by the barrel, acquiring notes of vanilla, raisin, with a touch of leather. Finished very balanced with a nice touch of bourbon booziness. Mouthfeel was medium bodied with velvety smoothness with each sip. Overall an excellent collaboration between SNBC and EHT, and again am so very grateful to Dan for sharing a bottle!

    Cheers!
    Tom

    [​IMG]
     
    #1421 CarolinaCardinals, Oct 27, 2022
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  2. DIM

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

    Very glad to hear you like that Tom! I think I'll dive into one of yours tonight.:beers:
     
    #1422 DIM, Oct 27, 2022
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  3. Beersnake

    Beersnake Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,884) Aug 17, 2013 California
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Stumbled upon a six pack of Third Coast from 2014 today. The guy at the shop had these aging properly since fresh (he does this quite a bit).

    Opened almost exactly 8 years after bottling (3 days shy). Poured at fridge temp. Pours a nice dark brown with minimal head. The nose is full of caramel, raisins, prunes, figs, a touch of maple, and a slight note of almonds. Incredible!

    The taste is a great mix of sweet toffee, dark fruit, and hops. The hoppy bitterness is clearly a shadow of what it once was, which is just fine with me! I like my American barleywines with some age to trim some of that hop bite. Grass, pine needles, leather, hay, figs, toffee, raisins, plums, brown sugar, and maybe a touch of coffee grounds/tobacco. Very smooth and easy to drink. No sign of the ABV. A treat indeed.

    This, like Bigfoot and Old Guardian, is fantastic to age. For me, this is a sweet spot. However, I plan to age a couple for at least another few years so we will see.

    [​IMG]

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    #1423 Beersnake, Oct 28, 2022
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  4. Beersnake

    Beersnake Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,884) Aug 17, 2013 California
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Great review!
     
    #1424 Beersnake, Oct 28, 2022
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  5. DIM

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

    I've got Barleywine in Retrograde from Casita in collaboration with Divine Barrel. Thanks @arizcards !

    [​IMG]

    Up front is rich chocolate and toffee, silky sweet. The finish is earthy, piney hops and a really nice cherry note, both tart and sweet. At this point the chocolate and toffee are both all but gone. There is quite a transformation from start to finish here, I'm liking this one a lot! Thanks again Tom!
     
    #1425 DIM, Oct 28, 2022
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  6. Resistance88

    Resistance88 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,462) Apr 9, 2015 California
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I really enjoyed this one as well. I'm not that well versed in Barleywines ,but i do know what i like .

    Also Very Drinkable. I wouldn't hesitate to smash a bomber of this.
     
    #1426 Resistance88, Oct 28, 2022
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  7. Resistance88

    Resistance88 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,462) Apr 9, 2015 California
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    This beer needs no Intro.
    I rarely go out of my way for Barleywines, but when i heard Smog City was hosting a 5 year vertical and releasing brewery only variant of O.E i had to go ( Single Barrel Garrison Brothers Balmorhea ) and i bought one of these and a few of the others.
    Wifes currently making a cake for her niece and I'm going away for a few days for work so decided to open this. I prefer this beer fresh or 5+ years on it.
    She had a sip and said she felt like shes on the woods:smirk::joy:
    [​IMG]
     
    #1427 Resistance88, Oct 28, 2022
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  8. sulldaddy

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

    Time for a barleywine!! I did a bunch of imp stouts last weekend, so gonna try to balance it out this weekend with some barleywine action. This is Mikerphone collab with goose island Double LP side B14.58% ABV brew.
    Part of an amazing box of beers from @FBarber ! Thank you!

    onto my review:
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    Sampling this 16 oz can poured into my snifter at cellar temp. Beer is courtesy of @FBarber. thank you!!
    Beer pours a rich mahogany color with creamy beige head of about 1 cm. This foam fades to a sturdy edge layer and one wispy island that spins around in the center of the glass.
    the aroma is some toffee, caramel and cherry notes with a good dose of fusol alcohol. Maybe some black peppery spice that goes along with the booze. No hop character on the nose.
    First sip reveals a medium to thick body with syrupy sticky texture and minimal carbonation. Physical traits make this a sipping beer due to the syrupy stickiness feel.
    Flavor starts with sweetness of caramel and toffee, almost butterscotch notes. I also get a good dose of bourbon and again boozy notes with black pepper bite. Some lingering toffee and brown sugar come through after the swallow too. Never any hop presence. This barleywine is definitely a sipper based on texture and booziness. I enjoy it as I was some NFL tonight. glad to have tried this one!
    4.04 in the BA DB
     
    #1428 sulldaddy, Oct 28, 2022
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  9. Uberdachen

    Uberdachen Devotee (355) Jun 21, 2019 Minnesota
    Trader

    [​IMG]

    After three hours at the rink, Eviltwin Brewing blonde barley-wine style ale with honey, lemon and cinnamon.

    Apparently I wasn’t as in the mood for a hot toddy as I thought. I guess it tasted like the things put in it, but not like, a delicious barleywine.

    So, to fix that
    [​IMG]

    [to my children, against a backdrop of the last sun-bleached polar bear skeleton] you know what guys, everything’s going to be ok
     
    #1429 Uberdachen, Oct 28, 2022
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  10. BMBCLT

    BMBCLT Grand Pooh-Bah (3,427) May 9, 2014 South Carolina
    Pooh-Bah

    Just so you know, it's Evil Twin. :slight_smile:
     
    #1430 BMBCLT, Oct 28, 2022
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2022
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  11. VodkaPong87

    VodkaPong87 Pooh-Bah (2,060) Oct 9, 2020 Connecticut
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I actually wasn't a big fan of this. It was good, but not at the level I thought it would be
     
    #1431 VodkaPong87, Oct 28, 2022
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  12. Resistance88

    Resistance88 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,462) Apr 9, 2015 California
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    We all have different tastes. This is one of my favorite Barleywines .The
     
    #1432 Resistance88, Oct 28, 2022
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  13. msscott1973

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

    picked a couple of those up yesterday, looking forward to opening one
     
    #1433 msscott1973, Oct 29, 2022
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  14. Uberdachen

    Uberdachen Devotee (355) Jun 21, 2019 Minnesota
    Trader

    Good to know. Hopefully their label designer reads this thread.
     
    #1434 Uberdachen, Oct 29, 2022
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  15. Beersnake

    Beersnake Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,884) Aug 17, 2013 California
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    A big treat tonight! Recollection from BKS. This is a rye whiskey barrel-aged English barleywine. Got if from @Harrison8 in a trade almost a year ago.

    Poured at fridge temp. Pours a very dark brown with minimal head. Nose is fantastic. Toffee, raisins, plums, booze, chocolate, rye, brown sugar.

    The taste...oh the taste. Huge burst of toffee right away. The rye whiskey is also very dominant. What a fantastic combination! Raisins, figs, maple, chocolate, honey, brown sugar. Spicy and sweet. Just a wonderful marriage of flavors on this one - extremely well integrated.

    Mouthfeel is thick bodied and generally sweet on the aftertaste. It's definitely boozy, but I wouldn't guess 14% on the taste. Warming and smooth. Overall, an absolutely fantastic BA English barleywine.

    4.43/5 rDev +2.8%
    look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

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    #1435 Beersnake, Oct 29, 2022
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  16. DIM

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

    One good thing about tiny bottles, it makes side by side comparisons like this possible. Wooden Cleat from Kane, this version was a blend of barleywines aged in Woodford Reserve double oak barrels. Some stayed for 27 months, the white label. Some was removed after 5 months then transferred to a new toasted Chestnut Puncheon to double barrel age for an additional 10 months. After the double barrel it was allowed to cold condition for an extended period, the black label. 250mls each.

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]


    Similar appearance, smaller head on the straight bourbon barrel and that one is also a little muddier though neither has good clarity.

    The white label that spent 27 months in bourbon barrels has extremely intense raisin and molasses throughout plus mellow, oaky tobacco at the finish. At the edges throughout are honey, vanilla toffee, and a lovely bourbon note. Magnificent.

    The black label that spent time in a Chestnut puncheon also features raisin and molasses, but they aren't as intense, not even close. Caramel and toffee fill the void. The honey is stronger and the extra wood is kind of nutty and tastes a bit like a humidor smells. This has some praline vibes. Stellar.

    So there is a little overlap between these two, thanks to the 5 months they have in common. The last 22 months though made these two quite different. I definitely prefer the black label but both are excellent. Kane just kicks ass. Go Phils!
     
    #1436 DIM, Oct 29, 2022
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  17. VodkaPong87

    VodkaPong87 Pooh-Bah (2,060) Oct 9, 2020 Connecticut
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    The legend. I actually like this better fresh, though. Canned 11/4/21

    [​IMG]
     
    #1437 VodkaPong87, Oct 29, 2022
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  18. DIM

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

    That is the bomdiggity.
     
    #1438 DIM, Oct 29, 2022
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  19. sulldaddy

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

    back again with somemore barleywine love! This is Barreled Souls Bombs Over Barley aged in Parkers Heritage Heavy Char Bourbon barrels..... YUM! 12 months in the barrel, bottled on 11/03/2021. 14.4%!
    Long week of work with interviews in the evening to bring in new staff has drained me mentally, so big beers it is!!

    onto my review:
    [​IMG]
    Sampling a cellar temp 500 ml bottle poured into my snifter. the beer was picked up at the brewery two weeks ago and was bottled on 11/03/2021. Beer was temp controlled storage by the brewery before I picked it up! :slight_smile:
    Pours a rich mahogany color with a fizzy beige head of 1 cm foaming up after an aggressive pour. This foam fades to a thin edge layer quickly after the pour. Soon, there is no foam left at all.
    Aroma is rich sweet and malty. I get toffee, brown sugar, some bourbon notes, a bit of raisin too. Very mild fusol alcohol notes. No hop character to speak of.
    First sip reveals a medium body, almost non existent carbonation, slightly slick mouthfeel. Although it is a little sticky on my lips too. Flavor is also sweet with toffee, caramel, brown sugar, and bourbon. I swear I get pipe tobacco here too. Not really any bitey booze or warmth = a dangerous brew I think! hops are also absent from the flavor profile.
    This beer is sweet and malty, but far from cloying or candy like. No hints of booze and I really like it! Glad I have a 2nd bottle. so tasty!

    4.66 in the BA DB
     
    #1439 sulldaddy, Oct 29, 2022
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  20. DIM

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

    Helluva write up, that sounds amazing!
     
    #1440 DIM, Oct 29, 2022
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