Barleywine Appreciation Thread (2022)

Nice! I need to open mine soon!

 

I ordered some as well (on Saturday), but have heard nothing since.

 

Man, this really feels like an English barleywine to me! Insanely good!

 

Sekiu from E9 Brewing in Tacoma. Compliments of @kemoarps in BIF #16. English barleywine aged in bourbon barrels.

Poured from a can at fridge temp. Pours a dark brown with a hint of red. Light layer of head. The nose is fantastic. Some Werther's caramel candy right up front. A good amount of bitter oak and leather. Sweet bourbon with notes of vanilla and brown sugar. Just incredible on the nose!

The taste...oh the taste. Swallowed the first sip and just had to smile. I have tried enough barleywine to know when something is special. This is one of those. Toffee, brown sugar, figs, plums, raisins, sherry, leather, wood, a touch of red wine, and a bit of hoppy citrus peel going on. A bit of burnt sugar and a rye spice. Earthy for sure. A bit of dried cranberries. Not overly sweet at all. Very nice balance of flavors. They really did a nice job with this one.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and quite dry. The aftertaste is a mix of sweet and bitter. Overall, a fantastic barleywine.

4.35/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

 

A great barleywine, compliments of @kemoarps. Brew 300 from Burke-Gilman Brewing in Seattle.

Poured at fridge temp. Pours a nice rustic brown/red. Transparent. Thin layer of head. The nose is caramel, apricot, honey, oak, plums, and raisins.

The taste is fantastic. Mild sweetness and silky-smooth. Plums, pears, apricots, raisins, leather, pine needles, grass, tree sap, slight maple, candy sweetness, and some toffee. Intense flavors. Super balanced. Lovely.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied. This drinks like the ABV is 12%, in terms of intensity of flavors. Surprised that it's only 8.5%. The aftertaste is a mix of mild hop bitterness and sweet candy. Overall, a great barleywine.

 

I'll join you in the Scotch nerdiness. A barleywine in Laphroaig barrels would be very interesting. I'm not a huge fan of their regular version, but I love the cask strength bottles.

 

Im finally back with a beer to share. Last weekend was a wedding with old college buddies, so while I drank tons of beer, no photos were taken to protect the innocent. Plus I need to recover a bit before getting another beer in my belly!
This is Foundation Chaos Elixir, which may be one of the best beer names Ive seen in a while. This is a 12.8% Barrel aged barleywine.

onto my review:


Sampling a cellar temp 12 oz can poured into my snifter. Picked these up at the brewery a few weeks ago. Can says barrel aged barleywine, but doesnt say anything about the type of barrel. The beer pours a fairly clear amber to golden color with dense eggshell white head foaming up about 1 cm. This foam fades to a thin edge layer soon after the pour. And this edging sticks around throughout the tasting. Very thin lacing after each swirl.
Aroma is sweet toffee and brown sugar and hints of butterscotch. Almost like a werthers nose. I also get some floral honey and hints of light fruit, maybe pear. But the butterscotch and werthers are by far the dominant scent. Not really fusol booze nor any hop character that I can detect.
First sip reveals a lighter body than anticipated and also a sticky texture. The beer drinks easy and coats my palate. Carbonation is soft and almost non-existent.
Flavor is sweet on this beer. I get caramel and toffee and hints of brown sugar, here the fruit is more apple and I am definitely thinking of candied apple notes. Hops are absent and booze is hidden with neither pepper or heat showing through. This beer is sweet for sure and I find myself sipping it due to that reason and not any others. Ive got 3 more of these cans and will definitely plan on splitting these from now on to divy up the sugar!
4.3 in the BA DB