Barleywine Appreciation Thread (2023)

Discussion in 'The Bar' started by DIM, Jan 1, 2023.

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  1. thebeers

    thebeers Grand Pooh-Bah (5,837) Sep 10, 2014 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    [​IMG]
    Central Waters Iced Bourbon Barrel Barleywine Ale

    My last in the series. The can of Iced pours a garnet-brown color with a thin tan head that doesn’t last super long, but noticeably longer than the other BiL in this series before settling into a wisp and crown. For looks, I rank them Iced, 5, 2, 4, 3.

    Burnt caramel, vanilla and light leather stand out in the nose. There’s a touch of raisin, but it’s less fruity than others. Just a hint of earthy/cardboard-y hops, harkening back to the 2-year. Nowhere near as smooth and complex as the 4-year, but I do like the caramel and vanilla quite a bit. As I’ve mentioned before, each of these are pretty lovely smelling in their own right. It’s close, but I’ll say 3, 4, Iced, 5, 2

    Caramel, vanilla, cherry cough syrup, strong wood, herbaceousness and alcohol all compete in the taste. The Iced has by far the strongest lingering bitterness of any of the vintages: super earthy and borderline pill-like, tempered by the somewhat clashing caramel sweetness. I was looking for more bitterness in some of the older cans, but this isn’t it. 4, 3, 5, 2, Iced.

    Iced has a nice, relatively creamy feel, but with a tad too much carbonation. Not crazy amounts, just a bit more than I like in the style. 4, 3, Iced, 2, 5.

    This one is definitely a bitter bomb, but the bitterness clashes a bit too much with the caramel and vanilla to my taste. Aging might help. You’d probably need to taste pretty frequently to find the sweet spot though. My overall power ranking is 4, 3, 2, Iced, 5. :beers:
     
    #701 thebeers, Mar 18, 2023
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  2. DIM

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

    Thanks for sharing all of these, I think I am going to sit on mine for awhile.
     
    #702 DIM, Mar 18, 2023
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  3. CarolinaCardinals

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

    Wanted to dive into the generous box from @Beersnake1 before my trip to PHX tomorrow. Thanks again TIm!
    Maple Jacket from Revolution is the choice today. Canned 12-6-21; a nice head was produced from an aggressive pour. Notes of classic barleywine dark fruits along with the maple barrel came forth. First sips gave me notes of fig, blackberry, and currants. Maple evolves lending a sweetness to this. Barrel presence is there warming with every sip, lending some vanilla yet there is enough fresh barrel giving a shot at balancing this beast. Finishes a touch sweet but not cloyingly so. Mouthfeel was medium bodied which was thinner than hoped but was smooth with each sip.
    Overall i am glad to have had a chance to try a Revolution high-gravity beer. I can see why they are much beloved and enjoyed.
    Cheers!
    Tom

    [​IMG]
     
    #703 CarolinaCardinals, Mar 18, 2023
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  4. GreenBayBA

    GreenBayBA Grand Pooh-Bah (4,265) Aug 30, 2015 Wisconsin
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    [​IMG]
    Central Waters Brewing 5-Year-Aged Bourbon Barrel Barleywine. This may be perfect. Edit. I just saw @thebeers rankings above. I have to dig deeper.
     
    #704 GreenBayBA, Mar 19, 2023
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  5. LSMroz

    LSMroz Zealot (672) Jan 25, 2013 Illinois
    Trader

    HUDL GP Barley Wine
    No pic
    Hoppy and sweet. Got even better as it warmed.

    Had the BBQ next door at SoulBBQ. Killer. Highly recommend hitting up both of these if you are visiting Vegas.
     
    #705 LSMroz, Mar 19, 2023
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  6. thebeers

    thebeers Grand Pooh-Bah (5,837) Sep 10, 2014 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I thought the 5-year was very good overall, but the carbonation level in my can was a lot fizzier than I enjoy this style. In a grouping of really good beers, that perceived flaw knocked it to the back of the pack. Still a treat on its own. :beers:
     
    #706 thebeers, Mar 19, 2023
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  7. BMBCLT

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

    Triple cross post...

    Fonta Flora Coracoid - Cocoa & Nutmeg - 14% ABV blend of an 18 month double barrel-aged English Barleywine and an 18 month bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout conditioned on Videri cocoa nibs and house-zested whole nutmeg.

    [​IMG]

    Really solid beer, but I'm not detecting any nutmeg here. Just dark bitter cocoa.

    Cheers! :beers:
     
    #707 BMBCLT, Mar 19, 2023
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  8. Beersnake

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

    Black Meridian from Cellarmaker. A black barleywine aged for 22 months in Weller bourbon barrels. Comes in at 14.6% ABV.

    Poured at fridge temp. Pours pretty much black with pretty much zero head. Looks like a big beer! The nose is bloody incredible. Brown sugar, burnt toffee, big boozy bourbon, a touch of black licorice, plums, figs, vanilla, and a hint of maple. I have picked up similar notes on other barleywines, but the difference here is the shear intensity of these notes. Cellarmaker killed this one.

    The taste really good, but is slightly below the nose for me. It's quite sweet - maple syrup type sweetness. The bourbon clearly comes through a lot as well. Big toffee and vanilla notes. There is charred wood, slight smoky note, molasses, plums, sticky sweetness, and an earthy kiss. I think my only complaint is that the high ABV does come through as almost a solvent note. It's very subtle, but it's there. Overall, super intense flavors all around.

    The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a mixture of sweet and bitter on the aftertaste. Overall, a really fun black barleywine!

    4.44/5 rDev +0.2%
    look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

    [​IMG]
     
    #708 Beersnake, Mar 19, 2023
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  9. Beersnake

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

    Interesting! I look forward to opening my bottle!
     
    #709 Beersnake, Mar 19, 2023
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  10. Spade

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

    Boulevard collab with Firestone Walker Wheat Wine

    [​IMG]

    Last of the 4-pack purchased last fall. Has a bit of wet cardboard smell but the flavor is heavy on butterscotch with a bit of vanilla. I've flip-flopped on this beer but 6 months in the bottle seems to have improved it. I'm tempted to get another pack and cellar them for a while.
     
    #710 Spade, Mar 19, 2023
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  11. DIM

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

    Having my last Endolith from Jackie O's.

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    This is a little more layered and nuanced than I recall my other bottle being in August. Still plenty sweet, there is a some nice molasses balancing things out just a hair.
     
    #711 DIM, Mar 20, 2023
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  12. BMBCLT

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

    The rest of the bottle...

    [​IMG]

    Cheers! :beers:
     
    #712 BMBCLT, Mar 20, 2023
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  13. Beersnake

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

    3rd/4th Anniversary 3rd/4th Blend from Matchless. A special blend of barleywines aged 1-3 years in bourbon and peated whiskey barrels. Comes in at 12.4% ABV.

    Poured from a can at fridge temp. Pours very dark brown with a thin layer of head. The nose is really interested. The peated whisky and bourbon seem to have a good marriage here. A touch of smoke, sweet toffee, vanilla, and loads of dark fruit.

    The taste is similar. I am personally a huge fan of peated scotch, and I love me some bourbon as well. I am not 100% sure that I love it when they are mixed like this. On the nose I could separate the smells in my mind, but they crash head on in the taste. Peat smoke, toffee, vanilla, maple, brown sugar, plums, leather, oak, and some candy. It definitely is what it's intended to me, and I think some will love it a bit more than me. Don't get me wrong, it's a great beer for many reasons, but the taste is a bit "confusing" for me.

    4/5 rDev -6.1%
    look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

    [​IMG]
     
    #713 Beersnake, Mar 20, 2023
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  14. VodkaPong87

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

    I think this should be a new style. My “Big and Black” is a bit immature to catch on. What about stoutleywine? Looks absolutely incredible!

    Edit: I just re-read and saw they call it a black barleywine. I’ve never seen that before? Is it something actually different, or just the special kind of barleywine that we all know and love?
     
    #714 VodkaPong87, Mar 20, 2023
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  15. Beersnake

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

    From what I understand, a black barleywine is simply a barleywine brewed with darker malts. Ultimately less sweet and perhaps a bit more roasty.
     
    #715 Beersnake, Mar 21, 2023
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  16. jmdrpi

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

    The first beers I think I ever saw that were labeled as "black barleywines" were Sierra Nevada's 30th Anniversary - Jack & Ken's Ale, and the 2010 version of Founders Nemesis, both released in that same year. Both were hoppy, slightly roasty, bitter, not as thick as a stout - and fantastic beers. Like bigger versions of "black IPAs", as much as I dislike that moniker.
     
    #716 jmdrpi, Mar 21, 2023
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  17. VodkaPong87

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

    This is damn good. Wonder if I can manage to hold onto the other can for a year…

    [​IMG]
     
    #717 VodkaPong87, Mar 22, 2023
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  18. Beersnake

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

    Glad to hear it! I have one in the fridge!
     
    #718 Beersnake, Mar 22, 2023
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  19. lucius10

    lucius10 Pooh-Bah (2,556) Aug 1, 2017 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    [​IMG]

    Vanilla High Note from Woven Water Brewing...

    Not the biggest fan of additions being used in barleywines, but occasionally you can find one that is done well. The vanilla in this one works really well with the bourbon barrel notes on the finish.
     
    #719 lucius10, Mar 22, 2023
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  20. ramseye4

    ramseye4 Maven (1,392) May 14, 2010 Virginia

    Outside of Total Wine and local bottle shops, neither of which is particularly close to me, I haven't had much luck locating barley wines around me. There is a Biergarten at a small shopping center at the front of my neighborhood (right next to the liquor store, Mexican restaurant and police station) that has them occasionally. I haven't had one in probably 10 years and need to remedy that ASAP
     
    #720 ramseye4, Mar 22, 2023
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