Barleywine Appreciation Thread (2023)

East End Brewing Co. -- gratitude - Rye Barrel Aged
Barrel-aged bareleywine
ABV: 11.2%; pouring temperature: °F; canning info: 25 BA TUDE 23
Source: @DIM



4.4/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

The pour is a clear, brownish-orange color; rather dark copper color in the glass; medium carbonation density with very slow rising tiny bubble; thick, spongy off-white head; thick sticky rings of globs of foam coat the glass. Outstanding aroma; sweet caramel with notes of orange and rye. Big malt flavor tinged with rye whiskey; caramel and light brown sugar; balanced rye spiciness; delicate sense of phenols. Heavy, sticky body; light and bright boozy heat.

A well-crafted barrel-aged barleywine that nicely balances the big, sweet malt base beer with the zesty zing of rye barrel aging.

 

this is Castaway bourbon barrel aged barleywine, from Old Stove Brewing in Seattle, Washington. 2021 vintage. This is a 13.0% beer that I received as part of NBS BIF#17 from the illustrious @snaotheus in his best attempt to bury me with big boozy beers from the Pacific Northwest. Im still digging out my friend!

onto my review:

Sampling a cellar temp 2021 vintage , 22 oz waxed bottle and pouring into my trusty snifter. The beer pours a very deep mahogany color and has some lighter ruby highlights when I hold to a light source.
A dense creamy beige khaki colored head of just under 1 cm foams up on the pour. This foam fades to a very sturdy, and clingy edge layer. I get pretty dense lattice when I swirl the glass or take a sip. This beer looks nice and the dense head with 13% ABV is pretty impressive to me.
Aroma is rich and malty, sweet with out cloying. I get brown sugar and candied pears, with some werthers toffee and a decent amount of bourbon. No fusol booze, or any hop presence.
First sip reveals a medium body and smooth, fairly silky texture. Carbonation is very fine and soft on my palate. Does provide some coating on my lips and palate on each sip.
Flavor is very similar to the nose, with toffee and light fruity notes again pears are what I pick up. Bourbon sweetness and a little dry wooden barrel hint. There is some black pepper bite on the finish, which clues me in to the warming that occurs after the swallow. No hop character that I can detect.
This is a tasty barleywine that features some of the best qualities of the style but isnt overly aggressive with any of them.
Quite the sipper that I will spend the rest of my evening enjoying. Very glad to have tried this one!

4.47 in the BA DB

 

Dystopias from Free Will. Comes in at 20.1% ABV!

Poured from a sample sent by @sulldaddy . Pours a very dark brown with zero head (as expected). The nose is intense. Prunes, plums, sherry, some alcohol, and raisins. The taste is insane. Molasses, prunes, figs, raisins, booze, slight chocolate, sherry, port. A mild sweetness and a sharp bite come through. Wow. This is really a wonderful experience. Something comparable would be Don from HotD, but this blows that away. Definitely some heat as it goes down. Amazing!

Look at me Dan (@DIM ), I'm trying this!

 

Meantime Brewing Co. -- Thomas Hardy's Ale (Golden Edition - 50th Anniversary)
Barley wine ale
ABV: 13.0%; pouring temperature: 46 °F; bottling info: Bottle No. #48371 Vintage 2018
Source: @micada (BA Stout / Barleywine BIF #1)



4.37/5 rDev +4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a deep, clear honey amber color before the yeast sediment enters the mix; dark amber in the glass; thin head initially that recedes to a light ring encircling the inside of the glass. Huge caramel and toffee aroma; some indeterminate earthy esters; leather. Rich malt flavor with a boozy undercurrent; caramel and toffee; figs; a kind of peppery spiciness in the background. Heavy body; thick and sticky on the palate; dense residual sugars.

There's no indication of barrel aging on the bottle label, yet my palate gets a sense of some sort of whisky / whiskey barrel aging. Ah, but wait! The web site indicates the possibility of whisky barrel aging but not necessarily for this edition. Regardless, this is one heck of a big, classic, English style barley wine. Rich, luxurious, flavorful, and a fine sipper.

 

Huge shoutout to @sulldaddy for this one! Fourteen Fourty from Kettlehead Brewing in New Hampshire. Single malt barleywine aged in 15 year old Widow Jane bourbon barrels. ABV comes in at 11.9%

Poured at fridge temp. Pours very dark brown with a tiny and fleeting layer of off-white head. The nose is insane. Rich toffee, bourbon, vanilla, raisin, prunes, and a nice woody note.

The taste is equally as amazing. Burnt toffee, slight tobacco, vanilla, oak, bourbon-soaked raisins, maraschino cherries, booze, and a slight acidic note. Definitely a moderate bitterness on the taste that wasn't apparent on the nose. Very tasty!

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a slightly alcoholic and toffee aftertaste.