Ok I'll play. 1. Revolution 2. Fremont 3. Tree House 4. Jackie O's 5. Anchorage (the $$$ though) Honorable Mention. Ever Grain (very small sample size but the brewer has a great track record at Skookum and they are priced well. $120 a case!)
Revolution Humble Forager Kros Strain Goose Island Fremont As soon as I posted it I realized I was going by barrel program generally, not just for barleywine, so I reworked my answer. Even more specifically, BA English Barleywines.
Done! 6. Jackie O's 7. Fremont 8. Temporal 9. Bissell 10. Pure Project 11. Goose Island 12. Kane 13. Veil Oops - I can't stop
It's a great time to be a lover of barreled beer! Finishing up a Sunday Morning Stout, might have add Weyerbacher at #14
You're like me - I have 12 beers in my "Top 5 Beers." There's just too many well-executed beers to cull the herd, IMHO.
Left off my favorite: Jackie O’s. Never had a Treehouse barleywine. Just their ales and a few very good stouts.
First time ever for this Shanex guy in this thread and even in past years. The mind is like a parachute, it’s better when it’s open, once stated a much wiser man than me. You betcha! Sipping on Jackie O’s Endolith. A Barleywine aged in bourbon barrel courtesy of @Blogjackets as a present for becoming a dad later in life. Outstanding stuff, strong, complex and yet fairly drinkable. Thanks buddy!
Dedicated Follower of Fashion from Grimm. This is a bourbon barrel-aged barleywine. 12% ABV. This is incredible. Loads of bourbon, but not boozy or sharp. The ABV is really well hidden. I'm getting nice burnt toffee, vanilla cream, brown sugar, molasses, pudding, raisins, figs, and a slight hoppy note.
Here's a new beer given to me by @GreenBayBA which is the Central Waters version of their collaboration with Fair State, Northern Rivals: Appearance: Dark amber, small head but good retention. Smell: Nice bourbon barrel smell, wood, vanilla, caramel. Taste: Starts sweet, then caramel and vanilla barrel flavor mixed with a pretty solid piney hop background note. Medium-full bodied. Finishes with lots of barrel, vanilla and wood. Overall: This is the Central Waters version of Northern Rivals, barrel aged while the Fair State version was not. Very nice to taste the base beer coming through with even some hoppiness present, which usually gets destroyed by the barrel. Very tasty stuff!
I drank a can of this myself last night. The first beer of the day. I got caramel, brown sugar, hint of raisin with a hint of hops . Rather smooth and easy drinking for 14.4% I thought the barrel was medium duty. I might rate it after having a few more cans.
It looks like you guys covered this really well. FW is my sentimental favorite for high quality at a reasonable price. I have had some very generous trades with @DIM that have exposed me to Central Waters, Free Will, and Revolution who have great barrel programs. I have a lot of exposure to Burial locally who has come out with some excellent barreled brews since i've lived here. Jackie O's was awesome when i bought a carload of their stuff a few years ago plus the dwindling distro we get here in WNC. I'll stop rambling now, i am still in concussion protocol.
I am enjoying Tree of Fire which i taste to be a very polarizing EBW. One has to have an open mind and an imagination when sipping this. With the dark fruits and smoked cheese the beer gives me, i can imagine Blue Cheese to pair with this - BUT i will defer to @SLeffler27 on the cheese choice. This is an excellent brewing by the Tree House team, i imagine it took a lot of trial and error to dial this recipe in. Rated 4.39. Cheers! Tom
Let's get @DIM in on this, as he was once a cheesemonger (if memory serves correctly). My guess, based on the reviews you and he posted... A pungent Blue might work well, maybe go with a soft Gorgonzol Dolce to get a blend of contrast/compliment to the strong aroma/flavors. The creamy-fat will help tame the alcohol. A Sharp Gruyere would be my choice to complement the the fruity/smoke and add a light funkiness to the mix. Maybe a Guda if you want to play-up the smoke.
