Good Barleywine Introduction

Central Waters makes some great brews.

 

Brooklyn Monster. Why they're replacing it with another fucking Double IPA I'll never understand. Get it while you can and skip Bigfoot for now (unless you know you already super hoppy (like absurdly) beers). It's a great English style barleywine.

 

While it's expensive Sucaba is, in my mind, both totally accessible and the preeminent American barley wine. These two facts are probably interrelated.

 

I see you're from PA. Troegs Flying Mouflan is a good representation of the style, should be easy to find too.

 

Grab yourself a North Coast Old Stock Ale, preferably one with at LEAST a year on it and it will be HEAVENLY.

I've got 2012's and 2011's in my cellar and the 2011's are noticeably better and more smoothed out.

Also, Central Waters makes a phenomenal Barrel Aged Barelywine.

 

I got a kick out of green flash Barleywine

 

Even within the style there is a lot of deviation. I like the sweeter barleywines, and since you're in PA try Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot or victory old horizontal. I love both of them. If you find them too sweet, try rogue old crustacean or stone old guardian.

 

get a bottle of sucaba and you will be a happy camper

 

Forgot about mouflan. Another great PA barleywine.

 

While we're at it, what's up with barleywine a being called "old"? Old guardian, old crustacean, old ruffian and old numbskull to name a few. Might as well tell SN to call it old Bigfoot!

 

It's an "old" style.

 

Uinta Cockeyed Cooper is one of my favorites.

 

great feedback BA wunderkind! I'm also looking to dive into the style, next weekend's trip to the bottle shops will be filled with Barleywine goodness!

 

Yeah don't bother with the others, just skip right to King Henry and you can thank me later! But seriously OP, I had my first KH this past weekend and it blew my mind and blew all other examples out of the water (which is rightfully so!)

 

Does this see any distribution in the U.S.?

 

KH is pretty mind blowing, but not easy to come by - at least in my neck of the woods. In that vain, Mother of All Storms is pretty exceptional too.

 

Was planning on typing the EXACT same advice. Having had many, some are better fresher than aged, and some are better aged than fresh. Regardless, go slow, the water is murky..

 

Not in recent years (if ever?), but, of course, the supposedly "similar recipe" Fuller's Vintage Ale does and is relatively easy to find. IIRC, the major difference being VA is bottle conditioned, as well as the recipe being "tweaked" each year with different hops/malt.

 

You might try this list:
http://beeradvocate.com/lists/style/19

or this one:
http://beeradvocate.com/lists/style/152