Barleywine suggestions?

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot for an American Barleywine
Anchor Old Foghorn for English Barleywine
Great Divide Hibernation for an Old Ale (pretty much the same thing as an English Barleywine, but for completeness and to prevent arguments...)

 

SN Bigfoot is a great first choice IMO. Can't beat the price and should be available everywhere.

Bells Third Coast Old Ale as well.

 

Weyerbacher's Insanity or Blithering Idiot.

 

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot is the best place to start. It is out right now in Florida. Good luck

 

You have to decide whether you might be more of an American or English barleywine fan. Hopefully you'll enjoy both! The only way to know is to try both. You could start with something like the link I provided below. It's based upon most reviews of English BWs and might be a good first step towards seeking out what you want for a first try (typically most reviews means most accessible)

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/152/?sort=revsD

 

Second the suggestions for Weyerbacher and Bells Third Coast Old Ale (they are all just so good!).

@bowzer4birdie is very much right - you will probably find you prefer one style over the other. American is more heavily hopped (unsurprisingly) but each are worth while.

My absolute favorite beer ever is a bourbon barrel aged English Barleywine, but the first time I had Anchor Old Foghorn I barfed like a freshman... It can be a challenging style for some people, but if you start with any of the suggestions above you will be enjoying classic examples of the style.

 

OP I'm dipping my toes into the Barleywine style as well. To me SN Bigfoot (12oz.) was just way too hoppy and masked anything else it was trying to achieve compared to other BWs I've experienced recently and this was right after Schlafly's Oak Aged BW (on tap), same session.

 

From my perspective (opinion only)
American = slightly lighter with aggressive hopping
English = more caramelized, a bit sweeter and less hops.

You really need to try both, and also remember they age basically for ever, so if you see any old ones in a store you might like them aged not fresh.

JW Lees Harvest Ale is often kicking around with older vintages, so you can sample a top class aged English Barleywine without having to wait 2 or 3 years! Can be pricey (8-9 a bottle) but totally worth it if you are digging the basic ones.

 

I've always been fond of Emelisse Barley Wine.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/11890/58608/

 

Yes, tread lightly with these.

I don't know if I was just in the mood or what, but my first go at Bells Third Coast had me drinking 5 or the six before I knew what hit me. Having a family cookout and I was manning the grill on a nice fall Friday after work.

Pretty sure I was down ny 10 pm.

 

Yeah, fresh SN Biggie can be pretty aggressive - I usually don't even open one - just toss a few 4 packs in the back of the cellar and come back to them a year or 2 later... I absolutely prefer English style ones

 

Will definitely do this, I'm curious as to how they will develop. I really prefer the English style as well at this point.

 

Not sure about a starter barleywine but 3 awesome ones not to start with are BCBBW, Sucaba, and Central Waters bb barleywine. They are strong and taste awesome, anything after that is a letdown.

 

Bell's third coast old ale, one of my favorites!
Brooklyn monster ale was decent for the money, if you can still find it around anywhere (they don't make it anymore).

 

Alesmith's Old Numbskull.

 

You may well want to start with what is most available in your neck of the woods. I don't know the distro availability for BCBBW, Sucaba and CBBBW but if you can get your hands on them, it will be well worth it. Start local and work your way national! :-)

 

A beer buddy had a 6 year vertical we tasted a while back. I preferred the oldest ones where the hops had completely faded and raisin and sherry notes were coming through. I found that in the first few years you lost the floral hops, but there was still a lot of astringent bitterness left, and it was more like 2-3 years before I was liking them... a lot!

The English ones age brilliantly too, but for me it is more about depth and complexity with them - they can be almost gagging and rough fresh, but mellow out into smooth caramel goodness with a bit of time.

 

You just listed 3 of my top 20 beers ever - man I love all of them. was so happy to get a case of the Central Waters this year. It is pretty harsh and boozy at the moment, but in 6-12 months it will mellow and in 2 years it will be sooo good.