Barleywine Appreciation Thread (2022)

What year is this release? I had Sunday (2021). I think it was aged 30 months. I really enjoyed it, though, I got invited to a party halfway through the bottle, so I drank the last half at a 'social event'. One of the only 'special' beers I've drank with friends like that. Wonderful bourbon character in both nose and taste though.

If Cycle's Sundays are always barleywines, I will have to keep an eye out for other releases.

 

Soured Barleywine, New Belgium Surly, is absolutely horrible.
So to add to my list,
I am NOT a fan of soured Barleywine!

 

Sierra Nevada Spiced Barrel Aged Bigfoot



I was wanting a beer to just sit and sip tonight, and here's the winning choice. I've never been too fond of barrel aged beers, but this seems to work well enough. The bourbon flavor is there but not overwhelming; it seems to enhance the alcohol.

Iron Hill in Exton has a bourbon barleywine on tap that I've been avoiding, but this SN beer is making me rethink that.

Big thanks to @DIM for passing this one along. In a just world he would be featured on a commemorative coin, possibly by the Franklin Mint.

 

Only a champ can chase surly double furious with both a sweatpants boner and pride. Pairs well with babybel cheese, freedom, Hogwarts puzzles and the opposite of spiders.

 

Say the word and I'll gladly send more your way brotha!!

Also, did you remove that wax cap off with your teeth??!!


Cheers

 

I realize that I could post this elsewhere (and might get more/better responses due to a wider audience), but I thought this was a best first-shot...

What the fuck is a black barleywine? I've tried googling quite a bit, and even read up on the homebrew forum (which was surprisingly helpful, despite it really being just about the brewing). Seems like it's almost a cross between an english barleywine and a RIS, except that it leans towards barleywine flavors but includes quite a bit of roast due to the malts which give it the black color.

Has anyone had one? What can you tell me.

 

Good day BAs! So this thread is still going on!!

I had an "English Barleywine" for my New Breakfast Beer today, courtesy of @woemad and NBS BIF #15.



Anniversary Ale: Year 2 from Lumberbeard Brewing. 16 oz can received in BIF #15, from @woemad (05/04/22). Stored at reefer at 38 degrees after processing. Reviewed 13/04/22. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated can. Served at 52.7 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 55.5 degrees. Yes, I drank it on the cool side because I was excited to try it!
Appearance – 3.5
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 12), hazy.
Body – Medium Amber (SRM 12), opaque. Looks like a glass of dark caramel. When rear-lite, same.
Head – Small (Maximum one cm, aggressive center pour), bone, high density and fizzy, gone in seconds, leaving a 0.5 mm ring of bubbles and no cap.
Lacing – None, as expected.
Aroma – 4 – Sweet, malty, caramel, a whiff of oil, no hops, no yeast, no bourbon.
Flavor – 4 – Begins sweet with caramel and molasses. No ethanol (16.2 % ABV according to what is printed on the label) taste or aroma up front although it strongly appears on the back end and has great staying power. Some bourbon also appears on the back end. Moderate gastric burning. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium, a little thicker than water, soft carbonation. Feels a bit thin for the style.
Final impression and summation: 3.5 (After deducting 0.25 point for an undated personal container.) Other than being sweet, the flavors are subdued, cowed into submission by the excessive alcohol. One thinks of Jeff Goldblum’s trite one-liners. The bourbon seems to be an afterthought. Overall, to my taste, lacks the expected complexity and mellowness. OK, maybe even good.
Rating 3.82, rDev -4.5%

This is one that should be sat upon for a few years.

 

Deschutes Black Mirror is black Barleywine. It tastes like an American/English hybrid Meaning an English but you can taste some hops. It's a nice brew. It didn't remind me at all of a RIS.

 

I do just fine with Bigfoot every year but I'm curious and will find others to try.
'21 is lightly cloudy, pine in front, 16 mo old.
'22 is clear, berries in nose, pine in finish, 3 mo old. Cheers!

 

@DIM Finally did my review of Spiced BA Bigfoot and rated it a 4.41. I have to say this had to be one of the best BA beers i have had from SNBC. I really hope they bring this guy back down the road and it is really hard to beat the $5.00 per can pricing!
I still have to circle back to my Bigfoot vertical six pack and review with y'all.
Cheers!
Tom