Barleywine Appreciation Thread (2023)

Discussion in 'The Bar' started by DIM, Jan 1, 2023.

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  1. DIM

    DIM Grand Pooh-Bah (4,788) Sep 28, 2006 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Welcome to the barleywine appreciation thread for 2023. This is the place to discuss, debate, and generally ruminate about this most delectable of beer styles. The 2022 thread was awesome, looking forward to more of the same.

    What is the state of barleywine in your area, do you have many available? Sadly my cellar is an oasis, thanks to mail order, in a vast barleywine desert.

    Barleywines are getting bigger, sweeter, and are almost universally barrel aged, your thoughts on that? As much as I love 'em barrel aged I'd like to see more unadorned American style barleywines available.

    Mostly, this is a place to drool over pics and descriptions of amazing barleywines. One of the highlights of my beer year 2022 was trading with @Beersnake1 . I thought I'd kick the thread off with a treat from our latest exchange. Thr3e from the Bruery.


    [​IMG]

    Oh damn, soooo much marvelously decadent caramel. Caramel for days. I review a lot of barleywines so "caramel" is a descriptor I (over)use a bunch. It's never been more apt, I've never meant it more than I do here. I don't even want to hunt for anything else, I just want to enjoy the hell out of that caramel. After a while I did begin to notice hints of plums and dates, plus brown sugar and hints of charred cacao. The bourbon is strong and primarily tied in with the caramel, not the other elements. As it warms, I also get some Belgian chocolate. A wonderfully, absurdly over the top, extremely potent barleywine in an absurdly oversized 750ml bottle. Love it!

    #BiL
     
    #1 DIM, Jan 1, 2023
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  2. Beersnake

    Beersnake Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,884) Aug 17, 2013 California
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Nice!!!! Thanks for getting this thread going, my friend! And glad you are enjoying that bottle! Cheers to many great barleywines in 2023! #BIL
     
    #2 Beersnake, Jan 1, 2023
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  3. Pereza987

    Pereza987 Pundit (782) Nov 2, 2014 Florida
    Trader

    [​IMG]
    Let’s do this! Excited for another year full of barleywine (and other similar brews). Hoping this doesn’t immediately derail this but this is my current situation. 2021 drinking more dry and caramel forward. 2022 much more sweet and vanilla forward. Cheers all!
     
    #3 Pereza987, Jan 1, 2023
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  4. Beersnake

    Beersnake Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,884) Aug 17, 2013 California
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I'll go ahead and start with this Munichwine - figured it should go here since it doesn't have its own category yet. 9 Year Munichwine from Cellarmaker in San Francisco. ABV is 13.2%

    Poured at fridge temp. Pours very dark brown with literally no head. The nose is sweet toffee, molasses, brown sugar, bourbon, honey, some vanilla, and some figs.

    The taste is fantastic. It's sweet, but not too sweet. More in line with an American barleywine as it has a citrus peel bitterness combined with huge notes of toffee. Some roasted malts, charred wood, pine, chocolate, and a shark woody bourbon note. Almost a bit too hot on the alcohol side, but it levels off as it warms.

    The mouthfeel is medium bodied and the aftertaste is a boozy mix of toffee and citrus peel. The alcohol is definitely noticeable on this.

    [​IMG]
     
    #4 Beersnake, Jan 1, 2023
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  5. DIM

    DIM Grand Pooh-Bah (4,788) Sep 28, 2006 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    No worries, this is no derailment, Ryeway is magnificent. Which one are you liking better?

    Last year we had, wheatwine, ryewine, oatwine, speltwine, Munichwine, and lagerwine, among others. Cheers and Happy New Year!
     
    #5 DIM, Jan 1, 2023
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  6. Beersnake

    Beersnake Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,884) Aug 17, 2013 California
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Exactly - this is home to all the -wines!
     
    #6 Beersnake, Jan 1, 2023
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  7. DIM

    DIM Grand Pooh-Bah (4,788) Sep 28, 2006 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Nice opening! Do you see Munichwine getting its own category? What distinguishes it from a barleywine? Cheers and happy New Year my friend!
     
    #7 DIM, Jan 1, 2023
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  8. Beersnake

    Beersnake Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,884) Aug 17, 2013 California
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Good question. It sounds like a sub-style of barleywine that simply uses Munich malts. However, the flavor characteristics of Munich malts are caramel, honey, and bread. Those all seem like barleywine characteristics to me. Maybe a bit more biscuity than a regular barleywine? I think Private Press was the first to brew one? I'm guessing it will be lumped with barleywines for the foreseeable future. Cheers!
     
    #8 Beersnake, Jan 1, 2023
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  9. Pereza987

    Pereza987 Pundit (782) Nov 2, 2014 Florida
    Trader

    I prefer 2021 by a hair because it’s slightly drier. Both excellent.
     
    #9 Pereza987, Jan 1, 2023
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  10. o29

    o29 Maven (1,275) Sep 29, 2020 Texas
    Trader

    I've been saving this one for a special occasion, so tonight seemed like a good opportunity!

    A Deal with the Devil 2022 Double-Oaked

    [​IMG]

    It's just as good as I expected -- which it to say, excellent, since I had fairly high expectations. My one concern was it being overly cloying from the extremely high ABV and as some Anchorage stouts can be, but this one is balanced nearly to perfection.

    I can't wait to (eventually) try my TO version.

    Cheers and happy New Years! :beers:
     
    #10 o29, Jan 1, 2023
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  11. DavetotheB

    DavetotheB Grand Pooh-Bah (4,241) Sep 30, 2017 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    SN Bigfoot is two different beers fresh vs aged IMO. Love this one fresh, love it aged. Cheers!

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    #11 DavetotheB, Jan 1, 2023
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  12. DIM

    DIM Grand Pooh-Bah (4,788) Sep 28, 2006 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    No matter the question, Bigfoot is the answer.
     
    #12 DIM, Jan 1, 2023
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  13. DavetotheB

    DavetotheB Grand Pooh-Bah (4,241) Sep 30, 2017 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Thanks for this thread. Barleywines are not a style I come across on the shelves often. Bigfoot being the most common, I would guess. What others (straight-up, not barrel aged) are readily available that won't cost me an arm and a leg? I had Nemesis a few years back-really enjoyed it.
     
    #13 DavetotheB, Jan 1, 2023
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  14. DIM

    DIM Grand Pooh-Bah (4,788) Sep 28, 2006 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Sadly I can't think of many options. With Weyerbacher's resurrection, hopefully Blithering Idiot becomes an option. A Polish barleywine, Komes is around at $4-6 per 500ml. A spot near me still has Nemesis around, maybe you can find more of that. Good luck on the hunt.
     
    #14 DIM, Jan 1, 2023
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  15. jmdrpi

    jmdrpi Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,989) Dec 11, 2008 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot here in PA might be the only local one left. Or occasionally DFH Olde School. Gone are the days of Victory Old Horizontal, Troegs Flying Mouflan, Yards Olde Bartholomew, Stoudts Old Abominable.


    Also so many of the previously widely distributed ones have been retired like Brooklyn Monster, Stone Old Guardian, Avery Hog Heaven, Great Divide Old Ruffian, Lagunitas Olde Gnarleywine, Alesmith Old Numbskull, Green Flash Barleywine, etc. It's a bummer.
     
    #15 jmdrpi, Jan 1, 2023
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  16. Beersnake

    Beersnake Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,884) Aug 17, 2013 California
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Agreed. I still have some Old Guardian and Old Ruffian. Just bought an Old Numbskull at the brewery, but there is no date on it so I don’t know if it’s old stock or a fresh brew. Another one that I really miss is Alaskan Barleywine. They all share something in common. Retired and fantastic American barleywine style!
     
    #16 Beersnake, Jan 1, 2023
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  17. Luscious_Malfoy

    Luscious_Malfoy Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,068) Oct 5, 2016 Illinois
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    [​IMG]

    it’s still 2022 but this is the 2023 thread so let’s get this not right year started off on the not right way. cheers!!
     
    #17 Luscious_Malfoy, Jan 1, 2023
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  18. jmdrpi

    jmdrpi Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,989) Dec 11, 2008 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    I still see some on the shelves. I've got a few vintages in my cellar, I think that is one that greatly benefits from a little mellowing out of the hot booziness it has when fresh.

    I would hope they would continue brewing Blithering Idiot coming out of their (yet another) bankruptcy. In the last few years it was really only that and Tiny that I've regularly seen in my local beer stores. I would have thought Merry Monks was their "flagship" at one time, but that's an even less popular style nowadays.
     
    #18 jmdrpi, Jan 1, 2023
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  19. Resistance88

    Resistance88 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,462) Apr 9, 2015 California
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    2012 JW Lees aged in Port Casks
    Much better than the can i tried .
    [​IMG]
     
    #19 Resistance88, Jan 1, 2023
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  20. jmdrpi

    jmdrpi Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,989) Dec 11, 2008 Pennsylvania
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    I drank my last bottle of Old Russian in the last couple of years. I still have one bottle of Old Guardian, I think a 2011 bottle.

    Interesting about Old Numbskull. It's not listed on their website, and I haven't seen it for years.
     
    #20 jmdrpi, Jan 1, 2023
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