Barleywine Appreciation Thread (2023)

Tree House Mighty…



…Tree House Mighty Oak

fun little side-by-side (kind of… had the regular last night and then did the oak today) made possible by the generous @Braunmeister_1943 (glass in first pic also courtesy of this fine BA’er)

the regular basically drank like a slightly sweeter west coast DIPA to me. tons of pine and fruity hops. guess that’s expected from these guys though.

the oak, however, was very good. i really didn’t get a lot of oak but did think that the oak-aging tended to smooth out some of the rough edges of the regular. basically tamed the hops. i’m still unclear on whether or not the oak version is bourbon oak barrels or not. anyone know? @DIM @Braunmeister_1943 ?

cheers!!

 

It was just oak, no bourbon. I liked both a lot, and could absolutely notice a difference in the two. Fingers crossed that I might be making a stop there tomorrow.

 

Hey Zach, glad to hear you’re enjoying those two! I did! I don’t think that the “Mighty Oak” was a bourbon cask. Treehouse usually tells you on the bottle or can if it is. I think it was an oak Foeder or just an unused oak barrel. You can also check their site. They should still have that one available! Cheers!

 

2021 JW Lees Harvest Ale. Really quite a nice beer!

 

New to me and very much been looking forward to it.

Level Crossing - VII XXV XVII


Weird name/number? Idk.
Purchased from the brewery cooler for $6
Canned 7.21.23
Poured at near fridge temp into a snifter glass

Pours a light caramel with orange hues and a thick tan foam up top. Some chunky lacing and hair thin ring. 4

Aroma was very unexpected for me/my experience with the style. Candied orange/citrus and candied apricot. Sweet and fruity, not cloying or sickly. A touch of flower sweetened honey too. 4.25

Raw wheat, bitter orange peel and herbal hops, soft alcohol bite. Moderately dry. Apricot flesh gives way to sweeter orange as it warms. 4.25

Mild carbo, some frothiness. Lingering bitter hop oils. Alcohol taste is there but feel Is completely absent. Feels like a wcipa or lighter Belgian, not a 10.2% mammoth. 4.25

Overall a unique Wheatwine in my experience. I haven't really seen/tasted one that is more fruity than malty/grainy thus far, but I'd buy it again. 4

 

Cross-posting from the NBW thread. I am very happy to try a Kane BBA Barleywine as i remember drooling at @DIM posts from the last couple of years.

Thanks to @Roguer for kicking of the NBW thread and thanks to the Veterans for your self sacrifices! This beer is courtesy of @Mikexw as part of the Barleywine/Stout BIF#1 crazy train i have been part of for the past month! Mike has sent two mystery beers for the Barleywine and Stout styles, one being canned and one in a bottle. I have selected the can for today. Onto the review...

Upon popping the can that has been sitting in 69 degree room temps for the past two hours, i immediately got BBA Barleywine on the nose.

Beer poured murky brown with a nice tan head with the original pour - 4.25.
Nose is giving me notes of brown sugar, vanilla, and of course bourbon - 4.25.
Taste is a very large malt base that is giving notes of brown sugar, carmelized malts, some figs, vanilla, and of course a large dose of bourbon barrel treatment. Finishes with a citrusy hop bite and a belly warming with each sip that suggests i am dealing with a very strong beer here. This is incredibly well balanced - 4.5.
Mouthfeel comes across as medium to large bodied and very smooth - 4.25
Overall i really like this aggressively hopped and fresh barrel American Barleywine - 4.25!

And it turns out this beer is the 2022 DD Cask edition that comes in at a whopping 15.7%.
That explains the belly warming and head spinning nature with each sip LOL!
Mike, thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to try this beer!
Cheers!
Tom

 

Per @VodkaPong87 ’s recommendation, posting this here. Possibly the last Olde Bluehair I’ll ever have as I believe Big Sky no long brews it and this was my last bottle. Really great stuff, wish they would bring it back. Cheers!

 

I’ve had a couple double digit years old barleywines, and they all looked just like that. Unfortunately, for me, neither held up that well.

 

In retrospect, maybe that contributed to its apparent demise. Who wants an “old” beer when you can have something fresh?

 

Just the maniacs running this thread

 

Had this a bit back and don’t think I posted. Goes beyond underwhelming to kinda technically bad. Maybe the other bottle will change my mind.
At any rate, have been correcting with the usual suspects.

 

Just checked my notes and I enjoyed bottle #554 of that vintage in 2014 immensely!

 

Wow, that is high praise considering the hundreds of Barleywine you all have sampled!