Barleywine Appreciation Thread (2024)

Goose Island Beer Kaleidoscope Cuvee 2024. A barrel-aged ale. It is a blend of stouts and barleywine aged in bourbon, rum, Port wine, and maple barrels. Courtesy of @Danmullens1. This beer may be stretching what is an acceptable post in this thread, but I believe all who dwell here would enjoy trying this beer.

 

An interesting beast from Tree House, Tree of Fire. A blend of barleywine brewed with hickory smoked malt and barrel aged barleywine. TH is in the conversation for my favorite barleywine brewery. Go get some of this @VodkaPong87



I wish I knew the ratio of the blend, but whatever it is I think they got it right. This is as thick, sticky, and decadent as I've come to accept from TH. The molasses, raisin, caramel, and brown liquor at work would make for a damn good cookie. The hickory smoke is present throughout but does gradually build in intensity. The exhale is that of a mild cigar paired maple whiskey. Marvelous beer.

 

Pretty sure this is my last from @Beersnake thanks for the scores of fabulous barleywines Tim! Kiitos' Imperial Barley Wine tonight.



This is really nice, very sweet with well disguised heat. I certainly don't taste 15.6%!

Butterscotch pudding, sugar cookies, nilla wafers, creme brulee, plus faint figs and raisins. So many desserts all at once! There is some light bitterness at the edges helping keep this from being overly sweet. Good stuff, thanks again Tim!

 

Maybe today....

 

You won't regret it, I'm sorry I only bought three.

 

I decided to only buy one solely because smoke isn’t something I enjoy in beer. I definitely respect your recommendation, but I also know what I don’t like. I’m really hoping you’re correct, though. I’m sure it’ll be around for a while so if I really like it, there will be another opportunity. That Tree of Fortitude barleywine that I sent you a while ago is still available

 

Had a little barley wine fest last night and finishing up the Whaley now.

 

I love the Whaley beer. Beautiful looking barley wine - amber colored and really clear. The ABV is apparent. Fruity, berries, and big bitterness. The beer strikes me as a very unusual expression of barley wine in today's market. I'd be interested in comparing it to Arrogant Bastard. It's delightful.

It's been forever since I had Traquair House Ale. The one place in my area that carries it sells it for a crazy price and it kills me. I got this bottle while out of town. The date is smudged but it looks like the "best by" was 2022 (?). Dark chestnut color. Dark fruits but somewhat light in flavor for a beer of this size. Measured bitterness gives it a slight char. I'm not getting any oak flavor contribution from the fermentors. This beer is totally European in expression.

 

... And the two from Olde Hickory.

Irish Walker is an opaque, dark brown. Rich and grainy. Satisfying. A bigger beer than the previous two. It drinks like a non-barrel aged barley wine that would be appreciated by a barrel-loving drinker. Speaking of which...

Appalachian Walker is the brandy barrel aged barley wine in their big aged barley wine portfolio. It comes across as Irish Walker with wood aging (that might sound obvious, but I really mean it). Personally, I'm getting wood and no brandy. The wood influence diminishes the drinkability.

 

And now I'm following the Whaley with a beer that wasn't in that group shot -
Gristmeister Rye-Valry British Strong Ale (contract brewed at Ubergeek).

Ugh, that's a string of really unappealing names.

It's a very pretty brown. Tastes of chocolate (not chocolate malt, although that could be in the beer). Inviting and balanced. Characterful malt that comes close to being a bit too loud, but mainly avoids that. I’m not good at identifying rye in beer, so the malt character I’m getting might be due to the rye, but I’m not the person to be able to make that claim. A surprisingly enjoyable beer.

 

Well it definitely is pretty smoky, hope you like it anyway. I did get one more Fortitude while I was there, that beer is freaking great.

 

I really dug the Whaley beer too. Heck of a couple days for you!

 

We Don't Rat, We Don't Run 2024 from Noble Beast - first time getting it straight from the tap instead of at a festival... oh beer gods, but I have lost it, as I also bought a bottle and it has to be the most costly thing by oz yet. Is this what jumping the shark is?

"We’ve aged ours in a custom-made foudre—a huge 300+ gallon oak barrel. The first release was a single vintage but we only removed 80% for sale and then topped up that remaining 20% with a fresh (and slightly different) batch. After aging another whole year, we had a blend of one- and two-year aged beer. We released that blend and continued the Solera blending process to today where we can release a blend of one through five year aged Barleywine! "

"The fifth release of our solera-blended and foeder-aged Barleywine. a blend of 1 through 5 years. So how does ‘24 compare to the previous four releases? At 13.1% ABV it’s the “lightest” release and really pulls the best characters from all those preceding blends. The malt and stability of age come through first. Caramelized brown sugar, deep toasty bread, oxidative age reminiscent of port wine. Brighter fruit notes cut through with jammy blackberry, cherry, and deeper notes of marmalade, dried fig, and cocoa. The body is chewy and warming with an almost vanilla-like creaminess. It’s everything the five year milestone should be."

And they say to age it for up to 25 years, so I'm not even sure what to do with it.

 

I’ll have to head down and get a snifter of that one. I’ve tried a couple of releases at the pub, but never bought a bottle. A stange of their alt would be nice too. Great place overshadowed a bit by Masthead up the street. Cheers.

 

Chris Whaley is an enthusiast of brewing the traditional styles and does a great job executing. This was probably a top 3 of strongest beer brewed and agree this was quite nice! If you ever get to Western NC, be sure to stop in and have a pint of his brew on cask!

Me, well i have been on a mission to work on the catalog of great beers i have acquired from generous BA's and reduce my buying which i have sort of succeeded at . This one from Fonta Flora in Western NC was acquired from our long-lost comrade @BMBCLT last June. Fonta Flora has a maturing barrel program and seems to be getting better as this cognac and bourbon BBA is very similar to a handful of Olde Hickory offerings with the port leaning. This is very approachable yet not one dimensional with the time in the bourbon barrels.
Cheers!
Tom

 

Revolution Boss Ryeway BA Ryewine (aged for 15 months in WhistlePig The Boss Hog VIII: LapuLapu’s Pacific barrels aka extended aged rye whisky that was finished in Philippine Rum casks). Boxed raisin, caramel, Werther's Originals, creme brûlée, fig, plum, rye spice, oak tannin, maple and so on, but the beer character is more accentuated by the rum casks that finished the rye whiskey. The spirit character seems more intense, drying it out a bit and providing some semblance of balance. Revolution just knows their way around a barrel. Crazy good.

 

Wabasha Brewing Co. - Night Queen apple brandy barrel-aged barley wine
I forgot how light this is. Very apple brandy spritey.