Barleywine Appreciation Thread (2025)

Glad you like it Harry! Another all-timer for me.

 

Future Primitive Old No. 6 Barrel Aged American Barleywine 2023, 11% ABV. Blended from six years of BA barleywines. Pours reddish-brown with a half-finger beige head that left little lacing. Aroma is sweet stone? fruit, toffee, and bourbon. Taste is toffee, fruit, slightly sweet, quite bitter, some bourbon burn. Dry mouthfeel, overall excellent.

4.21/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to @snaotheus for including this epic glass and excellent BBA barleywine in a Stout/Barleywine BIF return-fire box.

 

VSOJ by Revolution. Yes, I finally got to try this and WOW.

Much appreciation to @Luscious_Malfoy for sending this to me.
Pours a deep, mysterious cola brown in color. Mocha colored head pops up with a loosely packed fluff that rises around 2 inches before settling in at a diminutive ring that leaves the thinnest lace line, like a fine point marker. Low retention-fine for style.
Nose is glorious. A warm, gentle embrace of Bourbon comes in and graciously introduces the toffee, fig, and caramel. But there is so much more going on. Delicate, fruity barrel notes akin to brandy and smooth coffee. After warming a bit, a warm, not quite boozy, note that wafts between rye and an herbal, almost peppery, spice.
This is luxuriously decadent. Yes, a bit sweet but still complex. A warmly Bourbon-kissed delivery of toffee, caramel, and dates starts things off. But she is profoundly alluring. Mild char, coffee, and again some fruity notes that are deep and "barrely." A melange of Bourbon and brandy notes but in a very "wet staves" way.
Mouthfeel is just a tad heavier than many barleywine but amazing. The finish tamps back the sweet just a tad and makes room for a hint of wood on the end. Politely warm in its presentation of ABV.
Overall, so grateful to finally try this classic.
4.46/5 rDev -4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

 

That is an absolute gem of a beer.

 

At The Harmony Inn, drinking an Embalmer barleywine. Cheers.

 

Winterlong Guilt Trip 2024 (American) Barleywine, 9% ABV. Pours deep copper, with a four-finger beige head that left great lacing. Aroma is fruity and hoppy, taste is toffee and fruit, moderately bitter, slightly sweet. Decent dry mouthfeel, overall excellent.

4.23/5 rDev +5.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to @Beersnake for sharing this excellent barleywine in a LIF box as part of our Stout/Barleywine BIF.

 

El Segundo Old Jetty 2024 Whiskey Cask Barleywine, 13.1% ABV. Pours blackish-brown with a ring of brown bubbles that left no lacing. Aroma is whiskey and caramelized sugar. Taste is whiskey, roasted malt, dark fruit, brown sugar, slightly sweet, slightly bitter, some alcohol burn. Decent mouthfeel, overall outstanding. Seemed very 'warming'. Surprised it's an American Barleywine, tastes more like an English.

4.39/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to @Beersnake for including this outstanding barleywine in the LIF box he sent. Very warming.

 

Having Love Lost at Sea from Buoy (yet another new brewery) from @snaotheus via the barleywine etc bif. American barleywine aged in Westward Whiskey barrels for 12 months. 2023 vintage



This is hitting me just right tonight, not many out there like this these days. The ABV is reasonable, it isn't super sweet or hopped to hell, and and the barrels compliment rather dominate.

Lots going on here, tons of toffee for a base accented golden raisins, marshmallow, dark honey, light leafy, tea-like bitterness, fruitcake, vanilla, and more. The booze is coming across more as rum than whiskey somehow. The mouthfeel is full and bright. If ever there was a crushable barrel aged barleywine, it's this one. Thanks Ryan, this is a great one.

 

Many thanks to @Mikexw for sending this 2018 gem along in the Barleywine/Stout BIF #1 from Fall 2023.
I'm not big on aging any longer but i have to say the 2018 §ucaba edition is the best i have had. Toffee forward with some dark fruit from the malt base, and the barrel is imparting a lot of vanilla tannins these days. Leather and bourbon balance this out nicely.
Cheers!
Tom

 

My favorite vintage too! Cheers!

 

If I saw 12 oz 4 packs of Bourbon County barleywine... At a 40 dollar price point...it'd be an instabuy for me.

 

It's barleywine time courtesy of @snaotheus from the barleywine etc. bif. Prisoner at the Crossroads from Varietal. Quite an interesting name, I wonder what it means? Someone with paralysis by analysis at a critical juncture in their life? A reference to an old blues song?



Looks like this was brewed in 2021, aged in a blend of bourbon and rye barrels for 18 months, and bottled late 2022. There is an extremely satisfying lightly charred toffee and raisin foundation here. I also get some vanillin, Kings syrup, brown sugar, and prickly, rye whiskey goodness. The finish adds biting oak that is just a touch hot.

Based on other reviews, it seems that time has served to mellow this nicely. Very glad to have tried this, thanks Ryan!

 

Varietal and Single Hill are two of the Washington breweries that appear (to me) to have zero presence outside of Washington, that really seem like they deserve a lot broader recognition.

Glad you enjoyed the experience!

 

I'm very happy to have tried both breweries! Single Hill's can art is exquisite.