Barleywine Appreciation Thread (2025)

Central Waters ~ Five Year Aged ~ Brewer's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Barleywine

This post was manifested entirely by @GreenBayBA Not only did he recommend that I drink more Barleywines by sending me this awesome brew but he also declared tonight to be the perfect night to enjoy such a masterpiece.

First off I must say that this is one of the few Barrel Aged beers I have experienced that actually smells just like a very smooth Bourbon. I get the oaky vanilla tannins, toffee, coconut nougat and some alcohol spice to it. The flavors come together much like a mouthful of rum soaked raisins ushering in layers of dried fruit/currants, wet oak, coconut brittle and some leafy dried tobacco in the finish. The booze makes its presence known but never becomes hot and the mouthfeel is just right for such a massive brew. Closing out the show with a nice drying sensation to an overall sweeter experience. Great stuff for sure BA. Highly recommended!

 

This is completely factual! Your words are poetry!

 

Enjoying O'ZAPFT'IS, a unique 50/50 blend of BA English Barleywine and Marzen bier.
Had this at a tasting a few years ago and found it interesting enough try again. To boil it down i would call it a EBW Lite which disappoints the BW enthusiast in me. On the flip side the Feel was very interesting given the carbonation from the lager and the smoothness of the BW. Overall rated 4.01.
Cheers!
Tom

 

Coffee & Beer. A 9% barleywine made by Alesmith in collaboration with Masthead Brewing & Six Shooter Coffee



Poured from a pint can. The body pours a hazy, light brown color. The haze clears a bit with warming. White head that diminished quickly though lacing was good.

Aroma is a nutty coffee with light berry tones.


Up front, the taste is light coffee without coffee bitterness. The light roasted flavor is about the same as in nose and the strawberry flavor works well with the hoppy bitterness that rises mid-swallow and then slowly fades. The bite is medium, not overly bitter.

Mouthfeel is medium with good carbonation.

An interesting collaboration that has yielded a very intriguing barleywine.

 

Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot English Barleywine, 11.1% ABV. Pours dark-brown with a light-brown head that left no lacing. Aroma is toffee, dark fruit, and brown sugar. Taste follows, slightly sweet, moderately bitter. Excellent mouthfeel, overall excellent.

4.04/5 rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

I got to try this excellent barleywine thanks to @Ozzylizard sharing it with me in a LIF box associated with the Stout/Barleywine BIF. Crockpot creole for supper.

 

Wyerbacher ages this beer in whiskey barrels and calls it Insanity. Worth seeking out, and a side-by-side comparison.

Tynt Meadow - Mt. St. Bernard (the English Trappist brewer)

The Abbey calls it a Strong Dark Ale, BeerAdvocate lists it as an English Strong Ale. Either way the likeness to Barleywine is pronounced. It has strong rum and plumb pudding and adds light peat as it warms. Leather and cedar in the aroma. The pairing with Compté cheese works well.

 

Barleywine Sunday courtesy of @snaotheus via the barleywine etc. bif, Chuckanut's barrel aged barleywine.



Bottle #239

This is on the lighter side in color and body but there are some nice flavors here. I get sugary raisins, cherry Pez, honey, toffee, and sweet whiskey. This definitely leans sweet and it's pretty darn good. Thanks Ryan!.

Hey Ryan, looks like you had #236 and @sulldaddy had #237, what the heck happened to #238?

 

Doom Saloon. Saturday night.
"Rockin' the Bocks 'n' Barleywines"
This is the Barleywine lineup
2013 Idiot so great, that we couldn't even drink the fresh one.
2013 Lower de Boom was outstanding.
2022 Bigfoot, a good old friend.
The 2025 Straight Jacket was a highlight, as well. I'd imagine some age would do wonders.

 

Just had this Saturday night. Outrageously great 2025. Van only imagine what some age would do.

 

2025?

 

This is one of my all-time favorites, from the most recent batch.



Lots of sweet layers with plenty of booze and just a hint of a spicy bite. Glorious.

 

The beer that set off our most recent trade
Glad you enjoyed it! I still got a couple beers you sent that I gotta slam

 

Enjoying my first 2025 Bigfoot. Seems less hop intense compared to the 2024 version.
Cheers!
Tom

 

2025 Is definitely a treat compared to years prior.
I got a 2011 I gotta open soon with wife. She loves Bigfoot and has a vertical going back 5 years that I surprisingly haven't ripped into

 

Good to hear from you Tomas! Would love to hear about your session with Mrs. Resistance! You may want to edit your comment as the owner of this thread will acuse you of loving English BW's!
Cheers!
Tom

 

I ruined my rep with Tim (@Beersnake ) when we met in person already.I chose a smoked ham porter over a BA Stout
Sweetums(@DIM ) will love me no matter what
I did a 2009-2014 tasting with her once and we didnt enjoy any of them so i hope this one goes a little different

 

Nice beer for a rainy evening. Cheers.