Getting ready for the new 2026 Sierra Nevada society drop today by having the last of my 2024 society stash, a lovely English Barleywine aged in Scotch barrels for a year which primarily lend a bit of heat and balancing but not the distinctive Speyside Trail flavor. Definitely a toffee bomb with some date sweetness. This has aged well. Cheers! Tom
Finishing up my stash of this, I really like it, but it drinks like a maltier DIPA than it does a barleywine. Still, I’ll buy it again later this year if Pipeworks releases it because I’m a sucker for big, bitter, hoppy beers.
2025 Kuhnhenn bourbon barrel aged barley wine. Glad to finally try this one, it's unique and densely flavored. Tons of molasses and some caramel are most noticeable. Tart cherries, vanilla, leather, and sweet bourbon round things out. What a marvelous beer!
Such a great beer! It was a game changer when I tried it 12 years ago! It might have been the barleywine that made me love barleywine.
Too early for NBW, so let's do a barleywine here: Pryes Drops of Time Appearance: Clear dark amber, good head. Smell: Dark fruit, leather. Taste: Mild sweetness, then a mix of caramel, dark fruit, leather, and earth. Alcohol is well hidden. Full bodied. Finishes earthy with a side of caramel sweetness. Overall: Picked up a single to try, I was unaware that this Minneapolis brewery had a barrel aged barleywine. It is a unique experience, much less sweet than expected, but not hoppy. After reviewing the can, it says a mix of rye and bourbon barrels were used, I suppose the earthiness I was getting came from the rye. Tasty and enjoyable!
Finally opening this one, @DIM !! E.H. Taylor Bourbon Barrel-Aged Bigfoot. Sierra Nevada hand-selected Kentucky bourbon barrels to finish a 7-year vintage of Bigfoot. Aged between 4-6 years in bourbon barrels before spending an additional year E.H. Taylor barrels. 15% ABV. The bourbon is bursting out on this one. No shit it was aged for 7 years! Boozy. Caramel, vanilla, plums, rum, honey, and more bourbon. Although boozy, it's insanely smooth. Not harsh like some boozy beers are. As it warms, some maple and brown sugar start to emerge. Nice and malty - some fluffy bread notes come through. What's interesting with this one is that the Bigfoot base is somewhat erased by the 7 years of aging. Not very hoppy at all.
I just finishing drinking a 375 bottle of From the Vaults Barrel-Aged Barleywine from Moor in Bristol England. 2022 10% I would not recommend buying a bottle but it was drinkable. Oxidized, odd tasting, caramel maybe a hint of prune with a hoppy finish. Has a hint of sour at the finish. https://untappd.com/b/moor-beer-company-from-the-vaults-barrel-aged-barleywine/6011657 I would be very hesitate on buying another beer from this brewery. On the label: Best before end 2032 (&beyond)
2023 vintage. Pretty good American barleywine. Not insanely hoppy but the hops do play a significant role in both aroma and flavor. Cheers!!
I just sent an email to Terence at SN about your post Dan, which is genius! Told him I would even settle for a seasonal BA Bigfoot 4-pack! Speaking of Bigfoot, as mentioned in yesterday's WBAYDN, a friend and i did the Bigfoot tour with samples of Celebration (Bigfoot Lite), and the 2026, 2025, 2022, and 2016 vintages. Then they trotted out Biggestfoot in the Woods, which is Bigfoot aged in Gin barrels for 5 years. I thought the 2026 edition was more malt forward with notes of caramel, dark fruits, and toffee while the hops did not have much alpha acid (compared to the 2025). The 2016 was my favorite. Regarding Biggestfoot in the Woods, in Mills River, they started with 3 barrels, so it won't last too long. Surprisingly, this was dark fruit forward, drank more like an English Barleywine. The gin botanicals were not perceptive with each sip but were balancing on the back end. We both had a 10 ounce pour with our two-hour dinner. Fun day!
Three Floyds bright Behemoth back for their 30th anniversary, as a 6 pack of 12 oz bottles. I forgot how much I liked this! Im going to have to get some more. Cheers!
Nice! This is one classic American barleywine that I have not tried. It would be cool to compile a list of straight American barleywines (not barrel aged or anything added) that are still being brewed. The list is probably fairly short!
I agree- there are not too many left. I’m sure that we can get some to you (when the temperatures are above zero for a while)
I’ve had my eye on this one. Passed a couple times but thinking it’s time to complete the purchase. Been a dog’s age since I’ve had it.
It's on! The Bigfoot tasting/planning thread is live: https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...february-6th-to-7th-2026.682529/#post-8310451
That sounds a magnificent day Tom! Gin Bigfoot sounds super interesting... Hope your email bears fruit, thanks for trying!
Snowed in with the family playing silly games and eating silly food. Time for silly beer, a bourbon barrel aged peanut brittle barleywine. Over 10% of my reviews are now American barleywine. I was all set for a snarky review but this actually works pretty well. The aroma is extremely nutty with caramel, booze, rum raisin ice cream, and buttered popcorn. I don't think this is diacetyl, just a product of whatever nut flavoring they used. Probably. The flavors work well together. The caramel/toffee nuttiness are abundant and play nicely with the boozy raisin bourbon barleywine base beer. Kinda has a butter rum raisin ice cream vibe. I don't need another one but I'm enjoying this one.
