No posts since Monday! Not good. Here we go. Endolith (2023) from Jackie O's. This is smoother than when it was fresh. Right now, this might be my favorite barleywine of all time (definitely in my top 3). It's just so damn balanced - the bourbon isn't too strong, the caramel is just right, and the dark fruits are just perfect. Lovely.
ok ok ok @Beersnake Ill add a post in here!! Tonight I am sharing a Barreled Souls brew from the folks in Saco, Maine. This is Death Star 4 aged in Smoke Wagon Rye barrels for 16 months and 25 days. ABV is 14.8%. onto my review: Sampling a cellar temp 330 ml bottle poured into my snifter. Beer was bottled on 4/29/2024, picked up at the brewery during one of my visits over the past 1.5 years. Beer pours a deep mahogany color and a little garnet red shows on the edges of the glass when held to a light source. Minimal khaki colored head foams up about 0.5 cm and fades to a sturdy edge layer soon after the pour. The edging remains for most of the sampling. Some scattered lattice forms on my glass when I take a sip. the aroma on this beer is malt driven, I get some brown sugar and pipe tobacco mixing with charred wood and a bit of toffee. Some mild dark fruit, but the charred wood buries that quickly. Never any hop character showing on the nose. First sip reveals a medium body and slightly chewy texture, definitely a little coating on my lips with each sip. Carbonation is fine and gentle and almost non-existent on my palate. Flavor is similar to the nose with malt forward character. Some sweet brown sugar and raisin notes mix with a bit of sweet and sort of spicy booze note. Not as much charred wood as I would have expected from the nose, but it is buried in the background. Never hops on flavor profile either. Booze comes through with some warming on the swallows. This is a tasty big beer that has some sweetness but also depth of flavor profile. This is something I am enjoying quite a bit and would gladly drink again. 4.45 in the BA DB
Haven't seen Behemoth around for a few years and I miss it. My last one, bottled December 2021. It's either fallen off a bit or in kind of an awkward phase. Still lots of brassy caramel, a fair amount citrus pith, and plenty of woody booze. Tasting good, just not quite what I remember. I hope to see distro here again some day.
I thought the new cans were the best, until I revisited this bottle. I can't say enough about it. So damn good.
I'm always a bit scared aging high ABV beers in cans. That said, I have some Revolution cans that are VERY high in ABV and a few years old. I gotta crack those soon!
I hear you on aging cans, I have some doubts too. I did have a 5 year old can of Mineshaft Gap that was great though.
I just checked, the Endolith cans are exactly one year old today. So only a year or two more to go. They are still for sale on the Jackie O's website, along with another one that's even older. I wonder how good the bwizzle business is for them these days??
I have wondered, more generally, how barleywines are selling these days. I guess those stats don't really exist though.
Me too. Haven't seen any from Fremont in quite some time, Ever Grain didn't do one last year I guess all I really need is Bigfoot and Revolution to be satisfied.
Bigfoot is definitely my favorite. I'd personally go to Sierra Nevada and punch someone in the face if they stop making this. OK, I probably wouldn't, but I really do love that beer.
I hope they keep coming. I have to admit though that as great as they are, I'm disappointed that the switch to cans didn't drop the price. I buy Revolution by the case and as many as I can get, vs. occasional packs from Jackie.
