I usually prefer cognac barrels as part of a blend with bourbon barrels but this one works pretty well. The 5 year old can I had was awesome, I'm putting the last 2 cans aside for extended aging.
NBW and ISIL cross-post. 3 Sheeps Brewing Cuvee Blend. 2026. 46% imperial stout aged in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels for 15 months. 31% Russian imperial stout aged in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels for 14 months. 23% English-style barleywine aged in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels for 24 months. This beer provides a unique and enjoyable experience. This is the only beer I cross-post in both the imperial stout and barleywine threads most years.
No Bigfoot tonight but a cuvée: Mortalis BA Balrog. Bacchus aged three years in Willett rye and Ophion aged three years in Willett Family Estate bourbon barrels.
Just a bit too sweet for me, but I love cognac, so I still enjoyed it. One of the cases where the cognac barrels actually worked really well.
Kros Strain/Horus collab Barrelywine #12 Sandhills Crane 24mo Elijah Craig BBA English Barleywine, 13% ABV. I rated this 4.46. Love playing the game of 'fewest words to lookup a beer'. Got this with "kros crane". I'm easily amused.
10/31/2019 canned Revolution Straight Jacket. Incredible rich toffee and bourbon presence and balance with dark fruits in the back. Still a bit boozy but smooth. Very complex. The cans have always held up with age. I need to get more Revolution stuff next time I go to Ohio. Cheers
Haven't had one of these in quite a while. A really nice collaboration between Firestone and Revolution, the wine and rye barrels gel well. Great stuff.
...I've started my day (late afternoon) with two fine, new-to-me barrel-aged barleywines: pFriem Family Brewers -- pFriemster's Union Local 541 -- Amaro Barrel Aged Barleywine Ale Barrel aged barleywine ABV: 12%; pouring temperature: 49.4 °F; bottling info: 2025; barrel aged 3 months; bottled 3 25 25 Source: pFriem Artisan Club via Tavour 4.32/5 rDev -0.5% look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25 ...and: Firestone Walker Brewing Co. / Horus Aged Ales -- Brewmasters Collective - Gooey Valves Bourbon barrel-aged barleywine ale ABV: 13%; pouring temperature: 50.4 °F; bottling info: 2025; No:01 Source: Tavour 4.16/5 rDev 0% look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
2008 Old Guardian from Stone. A nice pop when the cap came off. The nose is a bit muted compared to fresh. Toffee, hops, and some malts. Hoping the taste punches a bit. Here we go. The taste is also pretty mild, but really balanced. Toffee, very light hops, wheat, orange, mint, pine, and a bit of honey. Lovely beer.
That sounds like a heck of a collaboration, Dan! Was recently in California and visited the Paso Robles facility - loved having Parabola on tap but the "To Go" shop was lacking (for FW standards). I regret not driving the additional 3 hours round trip (from our timeshare) to the Buellton Barrelworks facility (but you know how impatient our better halves can be) - i am bummed how much goodness i could have shipped home. Good luck with the Phillies this year. The D-Backs strike me as a .500 team at best based on a shaky bullpen with no lefties at the moment . Cheers! Tom
I have to give my (much) better half credit, her patience at times seems limitless. I'd love to reward her with a trip to FW one day! I have mixed feelings about the Phils, love the rotation but man that lineup is old Cheers Tom!
Covert Artisan/White Elm collab Team Lift Old Ale, 12% ABV. This is a cuvée of a BBA Stout, a BA Belgian Dark Strong, and a Cognac BA English Barleywine, and lastly was conditioned in Rye Barrels. I rated this 4.58 in November. I've had the Stout and Barleywine component beers before.
