I'll admit it - I have sampled a couple of smoothie beers in my time. If I was 16, I might even like them...
Truth in Time from Private Press. This is a triple barrel aged barleywine. 19.4% ABV. A monster in a small bottle. This is tasting fantastic. Loads of bourbon, toffee, and malts.
Great album. Tempted to listen to it now. It's only 40 minutes, and I think I can make the rest of this BA stout last that long...
Bold Mariner Renaissance English barleywine from my trip to Bold Mariner yesterday.. closing end of month. If you're near Ocean View in Norfolk for the next cpl weeks, they have 500ml bottles for 7 bucks a piece.
Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Barleywine Ale 2013 Batch 1, English Barleywine, 12.1% ABV. Hissed upon opening. Pours dark brown with a half-finger beige head that left no lacing. Aroma is dark fruit, roast malt, and caramel/toffee. Taste follows plus bourbon and chocolate, slightly sweet, slightly bitter, some bourbon burn, some oxidation but not cardboard. Light carbonation, moderately thick, overall outstanding to world-class adjacent. Amazing considering the age. 4.54/5 rDev +0.7% look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5 Keeping an eye on the weather, just got a tornado watch.
Good evening, barleywine fanatics! It's been too long. I'm drinking Works and Days from Cellarmaker. This is a bourbon barrel aged barleywine (16.4% ABV) that is from a 5 oak barrel blend: 60% single oak aged barleywine, 20% double oak aged barleywine, and 20% double oak aged Munichwine. Fantastic stuff.
Kros Strain Grand Cru #4 40mo BA Dark Strong Ale, 13% ABV. This is a cuvée of Kros Strain Stout and English Barleywine. Pours deep reddish brown with a half-finger medium-brown head that left no lacing. Aroma is bourbon, grapes, and chocolate. Taste is bourbon, grape jam, chocolate, and toffee/caramel, moderately sweet, slightly bitter, some bourbon burn. Thick and smooth mouthfeel that left sticky lips. Overall outstanding. 4.46/5 rDev 0% look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
2012 Old Ruffian from Great Divide. I've been holding onto this one for way too long. Pours a nice murky orange. The nose is full of pine, citrus, caramel, and malts. The taste is incredible. Loads of caramel, with a hoppy bitterness that appears on the back end. Some citrus peel, honey, plums, and a dry woody note. It's super interesting. It's malty and mild when it hits the palate, but then becomes hoppy and bitter in a second or two. Excellent beer!
Kasō from Godspeed Brewery From a 355ml can poured into a pint glass. A one finger tan head on a clear dark copper. The head diminished to some foamy patches. Smokey malts in the nose. The taste is malty and smokey. Defiantly beech smoked malts. The smoked malts dominate but some some toffee and fruit come through. Leather and some moderate bitterness in the finish. A medium body and light carbonation. Overall a solid English Barleywine. Smooth and well melded. Well worth a try. 3.95/5 rDev +1.5% look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Sierra Nevada Brewing's ~ 2026 Bigfoot My first Bigfoot of the year, shame on me BA The beast. The beer. The legend. After the workday grind, reconnect with your wild side through our untamed barleywine-style ale. This classic lives up to its namesake: massive malt body, sheer hop intensity, standing at 9.6% ABV
NBW cross-post. Midnight Sun Brewing Artic Devil English-style barleywine ale. 13.4% ABV. I was converted into a craft beer connoisseur with the release of this book that is pictured, in 2013. I have tried most of the beers profiled in this book, but the one that I have yet to experience, that I desire the most, is this beer. @Nugganooch made this dream come true. This is the best English-style barleywine I have ever experienced. It is everything I thought it would be. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, @Nugganooch!
Double Barrel Wisdom from Barreled Souls and Horus. A double barrel-aged English Barleywine aged for a total of 25 months and 15 days in Henry McKenna 10 year bourbon and then Barton 1792 bourbon barrels. 15.8% ABV. Fantastic stuff. Loads of toffee, vanilla, bourbon, figs, and maple. Cheers!
Anchorage A Deal With the Devil Double Oaked. Well… the price tag definitely inflated my expectations, and I’d been looking forward to finally trying this one. It’s certainly a good barleywine — rich, well-crafted, and undeniably premium — but in my opinion, it doesn’t quite justify the cost.
