A Barley Wine for Every Day

The White Hag Irish Bog Ale

Unfortunately (but not unexpectantly), this one has turned slightly acidic. It's thin, dry, a bit bitter, brittle, and a little raisiny. There's no noticeable peat and little to distinguish itself outside some Scotch ales. A fresh one would probably have me making different remarks.

 

Lagunitas Dave Murray's Best Scotch Ale

In this case, I'll talk about style more than the specific beer because this beer is a marvelous catalyst for it. For me, this is a "west coast" Scotch ale. There's pithy bitterness in all of its glory. It's as if a west coast IPA wanted to amp up the caramel but maintain a very high drinkability for its ABV. This beer succeeds at this splendidly. The sweetness and hops mesh well together. Ultimately, this beer is lacking character in any other area. If I were to classify this one according to modern expectations, American strong ale would be a perfect fit. I don't mind if the brewer's label is the default though (Scotch ale). A hoppy Scotch ale isn't inappropriate. Having said that, this one would get more points if the label gave more signs of the liquid within... especially since there's a bunch of Lagunitas nonsense on it. The brewer claims smokiness and I don't get any of that. Is this a terrible example of the style or have style expectations ruined any chances for this beer?

 

Brasserie de Silly - Scotch Silly

I can't believe I've never had this one before. This is clearly an old, old bottle. It's oxidized and beat up but the beer still shines. It's sweet with notes of caramel, fruit, and raisins.

 

I attempted a blind tasting of various Scotch ales. Oskar Blues Old Chub and Founders Dirty Bastard represented the two popular American beers, and Black Isle Export Scotch Ale was the Scottish example. Unfortunately, the Black Isle beer was apparent from its oxidation. It was sweet and smooth. Old Chub was rich but also light and a little tangy. Dirty Bastard was the driest, and the most balanced. It's bitterness counteracted the sweetness. Honestly, I wasn't thrilled with any of these.

I've always wondered about the peat influence on American Scotch ales, and turns out, it was the French who played a role in the whole thing. The French were/are enthusiastic consumers of Scotch whiskey. Adelscott was perhaps the trailblazer in peat-smoked malt beer in the 1980s.

 

Here's the next group.

 

Cambridge Brewing Company Blunderbuss

This one was a bit of a disappointment. The oak influence was heavy. There's a hop bitterness and alcohol bite at the expense of anything else. There's some black cherry quality after it warms up but it's too little too late.

 

Nøgne Ø Sunturnbrew

Whoa. I've had this one before, and I wouldn't be surprised if this bottle is from the same batch... in other words, it's old. The smoke and malt are still incredibly present but there's an acidity from the age. It's intensely fruity and punches with flavor. At this age (I assume), this one walks the line between "holy cow" and unpalatable. It tips into the later quickly unfortunately.

 

Nøgne Ø #100

This bottle represents everything in the previous post, but also survives into something wonderful. The ghosts of an "American barley wine" linger but are combined with some acid and intense dark fruits. It's like liquid fruit cake but not overly sweet. Crazy. Whatever is left in this beer are as malt driven as some of the biggest standouts in this thread.

 

Bell's Mars

It's funny how reviews claim that this one tastes like an old IPA. The brewer claims that it's heavy on the Munich malt. It's caramel, grapefruit, and resin... syrupy and a beautiful beer. It's a copper sipper. Huge for an IPA.

 

Central City Thor's Hammer (Bourbon Barrel Aged)

The barrel presence here is huge. It's nutty, grainy and oily. It's very slightly tart, like a raspberry and black chocolate combination. Perhaps this is due to its age.

 

Broken Bow Barley Wine - Rye Whiskey, Bourbon & Red Wine Barrel edition

This one was a big letdown. I'm done with this brewery. In this beer, I got heavy astringency along with sourness. I can't imagine that this was the desired result. Unpalatable.

 

I have yet to pop open some beers in the previous group, but here's yet another group.

 

This 2 year old bottle lives up to expectations. It's got the the vanilla and nut bourbon barrel influence, but it also has a black currant and dark berry quality. Everything works seamlessly together. It goes down really well for its ABV. This one works because the malt is capable of standing up to the barrel. At 14%, this is really dangerous, even within the context of this thread. I'd really love to try Stormwatcher's Winterfest without the barrel influence. A really nice beer.

 

Two Brothers Bare Tree

This one is 6 years old. It has aged wonderfully. Although I've never had this fresh, I can't help but feel that it's been oxidized for the better (and for worse). In the end, it's fantastic. It's very sweet. It's a light copper. The aroma is fruity, oxidized and signaling alcohol. It's very heavy on the caramel, The texture is nice and slick. In its current state, this is a dessert beer.

This one goes out to @darktronica

 

Olde Hictory Irish Walker

This one is two years old. It's a beautiful deep dark brown. Carbonation is minor. The enticing dark fruit aromas are great, but I'm let down by the taste and texture (where the dark fruits go way down in volume). An unpleasant astringency comes forward in the taste. The texture is oddly light. It's lacking in body and personality.