Alpine Great

Wow - Gigantic representing! Love to see that. There's so much under the radar killer beer in the PNW. You'd never see Gigantic on anyone's "whale" list. Hell, you usually don't even see people recommend visiting them when traveling to Portland.

Lessons here ... do more tastings blind so you're not tasting with your ego / expectations; and don't get caught up whale hunting.

Cheers!

 

Exactly, one guy in our group even put BA Massive above Great, and he is bigger into BW's than the rest of us.

 

Since I've now derailed the thread to talk about BA Barleywines ... let me put a BIG recommendation out there for another PNW under the radar gem.

Amnesia 10th Year Anniversary BW. The rating on here is a joke to me. Of course, with only 3 ratings it doesn't mean much. Amnesia isn't known for homeruns but this beer was pretty great particularly if you like a red wine treatment in addition to bourbon.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/9685/149415/

"It is a big, bold Barleywine made from the best malt in the world, the finest Yakima hops and laid to rest for over a year on oak barrels that were formerly home to Red Zinfandel and then to bourbon from Big Bottom Whiskey out of Hillsboro Or."

Anyway, carry on. Great is indeed awesome but I'm always on the fence when it comes to what it takes to trade for the known gems when unknown gems are readily available. The grass is always greener I guess ...

 

I would have to say, and we are coming down to the minute detail here, that for me the list would be King Henry on top, follow by your ranking of Great/Massive/ADwtD, ONLY BECAUSE King Henry is English Barleywine, and I have always preferred English over American. Also, I'm almost willing to give up another BA Cake for another Great!

 

I thought that Amnesia 10th was great.

 

Did a BW comparison at a tasting of mine last month, Kuhnhenn BW-Aaron-Goose Island BW13, and everyone actually preferred the Bourbon County over the other two. Doing a BW tasting this Saturday actually.