Has anyone seen the new Burton Ale in stores? I'm in Ma and haven't see it. I can't figure out if it isn't available here or if it hasn't hit stores yet
They had four 6-packs on the shelf (now 3). I'm a big fan of the IPA (which is finally back in Western Mass as of November). Anyway, the IPA has (to my tongue) a syrup-texture and sweetness which is also present in the Burton (without the IPA citrus, of course). As reviewers have mentioned, surprisingly not boozy, but I didnt get the complexity of flavors. I expected something more flavorful like the Scotch Ale "Dirty Bastard" from Founders.
It also showed up pretty late (for a seasonal) here in most parts of NJ, but was worth the wait. It's a very good effort. It would probably be much better with some extra long aging at the brewery (so would would the new India Pale), but in this day and age I think that's too much to hope for. Modern breweries don't seem to be interested in doing it like the old days (and in reality, probably can't afford to). But all in all, for the price it's selling for in sixpcks, the Burton is quite nice...and a better value for the quality than a lot of smaller brewer products. I'm laying some aside as an experiment to see how time treats it. I'm guessing i will hold up quite well, and possibly even improve (though that's iffy, since it is apparently filtered before bottling)
Just grabbed a pack at Table and Vine, there were 4-5 left on the shelf. Looking forward to trying it.
I had read an article about this beer in Mid Atlantic Beer News, that a buddy of mine had saved for me. He told me he just saw the Burton Ale at a local liquor store in South Jersey. I went there on Christmas Eve, to finish some shopping, and I asked a sales associate about it. While he didn't know about the beer, a man next to him said, "it's really good, if you like Barleywines or strong ales." I told him about some of my favorite barleywines (Old Foghorn, Bigfoot, Old Crustacean, etc.), and he said "you should try it, you'll like it." He said he liked it better than Victory's "Old Horizontal," that he purchased his first six pack the night before, and was back to buy two more. Although I've yet to taste Victory's barleywine, I've enjoyed plenty of their other brews, and I was now sold. Ironically, there were only two six packs left, and I purchased one of them. After I went home, chilled and tasted my first beer, I went back to the liquor store the next (Christmas) day, and bought the last remaining six pack. I my lay that one down for awhile, unless I find some more available. I'm drinking a Burton Ale right now, as I write this, and I must say that this beer has a nice balance between malt and hops, and it goes down very smoothly. While it doesn't explode in your mouth, like some hoppier Barleywine's, the caramel notes are nice, the carbonation and head is all there, and it has an enjoyable creaminess and mellowness about it. This is likely a result of having been aged in oak barrels for several months. It has the classic Barleywine taste, yet you don't have have to compromise and buy only a 7 oz. bottle, with a higher overall cost, as offered by some of its rivals. You can taste the alcohol in the finish, and I can definitely feel it, after drinking only one bottle. For the money, I'd say this is a tough one to beat!
Good read, thanks. Totally under the radar, $10.99 here, my sleeper beer of 2015. I would love to try this on draft!
Agreed, it was an awesome surprise. And it is pretty generally available in Vermont for $9.99-10.99ish.
Looking for some here in Beverly. I found exactly 2-6 packs in the North Shore this season but I am hoping to stash some away before its gone for the season.
I picked a 6-pack up before New Year's in Warwick for $8.49. Very nice at that price although I am going to age a few of the bottles because the hops were a little more up front than I like for this style.
I placed an order for a case right around Christmas and it just came in yesterday. The total cost was $47 at Marsh's Wine & Spirits in Norwell. Enjoying my first bottle tonight!
I just bought a 6-pack yesterday and opened one tonight. Delicious! It tastes like a Burton Baton or 90 Minute with a massive helping of sweet caramel malt that melds with the hops to almost turn them from grapefruit to pineapple. The alcohol is evident but NOT overpowering or burning, contrary to what I've seen other people say. (It did come forward quite a bit with warming, but many beers do.) I haven't had any other barleywines yet besides Weyerbacher's Blithering Idiot, which if I remember rightly had no hop taste whatsoever, but this tastes like a blend of that and one of the aforementioned DIPAs. Like them, there's enough sweetness to cover the hop bitterness even in the aftertaste.
