Barley wines.. Must they age?

I routinely buy a 4/6 pak. Drink 2/3 fresh and cellar the others. Have a nice variety aging now. Going to be like Christmas a few years down the road.

 

All barleywines must be aged and people who don't cellar them are bad people.

Well, okay, not really. In truth while I do personally prefer virtually all barleywines aged, there are those I find difficult to enjoy too fresh and others that are wonderful from the start. Given the wide variety of opinions I see on this topic (indeed, including in this thread), I think it is very difficult to lay down any hard and fast rules in an absence of knowing your general likes and dislikes.

I'd suggest trying everything fresh, just in case you like particular beers better that way, and cellaring those which you find just too raw, or aggressively hoppy. At the end of the day, the only way to be sure of the a swer to your question os to experiment a little.

 

I'd love your suggestions on what I should pick up in this exact category. DM me, or post here.

 

JW Lee's Harvest Ale and all barrel treatments, JW Lee's Moonraker, Meantime BW, Young's Old Nick, Adnams Tally-Ho and Tally-Ho Reserve are the standouts. Most English old Ales are just lower ABV or 'light' barleywines and fall into the same category. We don't get as much of the English stuff here but I'd bet most smaller breweries in the UK do at least once house barleywine in their rotation too.

 

I need a trip to England.

 

Forgot my favorite, Traquair 2020 (if you can find it anywhere, local place still has a case with my name on it).