At 17% it’s still hot after almost 4 years (bottled in July which is odd). This hasn’t really changed much since fresh. I’ve had 4 or 5 of these and it’s obviously a winner. I don’t want to tell you how much I paid for one of them on release day. This was the first year we got big distribution of BCBS so I thought I stumbled onto a once in a lifetime bottle. Yeah, they were still on the shelves months later at absurd prices. Luckily I found more for MSRP and about a year later the crazy store marked them down half price so I bought more. I have one left. I think it’ll be fine at 10 years so maybe I’ll open it then
I have winnowed my Bigfoot stash down to a little over a case (2026 is tasting great, might need another pack or 2), this 2011 is my oldest remaining bottle. They can be hit or miss at this age, this one has held up really well. Loads of caramel and a nice raisin note that doesn't always come out. There is just a suggestion of paper in the finish along with some aspirin. Loving this one. I'll say it again, Bigfoot kicks ass.
You and @VodkaPong87 and @DIM open that shitass beer today On ten years they'd have released 6 other $80 barleywines . Live for today, die for tomorrow. Or you can wait for me to open mine when i receive it. I have one in the pipeline
1992 Thomas Hardy's Ale. 34 year old barleywine. Poured at cellar temp. A tiny hiss when I popped the cap. Minimal carbonation on the pour. No head. The nose is amazing. Prunes, pomegranate, raisins, oak, toffee, sherry, a hint of clove, and a bit of blackberry. What a wonderful aroma. The taste is absolutely lovely. I can't actually believe how great this tastes, with minimal signs of deterioration. Definitely different from fresh, but a great evolution. Prunes, blackberries, port, leather, oak, cola, brown sugar, toffee, and old books. What a beauty. I will sip and enjoy this as long as I can.
Cross Posted in NBW thread. Tonight Im bringing you Old Pirates Barleywine from HellBent Brewing in Seattle, Washington. This 11.1 % brew was a part of a trade with @zdraco Thank you Sir! Had my last boys soccer game for indoor today, we won 4 to 3. Now we wait for the results of some other games, cant finish lower than 3rd, mathematically could win it all still. Onto my review: Sampling a cellar temp 16 oz can poured into a snifter. The beer can has a botched date stamp on the bottom with no date printed on the label. The beer pours a clear caramel color with a creamy beige head of 1 cm foaming up. This foam fades to a sturdy surface covering and sturdy edging. The foam leaves some dense lattice on swirls and sips. Aroma on this a mix of toffee, plums, raisins and some fusol booze, but not overly hot. First sip reveals a medium body with slightly sticky texture with fine , gentle carbonation. Flavor is sweeter up front with caramel and toffee mixing and then the dark fruit comes through with raisins and plums carrying the fruit. I do get some peppery booze, but no warming on the finish. Never any hop character found on this beer. A tasty and sort of easier drinking bigger barleywine. glad to have tried this one. 4.27 in the BA DB
This seems to be the theme for the weekend, so I braved the elements and went out and bought some. As wonderful as I remembered
Solid, if kind of underwhelming VSOJ variant. Idk if the rum barrel adds anything. It doesn’t necessarily detract from the standard VSOJ we’ve become accustomed to but it also doesn’t add much either. Cheers!!
Label says barleywine with natural flavors curious to see how this bananas foster goes. The base bourbon barrel barleywine is familiar and delicious, boozy toffee, vanilla, prunes, and molasses. Plus a little banana laffy taffy. This is fine but I'm not getting a bananas foster vibe. Kuhnhenn does a lot of things well, but Bottle Logic and Tree House do this kind of thing much better.
Most of them rock. Perfect to split 3 ways, which is typical for me. This one was good (of course, it’s Rev) but I was also a little let down.
Finishing this bottle off that was opened during the Bigfoot tasting. Hasn't changed a bit since I opened it, which is impressive.
A blast from the past for me. It’s been a while since I’ve had this one. Like, waxed bombers been a while. I loved it. Hoppy for sure but it’s got great mouthfeel. I think I’ll try my damndest to spread this sixer out (or grab a spare sixer to age) because this one seems like it could mellow out on the hops and become even more interesting. Cheers!!
Halftime finally got some 2025 straight jacket, along with some other Revolution goodies. I'm stocked for the year. Delectable as ever, but this is a bit different than the previous batch I think. More raisin, tobacco, with less brown sugar so it isn't quite as sweet. There is also a bit of a smoked, candied nut thing here that I'm really enjoying. Nice to have the larder full.
