Barleywine style tasting March 4th

Installment #2; BBA Barleywine. This offering is from Sebago, though they are a regional brewery and not widely renowned, when they hit a beer they hit it out of the park, and this is one of those. A bit steep at around $7 a can but worth every penny.



Pours a brown black tinged with red If held to the light, two finger tan head slowly dissipates to a film and a halo. Big alcohol legs and nice lacing.

Aroma is massive on this beer, oak, vanilla, smoke, peat, caramel, chocolate, fig, raisin, walnut, toffee, like a sweet bourbon. A quick whiff is reminiscent of Bourbon County.

Taste is ridiculously complex. Prominent charred oak and tannins, big vanilla, creme brulee, caramel and walnut. Subtler flavors of fig, dried cherry, almond, cocoa, molasses, tobacco, toffee, raisins, and bergamot. The sweetness up front mingles with the charred oak and is so warm and inviting, the flavors develop and linger and fade into a soft bitterness and light smoky aftertaste.

Medium bodied and velvet smooth with a light frothy carbonation. Little bite of the 13% ABV, drying.

Overall this is a monster BBA Barleywine. Incredibly rich and complex and a damn near perfect mouthfeel. The bourbon is allowed to take front and center but never overpowers the beer, instead mingling with nuttiness and dark fruits creating an evolving palate where the different flavors play off each other. The 2016 is particularly delicious, less harsh than the 2015.

 

I think that 8 might be a "B". The code on my bottle was 5JW. Using the freshbeeronly website to decipher Anchor's cryptic date coding system ( # is last digit of year, 1st letter is initial for month, 2nd letter is day of the month: A-Z = 1-26, numbers used thereafter), I've determined your bottle was filled 9/8/16. Guess the ABV varies from year to year with this brew.

 

Only one I had seen was the IPA, but I also don't follow harpoon well enough to know what they're doing, maybe they'll make some of them again.

 

Last up tonight, all grain home brewed Barleywine from 2015
Maris Otter 23# for 5 gallon, East Kent Golding hops, and Irish Ale Yeast (it had a work out).
Mouth feel is full, lots of caramel, and a warm 9% thread runs through it.
Will be brewing next years batch next week.
Cheers all

 

I thought I put one of those JW Lees brews in the fridge, but I guess I forgot. So, this will be my night cap. Been a little while since I've tasted this bottle. Very tasty!

Cheers!

 

We really liked the Baltic Porter, it was special.
Cheers

 

Revolution Straight Jacket

The box said let it warm up to 50-55 degrees, so of course I drank it straight out of the fridge and man was it boozy. I let it warm up for about 10 minutes and sure enough the bourbon had settled. Caramel, sweet molasses, coconut started to pop. Overall a very good BA Barleywine

 

it was I apologize I obviously don't need a barley wine tonight. Not that that is going to stop me. It is pretty good a touch yeasty which I find being the case with a lot of Northeast Style IPAs

 

I had this beer I want to say 2014 very very good.

 

Gotta be up at 4 or a road trip so I'll be signing off now. It's been fun and educational.
Carry on. Cheers!

 

Sadly wasn't able to get anything in time for this one -- have been sick all week and it's only just now clearing up. I'm not sure if my taste buds and sense of smell are quite back to normal just yet so trying a new beer probably wouldn't be the best idea, especially something that's even remotely hard to find (as pretty much all barleywines seem to be around here.)

I'll plan on picking up one of the bottles I was looking at having for this the next time I stop by the store anyway, though -- it's not like you need a special occasion to try something new (well, the bottles were from 2013 so not "new," but new to me at least) that's probably going to be really good, after all!

 

I just had that the other week, I enjoyed it quite a bit glad you got more out of it as it warmed.

 

Last up for the night is Hedgerow by Burlington Beer Company.


This one is from 2015.


This is probably my favorite Barleywine to date. After 2 years the hop bitterness is almost gone and is in harmony with the malt sweetness. The grapes are more prominent to me now than they were when it was fresh. Toffee and grapes are competing for dominance. Its very interesting, but the age has thinned it more than I remember. Alcohol is pretty non existent, making this dangerous at 11%. I'll have to get more fresh ones to compare it against.

 

Wow I wish I just had one more I envy you for having 6!!!

 

I'm really enjoying this thread. I have several more barleywines in the cellar, and now I wish I had chilled another. One per night is usually enough for me. I'll be on WBAYDN with whatever I decide to grab from the fridge.

 

I'm enjoying it and I'm stuck at work on the dumb Saturday late shift. At least I'm indoors, unlike that poor bastard @cavedave. (Hope your batteries recharge for NBS!)

There's no barleywines in my fridge, but I *do* have a wheatwine begging to be opened on the Late Night BA.com. Maybe I'll post here and let y'all throw S at me for bringing in the wheat.

 

Here's my finale for the night. An English Barleywine - a style quickly becoming my favorite - from a brewery that produced the first "expensive" bomber I bought. While that bomber predates my existence on Beer Advocate, it was recently re-released, but I missed getting any. Never the less, this brewery has a soft spot in my heart. I also own a mid 80's pressing of The Clash's 2 LP album London Calling, so I guess you could say I'm excited to try this beer.



Against the Grain's London Balling.

Pours a murky deep hue of cranberry red with a finger of off-white head. Lacing forms in tight, but small patches. Aroma is bolstered by notes of caramel, toffee, raisins, fig, and plum with only a whiff of barley below. It has a clear, caramelized aroma that urges a sip. Flavor profile is a sweet swelling of sugary malt notes - caramel, toffee, fig, raisins, and plum. Any sort of earthy, or bitter, or biting malt characteristics have been shoved out of site. Mouth feel is medium-thin with an easy-drinking feel. Overall, a barleywine that both smells and sips extremely smooth. It packs a presence, and yet is reserved in its statement enough to be approachable for all levels of enjoyment.

Score: 4.25 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.25 | 4.5 | BA Score: 4.46 | rDev: +6.4%

Personal notes: Barleywines can be dangerous. High ABV mixed with incredible smoothness. This barleywine embodies that very danger. It's extremely easy to turn a sip to a gulp and not regret a thing until the 12.5% ABV in a 16oz can smacks you across the face and asks for your lunch money. It's through and through an English Barleywine with all the malty and sweet characteristics to say so, and yet is featured in a 16oz can which leads me to believe this would be a fitting beer to sip on before a float trip, or late at night around a campfire with good friends. Although if you're at altitude, make sure you don't turn those sips into gulps. At nearly $10 a can, it may be more of a special occasion thing, but with how sweet and balanced this barleywine is, it would be at home celebrating a World Cup win, or cheering you up when your wife hasn't been home for a third night. So crank up the record player and get to sipping. This beer has a statement to make.

Music: