One Barleywine to Rule Them All

Anchor Old Foghorn is my favorite - it might be my favorite because it was the first Barley Wine I have ever had

 

English style: It's a brawl between Sucaba and Arctic Devil, both huge beers exploding with toffee, caramel, bourbon and dark fruit.

American style: Helldorado or Old Cellar Dweller. Both have a beautiful hop profile over a smashing malt bill.

And all are perfectly smooth at ABVs of 13+ %

 

Oh and if we're including old ales: Fruet, Bois or Cherry Adam from the Wood. Go get your mind blown.

 

Of the ones I've had:
Mother of All Storms
Abacus/Sucaba
Insanity
Central Waters BBBW
Arctic Devil
Adam from the Wood
Bois

 

Surprised no one has mentioned Thomas Hardy's. No longer brewed, but occasionally still on the shelves.

 

I'm REALLY fond of the Chicken Killer barleywine from Santa Fe Brewing. High alcohol but there's a vanilla sweetness to it. You can also really taste the barrel aging which I like. It's brother - Kickin' Chicken - is aged in Wild Turkey 101 barrels and is freaking awesome. Great for cellaring.

 

Avery brewing - Hog Heaven is one of my favorites a bit on the hoppy side.
Sierra -Bigfoot, Easy to find, relatively inexpensive for a BW, delicious.
Old ruffian Barrel Aged - Stock up in the winter, worth the price and wait.

 

Just a few of my favorites, with leanings toward english style...

FW Sucaba
Central Waters Bourbon BArrel Barleywine
Cigar City Warmer Winter Winter Warmer
Hoppin' Frog Naked Evil
Perennial Artisan Ales Vermillion Winter Ale
Weyerbacher Insanity
J.W. Lees Harvest Ale
Avery Samael's Ale
Barrel Aged Old Ruffian

 

I absolutely love the style and I love Sucaba but I've got a Mr. Peabody's Blendiculous coming and I'm thinking that will move into my #1 spot. I've got so much anticipation for it that it will be tough to be objective though.

 

Most of mine have been mentioned but one I haven't seen, and non-bourbon barrel aged:

Oak-Aged Backburner

 

Love Weyerbacher's Insanity. They don't bottle it but Cambridge Brewing Company's Blunderbuss is delicious. Worth the trip if you live near Boston

 

Is that a winter solstice release do you know? I've never seen that and I've been at Kuhnhenns pretty regularly lately.

 

For me, it's Mirror Mirror and I'm excited that they will be releasing it again next year. I've really been wanting a CCB Church on a Hill.

 

I agree. I was absolutely blown away by Great.

 

Surprised Mother of All Storms isn't getting more love on here. For me, that's the gold standard.

Others I enjoy:
Bigfoot (especially aged- had a 98 recently and it blew my mind)
Third Coast
Flying Mouflan

 

Duclaw Bourbon Barrel Aged Devil's Milk

 

I do not like hoppy American barleywines too much, I've realized. America's obsession with hops goes too far sometimes, and loading a bunch of hops into a style that is meant to do well with age is just silly, imo. Oxidized hops don't taste good.

Weyerbacher Insanity is barrel aged, easy enough to find on a shelf and is pretty damn good. Bell's Third Coast Old Ale is very good too. North Coast Old Stock Ale is a great old ale as well. Unfortunately I haven't tried any of the barrel aged barleywines that get a lot of talk around here, and I haven't tried JW Lees because of the price, but those are at the top of my list of beers to try.

 

My only "5" barleywine was a local.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/15032/83648/?ba=barleywinefiend

King Henry, Fred from the Wood, Nemesis vinatages, Old Bridge Rider and Gratitude are not far behind.

 

"That's not what she said"

 

Biggest surprise for me recently: Clown Shoes Crunkle Sam.

 

I stand corrected.

 

my favorite so far is Behemoth

 

Bigfoot
Jack & Ken's Black Barleywine
Hair of the Dog ADAM
Bois

 

ISO Alpine Great and Kuhnhenn BBA Barleywine.
My favorite now is Sucuba for sure.

 

Clown Shoes has one out that i really like called Crunkle Sam and one of my favorites is CW BBBW

 

finally got some SN Bigfoot and *very* much looking forward to trying it ...

 

BA hi fi batch one is my favorite ba barlywine.

Alpine great is well... great!

Old birdbrain was really good

Old ridge rider was fantastic!

Currently I'm after my number one want Deal with the devil, which I've heard nothing but good things about, toronados was supposed to get a ked but it never made it down

 

Bolt cutter. I'm not even joking.

King Henry also.

 

Blithering Idiot for me. Haven't had Insanity yet.

 

I guess, I'm a little confused. Aren't adam and old stock Old Ales, which are different from English and American Barley Barley Wines. Anyways, as for non-BA Barley wines I would have to have to go with Bigfoot, old ruffian And doggie claws for my favorite American barley wines.

 

Arcadia Cereal Killer (2009 I had earlier this year was unbelievable.) old ruffian is awesome too (Bigfoot is not my fave in all honesty)

 

I love 3F's Behemoth, but on the other end of the spectrum I would have to say Sucaba...

 

Non-barrel aged:
2 week old Pliny

Barrel aged:
Leon

 

They call it an old ale but to me old ales are basically English barleywines... therefore my list is:
1. Thomas Hardy's
2. JW Lee's Vintage Harvest Ale
3. Kuhnhenn's BB4D
4. Alpine Great
5. Alesmith BA Old Numbskull

Not necessarily in that order, but that's what came to mind. I think I could throw MOAS and Gratitude in there too.

 

I know they have lower ratings, but as a barleywine aficionado I really like Heavy Seas Below Decks in all versions.

 

King Henry. Simply the best beer I've ever had. However, I absolutely love Sucaba and it's a close second. I'm a big fan of Flying Mouflan as far as non-BA.

 

Just had Sucaba with some good blue cheese a few days ago....Holy fuckin delicious magic. That is one of the top 5 beers of any kind I have ever had. Bigfoot is also magic especially for the price.

 

Stone Old Guardian (probably my favorite at this point)
Great Divide Old Ruffian
Brooklyn Monster
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot

 

3 year old old stock is one of the best beers I have ever had.

 

Central Waters Kosmyk Charlie's Y2K Catastrophe Ale - wjay a great beer! Haven't had since about 2003 - but the memory lives on. One of the best Barleywines I've had