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Three Floyds Brewing Co.
Muncie, Indiana
Behemoth
Vintage: 2009 - (Blue, green wax)
Style: American Barleywine
Availability: Limited - January Release
Format: 22oz
ABV: 10.5%
IBU: 80
Bottle text & Info:
Purchased this March from Triple Crown Liquors in downtown Indianapolis, IN.
2009 Vintage released in January of 2009 - blue,green wax top.
"A huge, sweet Barley Wine with complex caramel malt notes, balanced by generous hopping and a high alcohol content. This fruity and malty beer is best enjoyed while keeping warm in the brutal winter months. January release."
Tasting Notes:
Pours a clear copper with ample ivory head that clings and creates a creamy, smooth top. Smells of sweet bready malts, like raison bread. Ripe pear and apple notes on the front with caramel in the middle finishing with dry sherry notes on the end. A little bit of heat on the end keeps this from becoming cloying. Some hops, not as many as I would have hoped but at this point this ale has a year and a half on it and i hear the hops in this guy fade pretty fast. A big, sweet barleywine with well hidden alcohol and some great fruit subtleties. For those looking for big night cappers or after dinner apertifs: look no further. Another hit from three floyds.
Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
Farmville, North Carolina
Barleywine
Style: English Barleywine
Availability: Seasonal
Format: 12oz - 6pk
ABV: 11.0%
Bottle text & Info:
nothin. lame.
Tasting Notes:
Pours a muddy amber to brown with a sticky yellow that slowly loses retention leaving lots of lacing along the side of the glass. Smells of all things malt, predominately toffee, red apples and a hint of under-ripened plum. Loads of sweet carmel ending with enough tongue pricking hops to prevent it from getting that cloyingly oxidized sweetness english barleywine get. Nice to see Duck-Rabbit keep this guy big (11%). I'm right on the fence with this one. The flavors our solid, just sort of teeters on the brink of being too sweet for me. Although, at 11%, i'm not sayin I won't throw a couple of these guys in the cellar and see what happens.
Stone Brewing Co.
Escondido, California
Style: American Barleywine
Availability: Limited - Jan - Feb.
Format: 22oz
ABV: 11.1%
IBUs: 95
Old Guardian Barleywine Style Ale
Bottle text & Info:
everything you need to know about this years vintage right .... here.
Tasting Notes:
Pours a glowing amber with some hazing and a pretty generous (for a Bw) light tan head. Mouthfeel is slight and oily but not overly so. Clings to the glass leaving huge streaks and significant lacing. Smells of sweet malts, alcohol and some citrus. whoa, HOPS! BOATLOADS OF EM! sorry for yelling. seriously though, this is pretty crazy. Some caramel/toffee which is piggybacked by pine, pine, and heavy grapefruit. The unexpected hops are backed heavily by some english malt notes that keep the whole thing together. This is far better than lasts years - which i found sickeningly sweet ( and f*d me up pretty good.). This vintage has some real balance with some more huge alcohol, superb maltings, and smack you in the face hops. I feel exactly the same about this as I did the Cali-Belgie: like Stone's motto should be structure and nuance. This appropriately sums it up and at $6.50 a pop, you can grab a couple for the beer closet and not feel guilty. This one will age with the best of em.
Great Divide Brewing Co.
Denver, Colorado
Old Ruffian
Style: American Barleywine
Availability: Limited - Seasonal - (January - March)
Format: 22oz
ABV: 10.2%
IBU's: 90
Batch: bottled Dec. 29th 2009"
Bottle text & Info:
Old Ruffian is a hefty, hop-forward Barley Wine- Style Ale. Seemingly mellow at the start with subtle fruit aromas and complex caramel sweetness, it quickly becomes aggressive with its bold hop flavors and huge hop bitterness. Ultimately, the big body, succulent sweetness and massive hop character come together to work wonders on your palate.
Tasting Notes:
Pours a rust amber to brown. Shows dark cherry when backlit. Inch and half head that quickly dissipates to quarter inch. Smells of toffee and salt water taffy with hops in the mix. Smooth, creamy body - definitely a big and chewy BW. Noticeable hops with caramel, toffee and some slight souring on the finish. A solid entry into the barleywine field. This one just doesn't finish dry enough for my liking. Guess that's me largely favoring the American style over the English. I say that and I must clarify that this is still hopped enough to be considered and American interpretation - i'd place it between the Old Horizontal and the abundantly hopped Smuttynose BW.
Smuttynose Brewing Co.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Big Beer Series:
Barleywine Style Ale
Style: American Barleywine
Availability: Limited - First Quarter Release
Bottle text & Info:
Barleywine is a term originally used by British brewers to describe very(term deleted*) ales. Though individual examples of this style vary widely, barleywines are characterized by their full body, (terms deleted*) content, pronounced residual malt sweetness, fruity esters and, in the case of American versions especially, distinctive hop character, with a flavor profile that can lean towards the sweet or the bitter, or somewhere in between, and a color ranging from amber to deep copper. Barleywines tend to age nicely, especially bottle-conditioned versions, and have become quite collectible. Our Barleywine is rich and malty, with hints of fruity esters and a well-hopped finish. Enjoy this hearty ale with fresh fruit and ripe cheese on a cold winter’s night, or lay it up and savor it with a friend for a special summer treat.
Tasting Notes:
Pours a dark orange. Much lighter than expected with a generous half inch white head. leaves nice spotted lacing on the glass. smells like a double ipa! All the flavors are there that you'd expect from a good barleywine. Dark fruits plus prunes with some toasted malts and that dry/sweet rye like finish. I love this one. definitely an american barleywine. Explodes with flavors from the intensive hopping. A great barleywine with a tangerine/blood orange like finish and a carbonation level that's spot on.
Mad River Brewing Co.
Blue Lake, California
John Barleycorn Barleywine Ale
Style: American Barleywine
Availability: Limited - Seasonal - Winter
ABV: 9.1%
Bottle text & Info:
N/a
Tasting Notes:
So basically, Mad River saved you the work. read the label, notice the vintage. yep. 2008. The fine folks over at Mad River double batched the 08, releasing half and sitting on the other half. What you have here is the batch that has been aged at the brewery. Now lets get into it and see how the flavors are. Nose and appearance are as expected. Deep copper, little to no head, wafts of eastery and prune like smells. Brown sugar and dark fruit notes sandwiching a nice little touch of citrus hops finishing with a peppery, mustard green like dryness. Overall, a pretty little solid little barleywine. Perhaps not as strong in the abv as i'd expect in a BW but the flavor profile is great. Many have likened this to an older english style barleywine but the hops are much too prevalent for me to make that correlation. You gotta appreciate the effort from Mad River. hand claps for letting this one sit for a year and mass releasing!
