ITT: Barleywines

[ccbstl]

Trying to clear out my old **** and this is BW adjacent I guess. A bunch of dark fruits with a bit of burned sugar, bitterness is fairly balanced, it's a little thin and the hops are way too medicinal/herbal. I don't remember this stuff fresh, but I'd say drink em if you've got em.

 

[KevSal]

damn big bad wolf for sure, this guy is huge! defintly boozy but not in a bad way. it’s nowhere near ab cow, but it’s damn delicious

 

[KevSal]

big and bad from alaskan, some oxidation in the back end, but super enjoyable. should have gotten to it sooner

 

[KevSal]

moar bwine!!

wow this guy is tasty as well, goes in a completely different direction than the last one but equally as good!

 

[KevSal]

hot damn! NClambicguy you down played this guy, this is fantastic. i’m a firm believe that the uglier the barleywine the better the beer, this guy pours an amazing murkey brown. flavor is off great, dark fruits toffee vanilla and slight hops. this guy is tasty and worth checking out

thanks NCbarleywineguy for sending this over!

 

[NClambicguy]

hot damn! NClambicguy you down played this guy, this is fantastic. i’m a firm believe that the uglier the barleywine the better the beer, this guy pours an amazing murkey brown. flavor is off great, dark fruits toffee vanilla and slight hops. this guy is tasty and worth checking out

thanks NCbarleywineguy for sending this over!

You don’t think it’s a touch too hoppy currently? I haven’t had one in a few months, but was waiting for that to die down some.

 

[jammery]

2016.
Last one.
I guess this doesn't see distro in NYC anymore. I would say I should've stocked up but I did and drank all my 15's and 16's.

 

[KevSal]

You don’t think it’s a touch too hoppy currently? I haven’t had one in a few months, but was waiting for that to die down some.

yea i reread your thoughts on it, it still has some hops but not all that much, maybe it has died down?

 

[ncaudle]

i’m a firm believe that the uglier the barleywine the better the beer

any examples or all great (English) barleywines ugly? I never noticed...

 

[KevSal]

any examples or all great (English) barleywines ugly? I never noticed...

yea there’s a few, one that really sticks out is ba hifi rye, i remember that guy looked murky, and it one of my all time faves, blendicious was the same, coast old nuptial, witches hat well water was pretty ugly and tasty.

 

[davey101]

With a year on it,.... really damn good!

With 3 years on it.......

Not good at all. I powered through maybe 3 oz, then dumped it. So sad.

Maybe the lesson is cans just don't hold up.

Damn, I have a few year vertical going. The bottles with the old white/yellow label used to hold up really great after a few years.

 

[andrewdrinks]

Dragged some colleagues to Wakefield last night and had a BA Mongo. Right up my street - brandy barrel and English style, so much caramel and figs. Might be the best JWB beer I’ve had to date (of about 10, but it still counts... it still counts)

 

[davey101]

Well this is not great, but not awful. Has that aged Bigfoot quality to it where the hops linger and the oxidation is very prevalent. Bourbon is non existent, just a shell of it's former self.

 

[ccbstl]

Drinking 2016 A-a-ron while demoing my kitchen. This is probably the most balanced BA BW I've ever had. Nothing stands out and I mean that in the best way possible. No alcohol burn, nice hint of barrel, not too sweet, awesome stuff.

 

[AndresR]

This is damn good! Almost Aaron like. Only took 6-7 years to get there. The 2009 that cracked last month though, that was next level.

 

[davey101]

Slightly better then 2015, getting some dark fruits out of it. On the decline though.

 

[davey101]

Well this was a complete drain pour, and I almost never pour out beers. Tasted like metallic mud. Something was way off. Quite a fall from grace

 

[andrewdrinks]

No picture but the Counterbalance BA Flight Risk I had on Saturday was appalling / thin, boozy, astringently bitter and pretty much undrinkable.

 

[davey101]

Heard bad things about the rebrew of this. I've never had a fresh THA before but i think this is pretty great out of the gate. Hits all the standard English BW notes. Really regretting not getting a few more to age but I'm just glad to see it back.

 

[BigFrank]

This is really average. BA stuff from Tombstone had been a losing gamble so far.

 

[jmgrub]

Heard bad things about the rebrew of this. I've never had a fresh THA before but i think this is pretty great out of the gate. Hits all the standard English BW notes. Really regretting not getting a few more to age but I'm just glad to see it back.

Good to hear. Grabbed a bottle of the 50th Anniversary Golden Edition (which I've heard is good) and the whiskey BA version (which I've heard is not good). Guess I'll have to find our for myself.

 

[libbey]

wonderful human being....

God tier BW offering. Thanks pdurrrr gonna take my time with this glass.

 

[box_social]

quick parking lot bangarang with shelf_turd_ferguson while he's in town. I need more of this, just perfect.

 

[KevSal]

large and beefy, i think this might actually be my first THA, this is a 2008, some oxidation coming it, but not bad for 12ish yo beer, and such a small bottle. i really need to try this guy fresh! but i hear it ain’t the same as it used to be?

 

[AndresR]

2008 Duck Rabbit barleywine

Tons of dried fruit. But it was a little too dry. Still enjoyed it.

Was an OG classic back in the day. Forgot I even had 1 left.

 

[jmgrub]

2008 Duck Rabbit barleywine

Tons of dried fruit. But it was a little too dry. Still enjoyed it.

Was an OG classic back in the day. Forgot I even had 1 left.

OG for sure!

Their Baltic Porter was really good too (ignoring QC issues).

 

[andrewdrinks]

Crosspost from cigar thread... Pohjala Odravein, from their extremely underrated barrel program. If you have a store that gets Shelton distro nearby, this might be on shelf and is well worth your attention. A bit spikier than some BABWs, but not hot or astringent - some bitterness, some wood, but lots of complexity.

 

[jmgrub]

Somehow better than the last bottle I had (which was stored in the exact same place). The usual good stuff - molasses, tobacco, leather, a little prune/fig...but minimal oxidation, and that lick-your-lips sweetness. Nice way to spend Memorial Day.

I think this may have been my last bottle. Cheers!

 

[Der Fuchs]

Pretty sure I haven't barley wined since the holidays.



I need to remedy that.

 

[beerscenes]

Crosspost from cigar thread... Pohjala Odravein, from their extremely underrated barrel program. If you have a store that gets Shelton distro nearby, this might be on shelf and is well worth your attention. A bit spikier than some BABWs, but not hot or astringent - some bitterness, some wood, but lots of complexity.
View attachment 8259

Gah, just picked that bottle up off the shelf in Bend, OR and then set it back down. It'll probably be there when I visit again in November...

 

[jmgrub]

Forgot to mention that our local bottle shop has "Vintage Bigfoot" - a blend of 1, 2 and 3 year barrel-aged Bigfoot for growler fills. Nice dude who works there offered me a taste when I was deciding between 2 beers for fills. Certainly wouldn't choose it over pretty much any English-style barleywine, but it still beat the **** out of regular Bigfoot and "regular" barrel-aged Bigfoot. Think Central Waters BBBW with more hop bitterness. Still ended up getting a fill of Velvet Merkin instead.

TL; DR: you won't be making a life-alteringly bad decision if you buy this beer.

 

[bramsdell]

Forgot to mention that our local bottle shop has "Vintage Bigfoot" - a blend of 1, 2 and 3 year barrel-aged Bigfoot for growler fills.

Barleywine gueuze?

 

[wuntrikpony]

Barleywine gueuze?

Methode Maris

 

[sacrelicio]

Forgot to mention that our local bottle shop has "Vintage Bigfoot" - a blend of 1, 2 and 3 year barrel-aged Bigfoot for growler fills. Nice dude who works there offered me a taste when I was deciding between 2 beers for fills. Certainly wouldn't choose it over pretty much any English-style barleywine, but it still beat the **** out of regular Bigfoot and "regular" barrel-aged Bigfoot. Think Central Waters BBBW with more hop bitterness. Still ended up getting a fill of Velvet Merkin instead.

TL; DR: you won't be making a life-alteringly bad decision if you buy this beer.

Grabbed one the other day at South Lyndale, will report back.

 

[abawol01]

Anabasis fux.

 

[WhalezB4Rarez]

::dusts off thread::

X-post from DDT 8/25/19

 

[sacrelicio]

::dusts off thread::

View attachment 9074

X-post from DDT 8/25/19

Decent? I think I've tried this, can't remember.

 

[WhalezB4Rarez]

Decent? I think I've tried this, can't remember.

I’ve had it around for at least a year and I didn’t see a date on it but it was smooth and very good.

 

[WhalezB4Rarez]

::dustsoffthread::

X-post from DDT today (here not the other site)