Barleywines: Warming Up to the Warmth

The first time I tasted Dogfish Head's Olde School Barleywine, which was also my first time tasting a barleywine, I thought it was a boozy mess; the high alcohol content overwhelmed whatever else was in the beer.  It was early in my craft beer experience and, admittedly, starting barleywines with a 15% ABV version probably wasn't the best way to develop an appreciation for the style.  Also, that Olde School was fairly fresh from the brewery (about a month old) and didn't have a chance to mellow with age. 

 

Almost two years later, I have a better appreciation for that beer and barleywines as a style.  Looking back on it now, I'd say that not only was my palate not ready for the high heat of the Olde School, it wasn't ready for barleywines in general.  It seems like a style that one has to work up to in order to appreciate, though no one should shy away from giving it a try.  As a style, it's typically fairly high in alcohol, with ABVs checking in at over 10% for many, and the alcohol taste isn't generally as muted as it can be in IPAs and stouts.  They can also be fairly sweet and syrupy (for a beer), with tastes like cherry and other dark fruits coming through strong, and they're not really reminiscent of anything the macro brewers are producing.  In fact, you might find something in the liquor section that's closer than what the macros have (and, in case you're wondering, even though "wine" is in the name, there's nothing really "wine" about the style other than perhaps the ABV). 

 

My recommendation for someone new to barleywines (or new to craft in general) is to try one now, take note of what you think about it, and try it again down the road after trying many different beers to see how your palate has changed.  Barleywines are definitely a good candidate for aging, so you can buy a four-pack (or multiple 22 oz btls) and stash the leftovers for later. 

 

One worth seeking: Firestone Walker §ucaba 

 

Others worth trying: Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine, Weyerbacher Insanity and Blithering Idiot, Stone Old Guardian Oak-Smoked Barleywine, Heavy Seas Below Decks 

 

The non-barleywine beers that are quite close: Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA, Burley Oak Rude Boy

Review: Founders All Day IPA

Founders All Day IPA
4.7% ABV

Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, MI

12oz btl
Served in Duvel tulip glass
Date on bottle: Bottled on 7/12/13
Reviewed on 8/18/13

This IPA pours a quite light golden color that  has a slight amber tinge.  Lots of carbonation.  Quite good lacing.

Smell consists of hops, grapefruit, citrus, some malt, light pine, floral, spicy herbs, some resin.

Taste consists of muted hops, wheat, slight grapefruit, touch of pine, malt, slight bread, hint of yeast.

Mouthfeel is fairly smooth on the palate with a mild thread of champagne-like dryness.

Overall, this is a drinkable IPA that smells like an IPA but tastes more like a standard pale ale. On the nose, typical IPA aromas such as hops, grapefruit, and even some pine are evident; however, on the palate, the hops are muted as are the grapefruit and pine, as wheat, malt, and bread flavors become more abundant.  Quite interesting. Enjoyable.


My score: 92

Review: Lagunitas Lucky 13 Mondo Large Red Ale

Lagunitas Lucky 13 Mondo Large Red Ale
8.65% ABV

The Lagunitas Brewing Co., Petaluma, CA

22 oz btl
Served in Dogfish Head signature glass
No date on bottle

Reviewed on 8/14/13 


This red ale pours a Solid amber color with a bubbly off-white head that has nice retention.  Good lacing.

Smell consists of hops, malt, sugar, pepper, candy, floral and herbal notes, bread, rye.

Taste consists of hops, malty cherry, sugar, pepper, bread, dry candy, floral and herbal notes, slight alcohol.

Mouthfeel is smooth going down with some good dryness around the edges.

Overall, a nice tasting red ale that's fairly hoppy and with a good sugary profile reminiscent of a lighter barleywine.   Complex flavors of cherry, pepper, bread and floral/herbal come through in abundance.  It's a red ale that's a bit charged up in flavor.  Nicely done.


My score: 93

Review: Stone Farking Wheaton W00tstout

Stone Farking Wheaton W00tstout
13.0% ABV

The Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, San Diego County, CA

22 oz btl

Served in Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale snifter

Date on bottle: Bottled on 6/25/13
Reviewed on 8/16/13

This stout pours a thick dark brow color with a toasty beige head that dissipates quickly. Decent lacing.

Smell has malt, coffee, chocolate, hops, alcohol, bread, nuttiness, some caramel.

Taste has malt, chocolate, nuts, sugar, hops, alcohol, bread, caramel, touch of whiskey.

Mouthfeel is dry and bitter on the palate with some alcohol harshness.  Full of flavor but not as robust as expected.

Overall, this is a good tasting stout with a nice profile of stout flavors such as malt, chocolate, and coffee with an interesting taste of nuttiness (coming from the advertised pecans on the bottle).  An alcohol harshness comes through, and while it's full of flavor, it comes across as a touch weak considering the ABV and composition of flavors.  Still, it's quite interesting and reasonably drinkable.

My score: 92

Changes to My Current Top Ten

The new additions to the list are Firestone Walker §ucaba, the first barleywine to enter the list, and The Alchemist Heady Topper, the highly sought after, highly regarded Vermont-exclusive IPA that I was fortunate to get when my wife Kathy went on a Fourth of July weekend trip to New England.  Two IPAs fall off the list--Firestone Walker Double Jack and Sierra Nevada Hoptimum. 

Review: Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter

Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
5.8% ABV

Great Lakes Brewing Co., Cleveland,OH

12oz btl
Served in Dogfish Head signature glass
Date on bottle: Enjoy by 10/7/13
Reviewed on 8/15/13

This porter pours a dark brown color with a quickly dissipating, ivory-colored head.  Good lacing.

Smell consists of malt, chocolate, slight coffee, hops, slight caramel, slight sugar.

Taste consists of roasted malt, chocolate, hops, coffee, burnt toast, hint of spiciness, touch of caramel, some smokiness.  The taste is much more pronounced than the smell.

Mouthfeel is fairly smooth on the palate with some good if small lingering bitterness.

Overall, this is a smooth, fairly mellow porter with a nice profile of flavors and some good lingering bitterness on the palate.  Robust flavors of roasted malt, chocolate, coffee, and hops dominate, with some nice accents of spices and caramel.  The taste is much more pronounced than the smell.  Much like a quality stout.


My score: 92

Review: Schlafly Coffee Stout

Schlafly Coffee Stout
6.0% ABV
The Saint Louis Brewery, St. Louis, MO
12 oz btl

Served in Dogfish Head signature glass
Date on bottle: Bottled on 2/22/13
Reviewed on 4/24/13


This stout pours a dark brown color with a nice light beige head that has decent retention.  Mild lacing.

Smell consists of coffee, chocolate, malt, some caramel, slight hops, slight roasted aroma.

Taste consists of coffee, chocolate, bitterness, malt, some hops, slight burnt taste, hint of spice.

Mouthfeel is smooth, fairly creamy, some bitterness on the palate, slightly thin.

Overall, this is a good tasting coffee stout with fairly strong coffee and chocolate tastes.  Has some-type bitterness and a slight burnt taste.  Some thinness comes through, cutting through an otherwise full taste.  As a stout, it's decent tasting, though there are better examples available even if they dial back the coffee profile some.


My score: 87

Review: Maine Beer Co. King Titus Porter

Maine Beer Company King Titus Porter
7.5% ABV

Maine Beer Company, Portland, ME

16.9oz btl
Served in Dogfish Head signature glass
Date on bottle: Born on 3/19/13
Reviewed on 8/3/13

This porter pours a dark brown color with a toasty beige head that has decent retention.  Great lacing.

Smell consists of malt, chocolate, hops, slight coffee, slight burnt sugar, caramel, touch of cream.

Taste consists of malt, dark chocolate, touch of coffee, caramel, hops, smokiness, burnt toast, touch of tobacco, some cream.

Mouthfeel is smooth on the palate with good creamy texture.  Decent dryness and bitterness.

Overall, this is a nice tasting malty, creamy textured porter that has a variety of tastes.   Dark chocolate, caramel, and coffee flavors come through, with good toasty/burnt accents emerging.  Full bodied and bursting with flavor.  Another high quality, if somewhat pricey, beer from Maine Beer Company.


My score: 93

Review: Stone Levitation Ale

Stone Levitation Ale
4.4% ABV

The Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, San Diego County, CA

12 oz btl

Served in Duvel tulip glass

Date on bottle: Enjoy by 9/25/13
Reviewed on 7/29/13

This amber ale pours a solid amber color with a good bubbly off-white head that has decent retention.  Good lacing.

Smell has hops, malt, some spice, floral, candy, some cherry, citrus, pepper.

Taste has malt, dry pepperiness, some bitter hops, floral, herbal, citrus, touch of dark fruit, spicy candy, bready.

Mouthfeel is fairly dry and bitter on the palate.  Solid consistent flavor that coats the tongue.

Overall, this is a quite complex tasting amber ale that is quite sessionable yet sacrifices little in flavor.  Flavor profile has hops, malt, and spices, along with citrus and some dark fruit.  It hits the palate with some fairly strong dryness and bitterness.  This feels much bigger than what the ABV would suggest.

My score: 92

Review: Southern Tier Creme Brulee

Southern Tier Creme Brulee
9.6% ABV
Southern Tier Brewing Co., Lakewood, NY
22 oz btl

Served in Duvel tulip glass
No date on bottle

Reviewed on 7/28/13

This imperial stout pours a dark brown color with a bubbly beige head that dissipates quickly.  Good lacing.

Smell consists of caramel, malt, vanilla, some chocolate, faint hops, alcohol, sugar. 

Taste consists of caramel, vanilla, some coffee, mild hops, alcohol, brown sugar, syrup, dark chocolate, slight burnt tobacco.

Mouthfeel has good bitterness and some dryness on the palate.  Somewhat creamy and bursting with flavor on the tongue.

Overall, this is a tasty imperial stout full of a unique set of flavors.  This is much like a liquid dessert, with a blast of caramel and other flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, coffee, and sugar coming through in abundance.  The essential flaw in this beer is that it's a stout that doesn't really taste like a stout, as the malt and hops flavors recede into the background.  Still, it's fairly tasty and like having dessert in a glass.  Quite rich.

My score: 91

Review: Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA (2012)
18.0% ABV
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE
12 oz btl
Served in Burley Oak tulip glass
Purchased 1/2013 (aged about 6 months)
Reviewed on 3/13/13

This IPA pours a hazy dark gold color with a bubbly off-white head that dissipates quickly. Nice lacing.

Smell consists of hops, alcohol, malt, citrus, some dark fruit, some floral, some spices.  Hops, malt, and alcohol dominate the nose.


Taste has malt, alcohol, hops, some bitter citrus, touch of dark fruit, brown sugar, whiskey, syrup, wood.

Mouthfeel is fairly smooth for a beer that's quite hot with alcohol.  Some bitterness comes through.

Overall, a quite strong IPA that resembles a barleywine more than it does a traditional IPA as the hops, while there, are not the most dominant aspect, and there's a decent amount of maltiness.  Hops, malt, and alcohol dominate the taste, with touches of citrus, dark fruit, brown sugar, whiskey, and wood coming through.  It's quite complex even as three tastes dominate, and its high alcohol content demands sipping.    I've had this on tap at the Dogfish Head Brewpub, and I find it to be a much different beer on tap (I'd probably give it 4-5 more points on tap). Definitely a unique beer, worth trying at least once, and if you're into aging, it's a good candidate to see how it changes over time (if you can bear the high price point).

My score: 92

Review: Firestone Walker §ucaba

Firestone Walker §ucaba (2013)
12.5% ABV
Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA
22 oz bottle
Served in Dogfish Head Signature Glass
Reviewed on 7/26/13

This English barleywine pours a dark brownish amber with a thin ivory-colored head that dissipates quickly.  Nice lacing.

Smell consists of malt, dark fruit, cherry, raisin, hops, brown sugar, some alcohol, bourbon.

Taste consists of syrupy cherry, raisin and dark fruit, malt, hops, alcohol, sugar, toasty bourbon, slight tobacco, bitter vanilla.

Mouthfeel is smooth on the palate with some bourbon-like punch that is measured and not harsh.  Some bitterness and muted alcohol harshness.

Overall, a complex, full of flavor barleywine that packs a decent alcohol punch yet is quite smooth and never becomes harsh.  Dark fruit flavors such as cherry and raisin are the stars here, and there are good components of vanilla and bourbon.  This is a top class beer, and so far this rates as the best barleywine that I've had.  Firestone Walker scores big again.

My score: 98