Appalachian Oak Aged Broad Street Barley Wine

Brewed by Appalachian Brewing Company (PA)
Style: Barley Wine
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania USA

A black beer with a brown head. The flavor is sweet alcoholic, combined with notes of prunes and roasted malt. The flavor is dry malty with notes of fruit, chocolate, and coffee, leading to a dry chocolate end. Reminds me more of a stout than a Barley Wine.

Name: Broad Street Barley Wine Oak Aged
Date: July 15, 2006
Mode: Growler
Source: Tasting, RBSG, 2006
Appearance: muddy brown, thin tan head, touch of lace
Aroma: oaky malt aroma
Flavor: rich malt flavor, lot of oak, touch of roasted, light bitterness, only a touch of the sweet bourbon

Name: Broad Street Barley Wine Oak Aged
Date: July 25, 2007
Mode: draft
Source: brewpub
Score: 3.3 to 3.9
Appearance: black, fine tan head, lots of drippy lace
Aroma: sweet dark caramel and chocolate aroma with a vanilla sweetness
Flavor: rich dark chocolate and bourbon flavor, nice earth oak bitterness, vanilla sweetness brings out the chocolate and caramel
Overall: a cross between a barleywine and imperial stout

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.9/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

(12oz handbottle, thanks Dickinson beer) Tan head atop clear red-black body. Aroma is moderately sweet, caramel, raisin, wood, some chocolate. Taste is moderately sweet, raisin/plum, caramel, light chocolate. Light alcohol burn. Medium body, alcohol well contained.

Barleywine Oak Aged–on tap-pours a rich light brown head and black color. Aroma is sweet dark malt-licorice/nutty with some sharpness, dry. Taste is woody, dry, sweet dark malt-licorice/nutty with some sharpness-English hops. Occasional. Sipping.

Sampled on 7/15/06 at the RBSG ’06 Grand Tasting out of a growler: Pours a very dark mahogany with a thin wispy tan head. Sweet vanilla caramel butterscotch complex aroma has some alcoholic notes. Body starts lightly toasty and caramely sweet with an oily palate thinning some toward a smooth, oaky and somewhat drier finish with a hint of fruity tartness. Needs a touch more balance, otherwise a decent barleywine.

Snifter at Appalachian in Harrisburg. Dark garnet brown colored body with a thick, foamy dark tan mocha colored head that sticks to the sides of the glass like glue. Big legs and overall just a really inviting appearance. Big oak-filled nose, sticky plum and caramel and maple and some dry, toasty hay. Really nice. It’s sticky and rich on the tongue, and thankfully the oak isn’t incredibly dry, it has some light char, some nuttiness, some plum/black cherry/date qualities. Very good, not boozy for being close to 13%, just huge and overpowering, going straight to your head. Good stuff.

From growler, RBSG Grand Tasting, July 2006. I have to say this seemed pretty similar to the regular version I tried a few days later. My notes are certainly very similar. Very dark, plummy fruit, prunes, rich malt and an unexpected dash of chocolate. Maybe a touch of vanilla from the barrel but I’m not sure it really adds much. Scores the same as the regular.

Dark brown pour, drank alongside the regular version during my family trip to Harrisburg/Hershey. Deep brown color, with minimal head, and aroma of figgy fruit, caramel malt, oaky bourbon. The palate was a tad thinner than the regular, with some dark fruit, and oaky spirit flavors. I think the regular was a tad thicker and better balanced, but this one is worth a try if it is available.