Barley Johns Barrel-Aged Rosies Ale (Batch 1)

Formerly brewed at Barley Johns Brew Pub
Style: Barley Wine
New Brighton, Minnesota USA

Bottle from footbalm. Pours a very deep and dark red/brown with a light, thin cream-colored head. Nose is a complex mixture of toffee and caramel malts, raisins, and dark fruitiness with a tinge of oak barrel, bourbon, and light bitter hops. The flavor is whiskey..no doubt about that one, plus some caramel maltiness and bourbon burn in the finish. More balanced than anticipated....very tasty. Thanks Eric!

Thanks to Footbalm and Rastacouere!!

The Lure:
Peppery earth and plump cherries in a tranquil perfume of evident malt and boisterous, yet enticing, alcohol. No nostril blinding à la Utopias thankfully.

The Festivities:
Alcohol warmth and splash amazingly well-inserted into the heavy fruity sweetness (cherries, peaches) and portentous body. Molasses, toffee and caramel unite to lasciviously coat the subtle malt roastiness and alcohol bitterness.

Transcendence:
Cuddling in a sub-zero sleeping bag.

Luckily obtained thanks to no other than Eric. This one appears clearish, very dark amber proposing a limited head in size, but the fact that there is one at 21% and after spending a couple of weeks bottled frmo a growler proves either an exceptional quality of brewing and/or Eric’s exceptional bottling talents. The aroma comes out quite earthy, alcoholic (though it’s not the first thing that struck me surprisingly) and peaty. It feels very vaporous and makes me think of anise and vanilla in its floral sweetness, but it has a good fruity backbones to bring some fortified wine character in and avoid the syrupy sweetness. Grapey, cherries like, I expected this to be more reminiscent of a shot à la Utopias, but it isn’t. It’s got a rich earthy molasses character and just an all around complete malt profile. A bit ashey in it drying out finish, more anise and vegetal tones add to the complexity, but it’s definitely not its standout point. This one success from pure size. Lightly syrupy body, comfortable feel, round and malty yet still displaying a very soft and pleasant carbonation. Very interesting, almost a must.

Vinous, red wine, fruity (cherries) aroma with plenty of alcohol and an oaky, vanilla character. Clear brown coloured body with ruby tones and a slight ring of off-white head. Viscous with nice legs on the glass. Vanilla, alcohol, sweet malts in the rounded, malty flavour. Strong warming with medium-full body and rather low carbonation. Hand-bottled from a growler. Snifter, allowed to warm from fridge temp. Enjoyed with Claude, MartinT and Rastacouere.

Rich amber color with hardly any carbonation or head. Aroma is bourbon all right with some whiskey and caramel. Taste blows you away with the high amount of alcohol in this absolute freak of a beer. Taste is all bourbon with some candy sugar and tons of malt trying to balance this whole mess out. This stuff hits the glass ceiling that no beer should ever go near. Having this first, I think I can judge objectively, this isnt beer. More like a bourbon concoction. Thanks to Eric for hooking me up with this.

Pours brown/amber, with slight carbonation/head. Aromas are bourbon, brown sugar, wood, and maybe some vanilla. Thick body, with flavors of dark fruit, bourbon, vanilla, malt, caramel/brown sugar, and hops. Another great Barley John’s brew. Thanks to (who else?) footbalm for sending this.

Hand bottled 12oz from...Footbalm! Served @ 53.5° in the NB worthy glass. Pours dark reddish brown, with some initial fizz that goes away quickly. The beer completely coats the glass. Aroma is heavily influenced by the barrel, vanilla and oak notes are very strong. The barleywine character hides underneath and manifests itself in malt and, to a lesser extent, hops. Taste actually escapes from the barrel character and is dark fruit, tons of malt, with the barrel notes adding, midway through, vanilla, oak, bourbon and a drying effect. The finish is hoppy and really dry, more so, I think, because of the barrel aging than the hops. There is a slight burn in my cheeks. You can taste, and feel, the alcohol, but I would not guess it was 1/5 of the beer. As the beer warms to ~57°, the aroma is pure bourbon, but the flavor is still nice. As I finish my first 6-7oz glass of the beer, the alcohol seems to be pickling my brain. The 21% is no exaggeration! This is, besides the Owd Macs, my favorite barrel aged beer so far. Oftentimes I feel that the barrel aging takes away the beers character for the benefit of some vanilla, oak, and whiskey flavors, this beer must be so freaking huge that the barrel aging mearly complements it, rather than overwelhming it. This is a tasty beer and a must try for fans of big beers and barleywine lovers, thanks Footbalm. Cheers to the best trader, ever.

Burnt crimson, zero head. Intense nose of bourbon, caramelized vanilla beans, wood, and dark fruits. Beer liquor was the first thing that came to mind. This was very well balanced with hops and malt both in check, but with tangy bourbon in every sip. It really works for me at least. Full bodied, light carbonation, drying, bourbonesque, oaky dry finish. This and BA Numbskull in one day. What could be better...well...my headache for one thing. Thanks for the sample Hopscotch.