Barley Johns Barrel-Aged Rosies Ale (Batch 2)

Brewed by Barley Johns Brew Pub
Style: Barley Wine
New Brighton, Minnesota USA

Very tiny draught glass that Walt bought for someone I can’t remember, who then donated it to me as he’d had one already....thanks Walt and ??? RBSG Minneapolis pub crawl, June 22 2007. Dark maroon, not quite opaque, a bit of head that dies to a lasting ring....loads of thick caramel in the aroma, a hint of smoked fruitwood, vanilla, and lightly toasty almonds, captivating....hugely juicy and fruity with smoky/burnt qualities providing a nice contrast, chocolate-caramel-nougat richness throughtout, raisiny and port-touched, totally decadent but to me not really overdone and significantly less boozy and mellower than Batch 1....I like my barleywines candyish as longs as there’s at least a bit of balancing bitterness or pungency, and this one fits the bill. Along with the Plank Dunkel Weizenbock at the Grand Tasting the next night this was tops of the gathering for me.

On tap at Barley Johns Brew Pub (in a 6oz snifter that I paid $9 for) as part of the 07 RBSG Pub Crawl. Tiny ring of bubbles clung to the edge of the glass of this very dark beer that glowed lighter when you shine a light through it. Lots of alcohol, hair spray, fruit cake and bourbon barrel in the nose. This beer is just dripping with sugar. It is so rich it was hard to drink. Sherry, alcohol, rock candy, brown sugar, bourbon, wood and heat. Very syrupy and a glass of water helps to get it down. Very flavorful, but too much for me.

RBSG 2007 Pub Crawl – Draft at the brewpub. Murky brown with a ringed beige head. Lots of carbonation - surprising. Thick, malty nose, milk chocolate, like Whoppers on steroids. Very sweet flavor, just shy of cloying. Intensely sweet raisin, toffee and dark brown sugar flavors. Excellent.

(Draft) Pours a cloudy brownish amber body with a spare off-white head. Aroma of fruit, toffee, and spices. Flavor of fruit, brown sugar, toasted malt, and spices. Tasty!

RBSG 2007 Pub Crawl – Deep brownish black, thin light tan creamy head. Deep intense aroma of tawny port, vanilla, prune, brown sugar, oak, and fig. Bourbony port like sweetness that warms into further notes of brown sugar, vanilla and oak, with soft dark fruity undertones sprinkled throughout. Full bodied, soft carbonation, sweet finish. Fantastic après-dinner sipper…

Pours dark brown with a light white crispy head. Aroma is malty, malasses. Flavour is strong alcohol drowning into a nice raisin complex palate. At first this beer really puts you off from the alcohol but the raisin flavours become really enjoyable.

Dark cola body with beige head. Aroma is moderately sweet, fruity (cherry, some orange), Bourbon. Taste is very sweet, fruity (cherry, some berry, orange), alcohol. Sticky full body. Good flavor but way too sweet.

RBSG 07. Small 6 oz pour at the brewpub for $9? This has been aged in Pappy Van Winkle 23 yo bourbon casks for about a year. Pours a hazy deep amber almost brown with ruby highlights- no head. Aroma is thickly sweet with dried fruits- raisin, plum, evne some apricot. Intense sugary sweet maltiness with tons of brown sugar, rum, toffee, molasses and caramel malts. Very sweet flavor bordering on sharp crystal mlat sweetness- fruity, raisin, prune juice, and a rum-like sweet burn to it in the end. Overall this beer picked up a fair amount of bourbon from the fresh casks, but the huge alcohol and sweetness of the beer itself balances it out nicely. Great BW to sip real slow and enjoy.