Beermanns Bourbon Barrel Barleywine

Brewed by Beermanns Beerwerks Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Lincoln, California USA

Pours a cloudy reddish amber color with floaties and a ring of offwhite lace. Aroma of brett and toasted malt. Flavor of herbal hops, brett, caramel and candy. The body is light with a liquorous texture and gentle carbonation. Not bad but mostly intriguing.

As soon as the flip top was loosened beer shot out of the side like a fire extinguisher. 4 feet along the bar and over a lap top computer. With care and more mess the bottle got opened and was foaming greatly. Dark hazy ruby color with a large off-white head. the aroma was tart, fruity, some funkiness to it. Hint of leather. All on top of sweet fruity malt. The flavor was sweet and fruity with a hint of bourbon. Tart bitter finish.

Chunky dark amber liquid with a few off-white bubbles. Very light aromas with some light fruit and hint of alcohol. Wow, hot cheap whiskey flavors with a touch of caramel malt and cask wood. Seems, young, hot and burning. Perhaps some age will help this one.

2004. Dark ruby pour with brown edges, a booming tan head generates thick lacing, looks great. Sweet aroma, wrought with notes of bourbon, sweet caramel malts, oak, vanilla, nuts, tropical fruits, butterscotch and toffee. The bourbon aroma is huge, but screams of high quality. A vinous character is just a prelude of complexity, of a huge beer that begs me to swallow it all away before I can thoroughly evaluate its many flavors. Taste is magnificent, certainly too much bourbon for some, not for me. More fruit and oak, followed by alcohol that is both warming and compliments the overall profile. Additions include smoke and a cognac character. Palate is very smooth, medium to full bodied, luxurious. The finish is medium in length, with a drilling dose of bourbon and mellowing alcohol warmth kicking in on the backside. This is a very well done example of a style that has not grown tiresome to my palate yet. The price, though high, is irrelevant here, as every aspect of this beer right down to the beautiful packaging is very pleasing aesthetically and satisfying to almost no end in all four evaluated categories.

Thanks to Blake for this one. Pours a dark brown color, small white head. Aroma is booze and bourbon. Flavor is the same. Not sure on the vintage but age could help this one. I think there might be a little age on it already though. Mm.

2005 750 mL bottle purchased at BevMo (Arden Way, Sacramento). Bottle #344.Pleasant aroma that is sweet, caramelly, a bit sugary, with light bourbon aromas in there as well. Light booziness. Hazy, ruddy copper body with significant floaties present. Small off-yellow head that is quickly dissipating. Sweet, caramelly, chewy malty start, which becomes lightly bourbon-flavored. Not over the top with bourbon, which is good. Unfortunately, this is followed by a dry, bitter, burnt mess of a finish. Lots of booze and ethanol comes through late, which really makes this have a medicinal feel to it. Definitely has some potential, but unfortunately it dissappoints despite its pretty bottle and lofty pricetag.

Bottled at the YeHA thanks to 1FastSTi. 2005 batch, bottle #496. Poured a chunky medium caramel with a short layer of off-white head... rather ugly. Nose was weak with pleasant sweet bourbon and toffee.. light vanilla and oaky presence from the barrel. Flavor was certainly more overt.. bright and abrasive bourbon and alcohol.. burnt caramel at the core.. herbal, grainy hop presence.. this got A LOT better as it warmed up. Grainy, sour, and strong on the palate.. a lot going on with a decent flow.. left a heavy, sticky finish. Thanks Blake!

Yeasties chunk near the bottom, with a hazed, dulled amber-orange color filling in above them. Whiskey and rye spilt on cardboard kickstart the aroma. Creamed butterscotch and jaded caramel corn creep unappreciatively up the nose as well. Creamy amaretto liquor lingers with buttery Frangelico. Cherry almond and honey graham flavors take the minute cake batter. Bitterness creeps up with a tried and true bittering format in the back of the throat hatch. Nougats emit chalky nuttiness in both mouth feel and flavor. Buttery nougats and almond butter cream seal the deal. Thanks for sharing, Blake!