Bethlehem Brew Works Bourbon Barleywine

Brewed by Bethlehem Brew Works
Style: Barley Wine
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania USA

Courtesy of hopdog. Pours brown with a tan head. Smells of chocolate, vanilla, spice, cocoa, oak, nutty. Tastes of bourbon, resiny, dark fruit, layered chocolate, pepper, earthy, toffee, caramel, boozy, dry, oaky. Velvety mouthfeel. Excellent!

12oz hand bottle. Cap pops off nicely, and a vigorous pour yields a thick, dark brown beer with a very frothy brown/white head. Glowing dark ruby highlights when held up to the light. The nose is fairly straightforward (but quite pleasant) for a BA BW. Plenty of toffee, vanilla, alcohol soaked wood, a faint bit of resinous hops. I get just the smallest bit of fusel alcohol, but the other aromas keep it fairly contained. Flavor is loaded with wood tannin. This is a very dry barley wine. A good dose of vanilla, toffee, caramel malt and bourbon, but, wow... lots and lots of wood. Minimal hop presence. Mild alcohol notes. Bourbon does not dominate the malt flavors, but there is a big tannic wood presence throughout. I kinda like it though. Lush and creamy texture with a slightly oily finish. I really like this one... you can tell that this is a bourbon beer, but the bourbon doesn’t overpower anything. Rather, the wood imparts supple tannic notes that actually enhance the base beer (I’m guessing, as I’ve never had the base beer). Thanks for the opportunity for this one Steve!

Handbottle from hopdog. Thanks Steve! I liked this. Pours brown with ruby red highlights. Notes of bourbon, sweet malts, caramel, peat, a little booze. Flavor is medicine, alcohol warmth, and spices. dry finish. Overall, slightly too sweet and hot. Could use some time to mellow. Enjoyed it regardless. Good beer.

From a tap in to a 12oz snifter at ABW. Pours a cloudy redish brown with a small off white head. Very strong vanilla aroma with bourbon, caramel, and woodiness. First sip exploded with vanilla, followed by bourbon, caramel, oak, molasses, and dark fruit. Its very sweet and there is a lot going on with this one. Nice warm alcohol finish. My initial impression was that I loved this drink but about halfway through it the sweetness and heavy mouthfeel got to me. 11Sep2009

Nice dark brown color with red highlights. Pleasant aroma of vanilla, alcohol, wood, and caramel. Impressive flavor of vanilla, caramel, dark fruit, bourbon. Served a bit too cold. Flavor really explodes when this beer warms a bit.

12oz snifter at the Allentown location. Poured a deeper and cloudy amberish/brownish color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of woodiness, caramel, lighter bourbon, and some vanilla. Tastes of woodiness, bourbon (more than the aroma), vanilla, caramel, and some dark fruits. Light alcohol in the finish, but overall well hidden. Me thinks Tom needs to try this batch!

Firkin at Real Ale Inv PBW09. Pours a hazy red/amber with a smaller off white head. Aroma of dark fruits, vanilla, toffee, and some various fruity notes. Flavor was a lot of the same. No a whole lot of bourbon. Solid but nothing overly impressive. 6-4-6-4-13 Re-rate via growler at brewpub in Sept 2009. Pours a hazy deeper brown with orange notes and a medium creamy off white head. Aroma of tobacco, dark fruits, bourbon, vanilla, light oak notes, nuts, caramel and molasses. Flavor of tobacco, caramel, dark fruits, vanilla, bourbon, oak and toffee. Light alcohol.

[Draft @ Allentown BW] Poured a hazy reddish mahogany color with a small, light tan head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of vanilla, light citrus, pine, caramel malts, dark fruits, vanilla, wood, and bourbon. Taste of caramel malts, dried fruits, citrus, pine, toast, toffee, wood, vanilla, and bourbon with light alcohol in the finish.