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!

[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.

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!

Wow! Thanks again to hopdog. Yet another gem! Beautiful copper color. Bourbony dried fruit compote on the nose. Similar flavors on the palate: figs, dates..with a warming bourbony finish. Kinda low carbonation (then again, this was a handbottle), but a great beer all in all.

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.

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.

12 ounce handbottle thanks to hopdod, thanks Steve! Pours out a deep burgundy color with a medium beige head and lots of bubbles, a surprisingly good head from a handbottle. The aroma is heavenly; one of the best noses ever; sweet fruity notes, akin to a aged Thomas Hardy, a light woody note, some vanilla. The flavor is just great; sweet, fruity, dark fruits and strawberry, a tannic-woody bourbon note, vanilla, sweet but not overly so. Lets be clear, this is one hot mother, lots of alcohol warmth. The bourbon meshes so well with the rich fruity sweet malt, it is not overpowering but complementary. Very nice. It’s aggressive for sure, but well-made.

handbottle from hopdog, thank steve! Pours red with a nice beige head. Sweet and malty aroma with some bourbon...a bit peppery too. Flavor is sweet, very sweet. Dates, raisins, bourbon and vanilla. YUM.