Bluegrass Bearded Pats Barleywine Style Ale

Brewed by Bluegrass Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Louisville, Kentucky USA

Another thanks to Shigadeyo for trading this to me. Bottled Jan 2006. This one pours a muddy brown with a big lasting off white head. Big initial carbonation but settles down nicely. Has some wicked ass lacing that clings like mad to the sides of the glass. Aroma is sweet prunes, fermented fruits, malts and barley. Flavor is dry bitter malts, sweetend hops. Starts to get piney as it warms a little. Mouthfeel is thick and rich with a bitter finish. Pretty kick ass. Thanks again Craig.

Bottle. Copper pour with a small tan head. Really looks appetizing! Nose is hoppy but controlled. Lots of caramel as well. Light citrus fruits, soft pine needles, and caramel. Sweet malts and a hint of maple as well. Taste is sweet malts, candyish notes, caramel, citrusy hops, pine needles and light grapefruit peel. Very nice! Body is medium with ample carbonation, low alcohol warmth and only minimal stickiness. Lingering bitterness at times and some oily spots. Finishes with more caramel and sweet malts. Some pine but more citrus oils. Light cake-like notes too (pineapple upside down cake?).

Poured a dark bronw with a tan head. Aroma was of citrus hops and some pine. flavor was matly sweet, caraeml and a little cloying. A little too rich and sweet. Seems like this wasnt really attenuated out enough but it was still pretty tastey.

2006 Vintage

3/19/2007: BBC Barleywine pours a murky, opaque brown color. It has a tightly packed, but diminishing tan head that leaves a frothy crown that has a thick ring around the edge. There appears to be a generous amount of carbonation, but the bubbles are really small. This beer looks pretty thick too as I notice some hop sediment suspended in it. The aroma is full of lucious caramel malt, aged/dark fruits, and a muted citrus hops. It is sweet and inviting. A deep, rich maltiness quickly shifts to grapefruit and pine hop in the flavor. This beer is sweet, but there is still an ample amount of hop flavor and bitterness after more than a year. The finish is sticky and has flavors of brown sugar initially and then more of a roasted malt/coffee/chocolate flavor. Actually, I think mocha would probably be the best way to describe it. It is a really unexpected, unique, and tasty finish to a strong and aggressive beer. The alcohol is also fairly reserved considering the nearly 10.5% ABV that is in there. This beer is smooth and very drinkable. I think a year or so of bottle aging (in a refrigerator) has done this beer wonders. When this beer is fresh, it is generally somewhat offensive and hot. However, with a bit of age, this beer becomes a pretty nice treat...

12 fl. oz. bottle (Bottled in January 2006), $1.99+tax from Westside Liquors.
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7/03/2009: This fresh bottle of Bluegrass Bearded Pat’s Barleywine Style Ale is just as good as the smaller, vintage bottle that I tried previously. This beer has a dull, dark amber color. The aroma is malty and fruity as is the flavor. This beer is sweet with lots of caramel malt in the flavor as well as some prune. It has a medium-full body that is mellow and goes down very smoothly. I would classify this and an English-style Barleywine that is good to drink fresh.

750ml bottle (sample) at Party Town in Florence, Kentucky.

I think I am being a bit generous... This beer is really HOT and really bitter. You can barely taste anything that resembles a good barleywine over the alcohol and bitterness. I cant even discern which hops are in this as they have no character aside from assertive bitterness. Will not buy BBC again (had this and the belgian style).

Not sure but this can be a 2002 or 2003 vintage. It sure smeled like it. Some nice aged malt but a good bit of paper and old wood oxidative notes as well. Poured a hazy deep brown color with a red tint and small off-white head. Sweet fruity malt aroma. Thick with a hint of alcohol. The flavor is fruity with some sweetness. Some woody tannins and an extremely dry finish. Medium-full body. The alcohol hides very well. After a short while and not even so much warming of the beer but airing out, the beer opened up. It was less dry and biting. Like letting a wine breath.

Bottled date Dec 06. Poured amber brown with an off-white head that settles to a ring and leaves thick lacing. The aroma is a decent mix of hops and malt with some fruits also. The flavor is hoppy up front with a great chocolate and caramel finish. Slight alcohol flavor but not over powering that takes away from the main flavor. Full body with a slightly warming feeling. Nice offering from the BBC!

Bottle. Poured a merky dark amber with a large off white head. Wiff of alcohol, lemon/citrus then malt funk. Taste was unbalanced then pulled through with carmel and molasses with a strong alcohol aftertaste.