Bluegrass Bearded Pats Barleywine Style Ale

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

Suprised to open my box of goodies and find a barleywine from Kentucky. Now, I think of Bourbon, racehorses and bluegrass when I hear the word Kentucky along with some sort of scene straight outta Deliverance. Okay, so the last part was a joke (not really). So am I to start thinking that Kentucky can make barleywines now? Well, not so fast. This beer was a decent showing, but I could probably count the brewers in Kentucky on two hands. I’ll need more evidence to support that theory.

The beer pours out a deep rusty reddish/brown/orange color. It looks like something you’d find at the bottom of a rust pot. A nice thick creamy head shows up, much to my suprise. Aroma is caramel, brown sugar, with some orange juice character showing up. The main effect in the aroma is sweetness. A sweet malt/bitter hops combo lingers on the palate. Sugary maltiness fills the moutha and after a sip or two the citrusy zest of the hops bites back. Fairly smooth on the palate. Finishes with a slight sheen of bitterness at the edges of the mouth. A decent showing. Nothing great, but for my first beer from Kentucky it might just erase any sort of association with inbred country hillbillies and shotguns. Okay, maybe not.

Pours dark brown with a thin head. Nice aroma of caramel fruit pine and alcohol. Very sweet with strong bitterness, too much. I’ll let a couple bottles sit for a year.

bottle, from trade with someone I can’t remember. dated 12/2006. Sweet aroma, minor fruit, paper, showing some oxidation, but came across in a good way. Hazed orangy brown color, good head & lace. Bittter sweet flavor, with hints of sourness. Medium body, smooth creamy mouthfeel, sweetish finish. Alright overall, might be the first time I really liked the way oxidation was tasting, I debated giving it a 6 for aroma, but kept going back for another sniff so bumped it up one.

Very good barleywine here. BBC is really putting out some good stuff now. Nice regional brewer. Pours dark and rich, very syrupy. Smells very fruity and sweet and yet the alcohol is present in the aroma as well. Tastes pretty close to Bigfoot here. Actually kinda hoppy for a barleywine which I like. This was bottled in Dec 06 so it has almost 2 years on it. It didn’t age quite as smooth as the SN offering but this is still one fine barleywine. I can get this locally too which is a bonus.

Bottled Dec 2006 - Pours dark reddish brown with a well maintained rocky tan head. Aroma of vinous malt, cherries, sweet toffee, alchol. Taste is sweet, fruity, and sticky caramel. Notes of plum, toffee, chocolate and cherries. Mouthfeel is full to heavy bodied, boozy with smooth carbonation. Even after a year this one is too sweet and booyz for my liking.

Bottle with a blank "bottled on:" chart. Pours a dark, cloudy burgundy with a small, frothy tan head. Typical caramel, tobacco nose for the style with a subtle citrus highlight. The mouthfeel is a little thinner than I was expecting, but it’s not too bad. Figs are up front in the flavor, with earthier tones and a dry orange rind flavor in the finish. The overall attitude of this is a bit gritty. I didn’t find any real surprises in this one, it’s a run of the mill barleywine. Somehow, the 10.5% alcohol is fairly well hidden despite the palate.

(Bottled Dec 2006) Pours a cloudy dark orange body with a thick creamy beige head and good lacing. Aroma of cherry, caramel, chocolate, toffee, orange, and brown sugar. Flavor of caramel malt, maple syrup, citusy hops, breadiness, chocolate, and figs with a bitter finish.

01 Nov 07, BW Tasting. 750mL bottle, thanks to KP! Slight haze, deep reddish brown color. Aroma of swweet cherries and heavy malts. lots of caramel. Flavors of cherry, toffee. Hop bitterness in the finish. Very balanced. Good Stuff.