Drakes Barley Wine Bourbon Barrel

Formerly brewed at Drakes Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
San Leandro, California USA

6oz bottle, thanks eclectic! Dark brown, with little to no head. Intense bourbon and oak aromas warm into layers of rich dark fruits and notes of vanilla toffee cream. Bold flavors of all the above are well balanced, smooth, and slick from start to finish. Medium to full bodied with pillow soft carbonation. Fantastic brew, but 6oz bottles are absurd. I want at least a 12 oz to sip by the fireplace...

(6oz bottle, thanks eclectic) Clear dark brown body with no head. Aroma is moderately sweet, plum/raisin, smoke/roast, some chocolate, light Bourbon. Taste is sweet, cherry/chocolate, some alcohol. Sticky full body with no carbonation. Decent sipping beer -- the nip bottle is the right size, as there’s no way you want more in a single sitting.

Poured from a 6 oz. nip bottle. Still, tranquil spirit appearance of chestnut brown color. Dirty bourbon barrel in its muddy and moldy wood tones project strongly, carrying weaker tones of toffee cake, raisin, orange infused chocolate and ground cinnamon in a firm and commanding aroma. The pungency of the bourbon presence reveals a bit of the brown sugar and lemon tones common to its own type. Flavor spits out a rough vinegar blast, soaking its acetic, salty oxidized syrup into a dense cinnamon french toast body. Maple syrup, dirty bourbon, dried prune and wood; the subtler tones of the spirit are grievously sterilized by reckless heat, overpowering and brutish. Uncarbonated, full-bodied, and coarse in the mouth; there are 95 proof bourbons that integrate booze with greater skill and tactfulness. Slick, offensive sweetness and salt, with fairly full oxidation ringing out in lengthy finish. Not fully intolerable, just quite difficult; still, it’s interesting. Simply too aggressive and altogether crushing in its presentation. Thanks for sharing, Kevin!

From a friend who lives out in Cali. Thanks, Squirrel! Pours no head with a smooth, wine-like characteristic and a fat ribbon of dark brown sandwiched between two bands of tan hues. Oily lacing. Strong, sweet aromas of caramel and barrel adhere to my sinuses; I won’t smell anything else for hours. Like the olfactory qualities, this beer is a full frontal assault of flavor in the mouth: big notes of consistent caramel and oak, hint of vinous fruits, malts, and a strong alcoholic presence. Thin carbonation and full-flavored. You couldn’t find a tastier experience with a fine cognac. Not the easiest to drink on, but an excellent brew nonetheless.

Pours flat as a pancake with dulled oxidized color. Apple cider with some pencil eraser, raisins, dates and vinegar. Limp light body. Alcoholic.

From a 6oz Bottle. Purchased at Hollingshead Deli 4/2007. Still pour, leaving absolutely no head sitting atop a mostly transparent, ruddy cedar bark body. A big port-wine aroma wafts heavily from the glass, saturated with notes of fruity raisin, plum, and brown sugar. A bit boozy, and also develops a bit of a medicinal cherry like character with over contemplation. For the most part, the nose is actually quite nice, showing a tremendous amount of dark fruit character, balanced by some chewy chocolate nougat and drying oak woodiness. Full bodied, completely still mouthfeel with some papery oxidation. Big time fruity sweetness and crushing flavor profile. Over-the-top, but not really unpleasant, although the alcohol is too harsh and biting on the back end. Lots of cherries, raisins, plums, oak, caramel, and a subtle soy sauce character that reminds me a lot of SA Trippelbock, although this is substantially lighter on the palate. The bourbon comes through swinging in the finish, getting a bit brash and abusive. Intensely flavorful, with that great rich fruity character that I loved in the brandy barrel version. This one is just a bit too coarse, and could really use a hint of carbonation to lighten up the palate a bit.

6oz bottle, no date. Thanks to Colin (General_Gao) for giving me this one. Clear orange with reddish highlights and about 30 small bubbles around the perimeter of the glass. Plenty of bourbon, vanilla, sherry notes up front. Dry oak, some tangy fruit(s), boozy raisins and slightly scorched sweet toffee make up the rest of the aroma. The flavor adds some very nice sweetness up front paired with the vanilla. Still pretty well oxidized. Lots of dry wood next, light cherries, raisins, and lighter toffee. Dry somewhat alcoholic finish that burns a lot less than I thought it would in the swallow. Not really much bitterness considering "This was an extremely hoppy Barleywine. . ." Full body with just the slightest tinge of carbonation. This rocks the apple brandy’s face off.

Bottle poured a cloudy dark brown with orange highlights and no head. Aromas of prune, plum, toffee, vanilla, light bourbon, alcohol and a hint of oak. Palate was light to medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of toffee, dark fruit, carmel, light bourbon, light vanilla and a hint of oak with a lingering warming fruity finish.