Drakes Barley Wine Brandy Barrel

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

#700 6 oz. bottle via trade with IrishBoy - Pours a hazy light brown color with a faint bubbley head. Close to zero carbonation. No lacing, period. Aroma is hardcore esters. Dates and plum. Also throw in some toasted malt and brown sugar. Has a woody, brown sugar and ester flavor. Really coats the tongue. Medium body. Slightly dry but smooth palate. The alcohol is noticeable, but not overbearing. An interesting, but very good beer. Thanks Richard.

Bottle thanks to AlohaC for this one. Poured a cloudy brown body with very thin head leaving a nice ring around the glass. Aroma is of figs, medjool dates, candied fruit, and liqour. Flavor is the combonation of all the above with a very dry sweetness to it. The brandy did not really come through to the end. Even though this may be below the average rating I have to say I realy enjoyed this one and wish I had more. Would have loved to try it fresh, but this tasted great. The alcohol can catch up to you a little later. Good beer.

Bottle. Courtesy of hopdog. Thanks Steve! Deep mahogany pour. No head. Aroma permeates the room but seems muddled with the surrounding smells. I perceive it as a very sweet and slightly alcoholic aroma. Upon closer inspection, I get caramel, brown sugar, dark, overripened fruits, alcohol, and faint maple notes. Parts of this are similar, in aroma that is, to Sam Adams Triple Bock. Taste is sweet at first but then gets slightly tart with more caramel notes, lighter brown sugar, raisins, figs and plums, soft alcohol, and woody notes. Body is light-medium with only the faintest of carbonation on the tongue. Though there was no head it isn’t totally flat. Only slight alcohol warmth from this as well. Finishes with more caramel, dark fruits, maple syrup notes, sweet malts, and wood. Some brandy seems to come through towards the end. Very nice!

6oz, big thanks to tever for this! pours a beautiful dark ruby and only after a swirl produces a thin white head that surprising held up. nose is an intense mix of caramel, raisons, other dark fruits, sap, hint of brandy, tar, tobacco, and licorice. surprisingly no alcohol notes in the nose which due to the amount of alcohol in this it gets an extra point. sweet raisons appear the dominate flavor at first sip with roasty and caramel notes. alcohol is noticible but doesn’t bite, it warms a little on the way down, pretty impressive for the strength. second sip realizes that the raisons are very sweet but that evolves and finishes a dry plum and tobacco flavor. i’m also tasting some green apple which comes across as a candied/caramel apple flavor. very low hop profile. this comes off feeling very smooth, tight, and focused. very low carbination and the alcohol is very well hidden so it deserves a 5. in the end the flavor isn’t complex enough to really take this beer to another level as it sorta gets boring after a few sips. it finishes dry and applely which is unpleasant. it was really hard to rate this beer cuz i loved it on many levels but just feel it falls short in the end in complexity of flavor. i’ll have to compare this to Kuhnhenn Extraneous Ale cuz i had that last night and I think that had a more complex flavor, so for what it’s worth, i’d prefer Extraneous Ale over this.4.0.

12/31/07, 6oz bottle. thanks to moejock for giving this to me at DLD for a smile! aged a few years. poured brown with no head, nose of caramel, vegetable. flavor of raisins, vegetable, sour, port like. past its prime. 2.9.

Bottle courtesy of footbalm, but I also recieved some in the past from Beerguy101 so thanks to Eric and Mitch! Pours a hazy milk chocolate brown with a short yellowed-light tan head. A pungent aroma, deep booze-soaked rasins come through...some vinous qualities and even a tinge of sourness...some lightly burnt caramel malt and a some oakiness...pretty earhty yet fairly decadent. The flavors are similar with the boozey fruit qualities coming through along with the sweet malt which is they cut through with a dry-sour vinous quality that pulls back some of the sweetness and brings out a nicely rounded toasty malt quality that pairs up with the wine-like characteristics for warming/dry finish. Small carbonation through this big but not overly thick body plays well with the other parts of this sipper. Certainly a great brew to have during a cold winter evening, and just a super tasty brew overall.

Bottle (Duesseldorf Gathering): Hazy, small foamy tanned layer; (port-) vinous aroma, dried fruit, liquorice in the nose; sweet flavour, full - surprise ! - bodied; again liquorice, port and dried fruit in the finish. The right stuff for long, hot summer nights....should be enjoyed in large steins !

A big thanks to droopy49 for sending this wonderful barleywine my way! About the only fault (if it really is one for this style) is the almost total lack of carbonation or head on this hazy brown brew. The weak start is quickly forgotten as the intensely complex aroma plays with your senses even when cold and freshly poured. The complex sweet flavor is well balanced between the ones dried fruits and rich caramels usually found in a good barleywine and the added notes from the brandy barrel. The slightly tangy finish is an added twist that makes this a very enjoyable and well crafted barleywine that ventures off the regular path just a bit.

Thanks to Secret Santa. Hazy brown color with a red pepper hue when held to the light. Ring of small bubbles surround the surface. Strong aromas, with oaken brandy, prunes, dark cherries, alcohol and touch of soy. Quite thin in feel, but seems to thicken as it sets. Oak and dry malt start, light sherry and chocolate extract in the middle that carry through to the finish. Some cherry and oak flavors come back in the linger. My ears are warm. Lack depth in my book. I like a bit more malt backbone.