Free State Old Backus Barleywine

Brewed by Free State Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Lawrence, Kansas USA

Appearance: Red. Slightly cloudy. Non-existent head. Aroma: Mild gingerbread cookie? Light aroma. Palate: Light to medium. A bit dry. Soft carbonation. Sticky finish. Flavor: Heavy malt. Light/medium hop. Burnt roasted nut malt. Dates? White pepper finish? Thanks JCapriotti.

Sampled at MrFacto’s ’Tosa tasting, brought by JCapriotti in a nice brown growler. Hazy red body, thin off-white head dissipating to a few bubbles. Big caramely aroma with plenty of dark fruit, quite sweet and bready, with faint hints of wood and very mellow hops. The body was pure candy, very sweet and caramely with candied dark fruits and a nice alcohol kick. Oak and mellow grapefruity, piney hops provided a nice "background" taste, but the deep, dense breads, cherry, sugar, and even pastry flavors were dominant. I love sweet beers and this was wonderful.

Pours a dark mahogany brown, with hints of red. Aroma of oak, cranberries. Overall very "woody". FLavor is more wood, deep malts blaanced with a cherry, coffee ground undertone. Very nice! Thanks to JCapriotti for bringing this!

Growlah. Headless dark purple-brown body. Alcoholic aroma with oak barrel note and winey sweetness. Dark pruney/cherry sweetness, orange peel, and green stemmy notes in the flavor. Has more emphasis on malt than hops, quite nice.

2003 vintage bottled from a growler by csbosox. Pretty incredible that I have the chance to try this stuff. This beer decants from a 16 oz Grolsch swing-top bottle, a dark chestnut brown, murky and highly unfiltered. Cinnamon and deep ruby hues swirl about as a cream colored head fades to whispy clumps of bubbles. The nose takes in a large scent of dark concord grapes, strongly phenolic yeast and a smooth, lush oiliness that just seeps off of the beer. Whereas the Owd Macs was decidedly British in style, this barleywine strikes a powerfully hoppy note immediately. All thoughts of this being a malty English Barleywine vanish. Before even contemplating the flavor, I am struck with how smooth, full and oily the body is. No traces of wateriness, as seen in the Owd Macs, and this is supposed to be one year older! The hops from the aroma do not disappoint, this starts out highly bitter, large doses of American hops bombard the palate, and a sticky, resinous caramel malt provides the much needed backup. Having just read the commercial description, I can personally vouch for the IBU claim. This stuff is hoppy!! But lightly tart red fruit notes, as well as a strong vinousness, light notes of vinegar and prunes all combine in the complex flavor. Sticky, hugely viscous and thick, this beer is a study in full flavor. Towards the finish, it ends on a more dry barley and dry toffee note. Bitterness lingers long, but the flavor coats your mouth. Thank you so much for this, Chris, this was truly a wonderful and unique beer (though the hops are too dominant yet, and this needs more time in the cellar).

Hand bottled by csbosox(grolsch style) Thanks man! 03 vintage. Small tan head, fair retention, minimal lacing. Hazy, dark brown color. Big fruity nose, hints of raisins and sweet malts, lightly roasty, gorgeous! Med/full bodied, delicate creamy texture, great mouthfeel. Juicy malt and hop flavors. Big fruityness, caramel mallts and some chocolate malts with an interesting roastiness also. A seriously complex brew, need more to get the full effect, hmmmmmm.Finish is medium dry, fruity and lightly roasty. One of the best all around B-wines i,ve had in awhile. Thanks for a shot at this hard to get brew Chris.

Deep, murky, port-like. No head. Syrupy, grapy, alcohol aroma--positively heady. Some slight solvent-like stuff in there as well. Taste--Wow! Layers of wood, vanilla, grape, toffee, coffee, oak, cocoa powder, tannins, maple syrup, oranges, the list goes on. Most excellent, dudes.

Thanks again to csbosox for sending and Springslicker for sharing. Cloudy brown, some bubbles, but no real head. Aroma of alcohol and port, maybe some cognac as well. Flavor has notes of cherry and rasin, with bright, crisp hops. resiny, salty, with a slight smoky edge. Long, mouthcoating aftertaste. Tasty.