Free State Old Backus Barleywine

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

Sampled from a growler obtained by drmatt. Aroma is a gambit of raisin, toffee, and typical crystal sweetness with herbal hoppiness beneath. Taste is smooth and hugely sweet with hops peeking in from time to time. Finish has some spruciness but is still quite sweet. Warming stuff but in taste and aroma hides the alc extremely well.

2002 vintage. thanks to mreusch for sending this growler out and drewbeerme for sharing it. Pours a dark mahoganny prune color with a thin tan head. Red fruit come off the nose first but the complexities follow. carmel, dark fruit, toffee, cherries, a bit of oxidation that fades, and a hint of chocolate and tobacco. Full bodied and slick. Red fruit, cherries, toffee, tobacco, carmel, chocolate, a hint of alcohol that is completely appropriate. This is balanced well and damn tasty. Wow drinking half a growler of this all night is a wonderful thing.

2002 vintage. big thanks to mreusch for trading this growler to me. pours a dense and deep dark red with very little tan head. nose has lots of tobacco, caramel, toffee, very subtle cherries, chocolate and charred wood, brown sugar, slight vegetable, and a flutter of alcohol. flavor is really rich and full, notes of lots of tobacco, rich caramel, dried wood, subtle dry cherries, hints of chocolate, and plums. palate is long and alcohol is well hidden. mouthfeel is full. i’ve never had this at any other vintage but i must believe this has aged gracefully.

I am too lazy to write a whole review of this right now. It had a very nice citrus finish and a fantastic palate, but for some reason I found the aroma lacking. Everything else about the beer was fantastic and it was dangerously drinkable.

On tap at the brewpub from the 2003 batch - pours dark brown / bronze with a small sudsy tannish head. The aroma starts thick and malty with dark toffee / caramel, peppery spice, butter (not diacetyl) with everything very rich, but also not overly sweet. Full body with very soft carbonation. The flavor starts with the thick dark caramel, horehound candy and ultra rich malt. The finish adds some spice and a cotton candy sweetness. Massive thumbs up for this excellent dessert in a glass.

Consumed a pint of this stuff during a very tasty tasting hosted by Degarth (thanks Joe) and in the company of Quake1028. A big thanks to eboats for this tasty brew.

According to eboats rating this appears to be a 1999 Vintage. Pours murky brackish brown with thin off white head that fades to nothing in about a minute. This beer has a huge aroma of dark fruitiness with sweet caramel around the back of the smell. Very nice. The beer has a nice thick syrupy mouth feel that’s seems just right. The dark fruity taste is composed of smooth silky cherry compote to apricot to dates. There’s also sweet malt and caramel that go very well with the fruitiness. Very enjoyable barleywine.

HUGE thanks to eboats for bringing this down for us in Florida, and also to Degarth for giving us a place to sample.

Sampled from a growler, served in a tulip. Pours a brown/plum combo, no head at all. Aroma of caramel, hops, malt, dark fruit, maybe some plum or cherry, pine notes. Flavor is intensely sweet malt, grapes, pine, dark fruit, warming alcohol. Finish is cloying and fades to a nice bitterness.

On tap at the brewpub from a batch brewed in 1999. Poured amber with no head. Looked sticky and oily. Aroma was strong hops, alcohol, and something bitter. Flavor was very similar to Victory Old Horizontal. The aging toned this down a bit I imagine. Sweet hop flavors with a sticky mouthfeel. Dry finish that becomes more dry and bitter as you drink.