Heavyweight Barrel Aged Old Salty

Formerly brewed at Heavyweight Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Ocean Township, New Jersey USA

Tap at Barcade. 2005. Deep garnet coloured beer with a creamy tan head. Gorgeous aroma, sweet maltiness and dark purple grapiness as well. Unusual in that the fruits seems fresh and vibrant rather than the more typical dried fruit character. Strong notes of sweet vanilla, oaky tannins and toasted oak. The flavour is also very oaky with loads of bourbony sweetness along with some sweet plums and prunes. Sweet apple/grape/plum flavour throughout. Quite different from any barleywine I’ve had and very appealing. A bit of sherryish oxidation adds yet another layer of complexity. World-class.

2005 vintage 750 ml bottle. Pours a dark amber orange color with a small beige head. Aroma is whiskey and bourbon with hints of vanilla and sweet brown sugar. Taste is pleasantly sweet(not too much like some barleywines) with hints of vanilla,barrel wood, bourbon,sweet malt, and brown sugar. Very well done. One of the best barleywines I’ve had to date.

I absolutely loved this beer...Thanks a ton to nolonkowal for sharing this at the last Columbus tasting. The aroma was sweet and full of great malt aromas. Brown in the glass with a nice head. The mouthfeel is thick and incredible. The taste is fantastic! Great balance, smooth and easy to drink. Lots of oak flavors, brown sugar, and vanilla. Loved this beer.

Thanks to JohnC for sharing. Nice orange-amber color, aroma is vanilla sweet with hints of bourbon. Flavor follows and adds much more, with some fruit, wood, earthy hop character. A sweet, complex brew that hides it’s strength well.

Thanks to footbalm & pineypower for getting me this beer. This is a great barleywine. It pours a copper coor with a thin head. the flavor has an amazing finish,sweet but not too sweet. I really like d it.

Very nice barley wine. Lucky find at Baracde on tap at the 2nd Anniversery party night. Pours a deep amber with decent head. Has a surpisingly light aroma, pleasantly sweet & candy like. Very smooth maltyness upfront. Wet cardboard aspect. Viscous and syrupy body with a strong late sweetness. There’s a late bourbon like character with a flavor that has a smooth alcohol burn and an oakey/sweet earthyness. Complex and satisfying. Big barley-wine.

750 ml bottle thanks to JHop. Biggest head I have ever seen on a barleywine. 2/3 of the glass. Dark amber beer beneath the monster. The second pour was much improved now that I know. What a goregeous brew. Aromas were outsanding. Lots of wood and bourbon. Sweetness and fruit. Some hints of flanders at first. Lots of wood on the flavor too, along with all the dark fruit and molassas one would expect. Lot’s of Alcohol warming on the finish. Very Very good.

Any first impressions?
-A veil of foam shields the clear regal burgundy and mauve robe.
-Plenty of juicy berries sing in tune with star anise and bourbon sweetness.
-The bourbon barrel sweetness is very well integrated to the other flavors, humbly adding another dimension to the experience.
-The smooth, luscious mouthfeel (must be Maris Otter) is worthy of contemplation.

What if you dig deeper?
-Blackberries and raspberries evolve into candied sweetness towards the end.
-Alcohol is well proportioned for a barley wine of this gravity, heating the back up accordingly, but never burning.
-This is the kind of barley wine that got better and better, as examination turned into enjoyment.
-To me, this is the crowning achievement of the Old Salty series, a superb luxury product of utmost delicacy and refinement.

Bottles; 2005 vintage.