Iron Hill Bourbon (Tom) Barleywine

Brewed by Iron Hill Newark
Style: Barley Wine
Newark, Delaware USA

Cloudy genuine caramelised auburn pour, presenting little head. Powerful and smokey nose approaches the notion of caramel like it wants every other beer to beg for forgiveness for ever hinting at caramel. Humongous focus on toffee, caramel, earth and cookie richness. A real concentrated sweet malt opus. Enormous vanilla notes allow underlying oatmeal-like hints to pear through. The bourbon aging proposes gentle whiskey overtones, but they fit and never dominate, letting their woodiness take the top. Very full bodied, creamy texture, minerally and engaging carbonation. Growing pleasure with every sip despite the growing alcohol awareness as it warms and the obviously fatiguing sweetness. Superb sipper. Just when I thought I was tired of bourbon-aging, Iron Hill comes in with this jewel and proves me unworthy!

Murky brown. Awesome mouthfeel ... full and milkshake-like. Intensely rich sweetness, with caramel, chocolate, molasses and vanilla. Had another curious flavor-aroma that I can’t say I’ve experienced with such intensity in any other beer ... coconut. As soon as I defined it, I couldn’t get it out of my head, and I pictured myself drinking the milk from a fresh-split coconut in St. Lucia. Lesser notes of wood and whiskey. Comfortably warming. Mild, earthy bitterness. Great flavors and aromas, but perhaps a little too sweet for my blood.

GABF 2005. I counted them....I had twelve one ounce samples. My favorite beer from the festival. This was legendary and unforgettable. Brown color. Big time buttery and oaked nose, with hints of bourbon, vanilla and rich malts. Insanely thick and creamy body. Perfect medley of oak, giving vanilla, wood and bourbon flavors, and wonderfully rich malts, which gave hints of chocolate, mocha, caramel, butter and fruit. One of the best I’ve had.

GABF 2005: Murky brown hue with a minimal head and zero lace. Nose displays toffee and caramel malts, oak and vanilla, alcohol snap, pepper and clove, and some earthy tobacco character. The taste is lightly ripe fruit on top of sweet malts with the barrel nature noticeable. Mocha and vanilla overtone just before the spicy and phenolic finish. The feel is sticky and lush, slightly warming. A darn good brew with nice complexity.

09.29.05 GABF Dirty, muddy brown. Big, thick, and sweet. Lots of bourbon and wood, butter, brown sugar, cooked figs. Lightly spicy, black pepper, caramel, toffee, cocoa. Maple lingers. Yum.

Buttery oaky nose. Medium brown body with no head. Taste-butter, light wood, spiced rum, vanilla, molasses, sweet figs. Excellent in every way.

GABF pour. Ugly hazy brown. Lots of dark fruit (prunes, dates, etc) in the aroma, with light maltyness and a fine complexity. The flavor was delicious with dates, figs, caramel sweetness, some bourbon complexity, and barely noticeable hops (though that doesn’t matter). Creamy and full body. Slick and sticky. Very enjoyable barley wine.

Pour is hazy murky deep caramel amber with a thin tan head...smell is aged...maple syrup and butterscotch...almost oxidized...taste is phenomenal...vanilla, caramel, molasses...great...