Schlafly Barleywine

Brewed by Saint Louis Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Maplewood, Missouri USA

Date: 04/21/2008
Mode: Growler
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

Appearance: clear dark copper, wispy beige head, drippy streaks of lace,
Aroma: dark caramel aroma with a touch of fruity sweetness,
Flavor: rich dark caramel flavor, nice caramel sweetness is balanced by lots of earthyness, touch of fruity character, hint of peppery alcohol,
Overall: would age very well,
-------- /> Date: 04/23/2008
Mode: growler

picking up a lot more of a rich fruity character and a sugary sweetness,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

Growler: Pours a transparent copper orange with a thin, spotty-lacing off-white head. Aroma of lightly sweet caramel malt and a touch of citrusy hops. Body starts with a decent caramely sweetness, and some mild grapefruity hoppiness before a slightly warming, light fruity complex finish. A pretty nice barleywine.

Light chestnut color with a small lid of light tan bubbles. Aromas of fruit, with some spices and just a hint of herbal hops. Balanced throughout with mild chocolate, toffee, lightly over-ripe fruit and a mild pale malt flavor that is always welcome in my book. Light alcohol kick near the finish. Very easy to drink and as balanced a barleywine as I have had a any brewpub. Just Nice.

From a growler via trade with Puddintane. Shared with my GF Cyn. Pours amber with a thin tan head. Nose is sweet with hints of dried fruit and a nice lingering sweetness. Taste is sweet, fruitty, hoppy and really nicely big. The brew is smooth and its a big hoppy Barleywine, I like.

Aroma oranges and alcohol. I can tell this is going to be somewhat cloying. Bits of chocolate, caramel, toffee, and syrupy sweet malt flavors. Extremely syrupy mouthfeel with numbing effect due to the heavy amount of hops. Surprisingly clean at the finish with a orangey bitterness and a hard water finish. On the sweet side, but still good stuff.

This is the first time I’ve seen the non-oaked version in a couple of years. Not only is it non-oaked, but it is cask and dry hopped. This was amazing and better than any version of the Schlafly Barleywine I’ve ever tasted. Pours bronze / copper with a dense off-white head that is quite sturdy and delivers a kick ass aroma the whole way through. The aroma has tropical fruits (especially pineapple), grapefruit, hearty malt that is sweet and noticeable, but the hops are way in front. Full body that is very smooth and lush with extremely soft carbonation. The flavor starts with amazing hops that definitely has simcoe involved as well as floral and tropical fruits traits. There is also some nectar fruits, swet malt, caramel and toasty malt. This far more balanced than expected letting both aspects shine though. The finish has more of a barleywine flavor, but still a ton of hops. Quite amazing and quite possibly the best beer I’ve had from my favorite local brewery.

Growler: Pours copper with a white head. Aroma, citrus and fruity notes, caramel malts, brown sugar. Flavor, fruity notes, citrus, pale malts, caramel. A nice bitterness to it on the finish. Good stuff.

tap-hop in the city 05-pours murky amber with no head. again, a flat keg. piney, sweet, fruity aroma with some fig notes as well. full body, but no carbonation again. fairly surupy mouthfeal nonetheless. this beer has a farily hoppy aroma, but the flavors are not so much-more fig, fruty, carmel malt notes predominate. some earthy hop tones come out more in the finish-slightly leafy. not a bad barleywine, wish the carbonation was better.