Stewarts Bourbon Barleywine

Brewed by Stewarts Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Bear, Delaware USA

KSBF07. Wow amazing need more of this one. Poured a dark brown with not much head. Aroma was of bourbon, vanilla and malts. Flavor was dead on oaky caramel bourbon vanilla man i need more of this one.

On draft at Stewarts. 2006 version. Nice amber color. Aroma of bourbon and vanilla, neither of them over-whelming. Taste was a very smooth balanced barley wine. Sweet candied sugar, bourbon, (but not to much) vanilla, followed by a malt backbone. Good medium texture. Overall an excellent barleywine that I would go back just to get!*****UPDATE**** Just had a 2008 ediiton...I have been thinking about this beer so much since I had it, I had to come back to get another. Honestly I think this is the best barleywine I ever had or very close. In a blind tasting I think most would agee. AWESOME BEER!

Re-rate 05 vintage at KSBF07, no change, just wonderful. Original rating: Wow, by far the best production I’ve ever sampled at Stewart’s. Good golly, the 2005 Barleywine aged in a bourbon barrel, my oh, my…. This was dead on fantastic, aroma and flavors of oak, maple, light caramel. As it warmed, the liquor/bourbon flavors came out even more, but not overly so. This was a great beer, nice sticky, but smooth mouthfeel, very sippable, something I wish I could have had a growler of.

Draft. Medium to deep brown pour wit ruby edges and minimal khaki head. Aroma is heavy dark fruit, brown sugar, oaky bourbon, and earthy, peat mossy malt. The flavor has a heavy oaky bourbony base, so this one may turn off those who don’t like the heavy sprity flavor for this style. For those who do, that oaky bourbon is matched by a bunch of fruit, hops, and malt, making it assertive, but fairly approachable for even the lightweight drinker.

2005 vintage at the Brewpub. Dark plumb color with a very small head. Aroma is woody with lots of bourbon, malt, and dark fruits. Taste is thick with wood and bourbon plus some dark fruits, burnt sugar, molasses, and heavy malt. Nice mouthfeel with a little sting. I felt this one was much better than the standard barleywine.

KSBF 2006. Pours a hazy brown copper with a tan bubbly head. Aroma of vanilla, dark fruits, caramel, toffee, oak and like bourbon. Flavors of the same with maybe a touch of vanilla.

On tap at the KSBF ’06... Appears a hazy amber toned brown with a small off-white head... Smell is of creamy coconut milk, mollasses, caramel, and vanilla. Taste is of the mentioned aromas with lots of vanilla esters coming through with some brown sugar sweetness that tastes nice. Mouthfeel is super smooth for a barley wine with smooth caramel and vanilla lingering along the tongue, making for a pleasant, sweet, after dinner barley wine. Kudos to Ric for taking the ’05 batch and aging it in the Jim Beam barrel. This is a sipper but it’s a darn good sipper.

Ksbf 07. 2005 vintage. may be the same vintage as last years which was way more boozy and bourbony last year. Still tons of bourbon but enjoyable this time. Pours a hazy medium amber- orange with a thinning off white head. Aroma is bourbon and thick sweet caramel malts, some alcohol, and fruity esters- pear and apricot. Full caramel flavor, toasty malts, bourbon, wood , oak, and hints of vanilla with a subdued alcohol unlike last years. Nice improvement.