Third Street Aleworks Old Redwood Square Barleywine

Brewed by Third Street Aleworks
Style: Barley Wine
Santa Rosa, California USA

I am assuming that Old Railroad Square Barleywine and Old Railyard Barleywine are the same beer. They have different ABVs and tasted kind of different but… Tasted at the 2004 Pizza Port Strong Ale Fest. Dark orange gold color. LARGE… LARGE long lasting white foamy head. Aroma is orange and malt. Head lasts FOREVER… ice cubes were trapped under the residual foam after a glass rinse. A medium bodied barley wine. Malts are fruity and sweet, orange and caramel. Hops are grapefruity with a medium bitterness. Very smooth taste. Nice balance. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet. Tasted at the 2003 Pizza Port Strong Ale Fest. Medium amber color, No head to speak of at all. Aroma is malty and fruity. A medium bodied barley wine. Malts are nutty and sweet. Touch of dark fruits. Hops are grapefruity. Smooth taste. Touch of alcohol bite. Not much else going on here. Sorry to say that this is a totally uninspired and totally unmemorable barley wine. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet. (3.0)

On tap @ Third st Aleworks poured a clear reddish brown with a tan head. Aromas of dark fruit, toffee, and a hint of chocolate. Flavor wasof cherries, dark fruit, and a hint of vanilla.

Cloud orange beer, massive chewy malts, vanilla, tapioca over sweet brown sugar and a touch of oakiness. Flavour is quite chewy and malty but it finishes with a bit of acidity that lighten it up significantly. Caramel, pepper, and a faint dark fruit on the finish.

12/06/02: Had on tap at Pizza Port Strong Ale Festival
While I’m not a huge fan of Barleywines in general, this 1999 Old Railyard Square Barleywine, tipping the scales at 10.0% ABV (above the normal 9.7%) did not disappoint. A bit fruity, the head was light, but the beer was smooth. A fine offering by 3rd Street Aleworks - a must visit next time I’m around Santa Rosa.

This Barlley Wine pours with a beautiful deep reddish-brown/mohagony body topped by a huge head wtih great lacing. The aroma is slightly sweet yet bitter and herbal (Rosemarie?) with a slight roasty, woody note. The flavor is slightly sweet and bitter with a slight fruity note, some herbal notes, as well as, roasty woody notes. Full bodied, smooth and a touch dry.

Medium amber hue, nose is a pleasent sweet malt, old milky citrus... harsh, biting, but still a bit sweet in the first bite and the finish... not bad.

02.19.05 Small sample at Toronado BWF. Color is middle of the road amber/brown/gold with middling head. Thanks to Brian for this sample. Just misses the mark all around. Lightly sweet on nose and palate with a ripe graininess where it should be more sturdy. Pithy hop character doesn’t submit to the malt backbone, making for an uncomfortable situation deciding if it’s a barleywine or big IPA.

2/19/05. On tap at Toronado Barleywine Festival ’05 in San Francisco, CA 2/19/05. Lightly hazy orange amber, dark in color but somewhat "samey." Good reverse lacing but not much lacing. Nondescript aroma with a bit of light caramel and spiced-- decent but not great. Taste is solidly spiced and bitter, short on malt richness. Body is thin and uninteresting. Finish is bitterly hoppy with dark sap like a gritty IIPA but without much else. Long but weak.