Tyranena Bourbon Barrel Spank Me Baby! Barley Wine

Brewed by Tyranena Brewing
Style: Barley Wine
Lake Mills, Wisconsin USA

Great Taste 2008. The last time I had this at the Great Taste, they were pouring a fresher version, and I recall not liking it quite as much as I enjoyed it this time around. I think a few years on the barleywine helped bring out its complexity, which also suggests to me that the underlying barleywine should age very well. Regarding the beer, the hops were more muted than I expected, and there was an underlying brown sugar sweetness with candied orange peel and vanilla alongside. Mouthfeel is fairly thick and rich, and the finish is warming (although not alcoholic) and bourbon.

on tap at GTMW ’08. pours murky amber no head. oxidized malt aroma, caramel, bourbon, rye. flavor is oxidized caramel, tobacco, bourbon, a bit sweet doughy. pretty good and a lot better than the regular version.

gtmw 08.... murky caramel brown pour with a small reminiscence of a head.... light bourbon, vanilla, and caramel notes make up the aroma.... flavors were sweet and caramely. nice barrel-aged essence to it as well. good carbonation and mouthfeel. a little bit sweet but not cloyingly so....glad we went back to tyranena at the right time.

On tap at brewery. Pours a dark amber with a large tan head. Aroma of dark fruit, bourbon, caramel. Nice balanced flavor. Excellent.

On draught at the brewery’s taproom in Lake Mills, Wisconsin. Pours a hazy amber brew with a fast dissolving creamy beige head that quickly dissipates to a thin off-white head with some film swirl top. Aroma is quite complex of powdered caramel malt, sweet bourbon, dark pitted fruits, some raisins, brown sugar and a touch of coconut. Taste is extraordinary smooth and creamy, medium bodied with hardly no carbonation. Flavors is just as complex as its aroma with more chalky caramel flavors, vanilla, plenty of bourbon, brown sugar and even a little molasses. Finish has an alcohol warmness that is refreshing and enjoyable. Happy to have the chance to try this one fresh at the brewery.

Aroma of bourbon touched caramel and dark fruit,the aging has definitely supressed the esters a little, taste is soft bourbon laced caramel cake,molasses, brown sugar, vanilla, and a little hop bitterness in the finish. Amazing how smooth and rich the aging did on this brew

Tap. Pours to a hazy amber mahogany body with a dense thin ring of white head. The aroma is sweet toffee, subtle green/yellow apples, aged malt, and light vanilla. The flavor is sweet malts, toffee, sweet yellow apples, notes of strawberries, lots of wood, and vanilla. The palate had a nice carbonation and warming back-end w/o the fusels. I was told this is 13%.

On tap at the Brewery. Served in a shaker for $4. Wow I was surprised to see this on tap. The brewer said they found this one in a back cooler and also it was limited to two glasses a day. I see why. Pours a murky red brown with a thin head that quickly fades. Nose is dominated by aged malts and fruits. Toffee, caramel, dark fruits, cherries, bourbon, brown sugar, and lots of plums. Smooth slightly creamy palate. The brown sugars and aged malts are the first flavors with a balancing act of the plums, cherries, dark fruit, bourbon, and toffee. Some alcohol and vanilla warms around the edges. Really tasty and really drinkable. Everything I like about an aged barleywine. Well done.