Upstream Batch 1000 Barley Wine

Brewed by Upstream Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Omaha, Nebraska USA

FRO Throwdown: Bottle courtesy beastiefan2k. Sherry caramel color. Sherry, plummy figgy flavors. Wood in the finish? Strong but pretty well balanced finish.

tap. Nice caramelization in the aroma. Thick small bubble head. Sweet. Zing on the tongue from the alcohol.

courtesy of Tampa finest, none other than tpd975. Pours orange with some nice golden/ light yellow lacing. Aroma is loaded with grains and caramel malts. Taste, more on the hop side while the malts remain at the forefront. A really amazing barleywine, over 10.1% so yeah, we have a real treat.

Bottle shared by theisti at his Holiday Tasting on 12/28/07. Pours a clear orange-red with a thin, creamy, beige head. Super sweet, on the nose, with a malty, dark fruit front and lesser notes of biscuit and faint pine rounding out the aroma. Medium-bodied and silky with a dry, "warm" finish. The flavor is sweet and vinous with solid notes of brown sugar and English walnuts, concluding with a hit of alcohol at the finish. This is an interesting and unique barley wine. Thanks for sharing this one with us, Tim.

GABF 2007: Poured a light copper color with an off-white head. Sweet fruity malt and a hoppy tail make up the aroma. Hint of alcohol. Light fruity flavor with thick sweet malt. Full bodied.

Pours an orangish golden. Lots of ripe fruit in the aroma. Flavor is sweet malt and fruitiness. Thick and sweet on the tongue. This one has gotten better with age.

750 wax sealed bottle from valpoaj. Pours an amber/orange color. Thick and cloudy look to this brew. Sweet, bready, malty, with light fruity aroma. Thick, sticky, and syrupy on the palate. Chewy mouthful of sweet malt and light earthy hop finish.

750ml $10 Upstream Brewpub 10.2% Batch 1000 pours a surprisingly clear glowing ruby with streams of carbonation rising from spots with other spots being dead. A fingers worth of ecru head formed on the pour and fell to a slim cap with a decent ring. The carbonation bubbles seem to keep the ring alive. Leaves patchy lacing here and there on its way down. You can tell the alcohol pulls away the majority of the head on this beer. Smell is big on the sugary sweet caramel which is basically the steals the show. There is a good amount of fruitiness involved which really adds complexity. Golden raisins, peaches, a bit of pear, and even less apricot. There’s a touch of cinnamon in there although I’m not sure where it’s coming from. Spicy booziness adds to the layers and ends up creating a very interesting, unique barleywine. The more I smell the more I like this big bold barleywine. The flavor seems to follow the aroma fairly closely. The golden raisin, pears, and apricot are all caramel drizzled and delicious. The alcohol is big but never gets in the way; instead it adds spiciness and seems to bring out all the rich caramel fruitiness. There isn’t much hoppiness in the flavor, more big candy like maltiness, but the bitterness grows as I drink. A thick heavy body feels right at home with the sweet booziness of this barleywine. It’s dense but moves very well over the tongue. The bitterness continues to grow until (halfway through the bottle for me) the tongue is stomped on. This is a sipper without a doubt and one to enjoy over long periods but that being said it’s a beer I could sip for quite a while. Warming, smooth, and delicious! I would recommend letting this beer warm up to 60 degrees or so. The booziness dies down and the true flavor really pops. This barleywine grew on me as the temperature rose and ended up being an excellent sipper. If you have the chance, pick this up. 6/7/08