Weyerbacher Insanity

Brewed by Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Easton, Pennsylvania USA

Bomber, November 2004 vintage I’m almost positive. Poured clear, bright fiery sunset orange with a nice cap of beige head... there sure was a lot of crud floating around the bottom of the bottle though! The aroma picked up sweet, candied redder fruits, caramel, and vanilla with a mild, very complementary oak accent.. great integration of the barrel, and age treated this very well! The flavor was on par with the same redder fruits paired with rum, caramel, and vanilla at the core.. toasty oak and vanilla accented, and the finish left a rewarding warm impression in the nostrils.. vanilla and fruit linger as well. Heavier-bodied with moderate carbonation and near perfect barrel integration.. great mouth feel with just enough carbonation to let the flavors get where they needed to go. I can’t say that I’m surprised that this was great.. the 2000 vintage Blithering Idiot I drank last year was sublime!

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this beer, the packaging telling me that it was an "oak aged ale." Now that I learn that it is a Blithering Idiot Barleywine, this makes a lot of sense to me, as I thought this beer to be a nice barley wine of the not-overly-hoppy variety with some good vanilla notes. Good. Color was a fairly opaque orangey hue with moderate head. Aroma was caramel, sweet maltiness, and alcohol esters. Flavor was very like that of a non-hoppy barley-wine...significantly malty and sweet with some searing alcohol mouthfeel. Mouthfeel was warm and pretty good. Quite a good beer if you like this sort of barley-wine, and worth seeking out. I bought this beer at a Whole Foods near Fair Oaks mall in Fairfax County, VA.

6/5/08 - two year vertical, courtesy of santoslhalper.

2006
Pours amber with floaties, khaki, rimming head. Smells like bourbon, alcohol, caramel. Taste is bourbon, alcohol, vanilla, caramel, slight chocolate and a bit of bitter. Lots of alcohol warmth well into the after. Nice BA barley wine.

2004
Pours a dark copper. Nose is raisin, dates, alcohol. Taste is carael, dark fruit, alcohol hot. Oak and bourbon are diminished.

Very good overall. I’m a fan.

2006. Clear copper body with a thin beige head. The smell is super oaky with bourbon, caramel, matly, and cardboard notes. Strong oak and nutty taste with mellow warming alcohol, caramel, chocolate and bourbon notes. Vanilla comes out strong as it warms.

Bottle courtesy tpd975. Pours a hazy amber with a small off-white head. Aroma of bourbon, vanilla, dark fruit, oak, and caramel. Taste is the same as aroma. Medium mouthfeel with a moderate amount of bitterness and smooth alcohol. Very good.

2007 22 oz. bomber. Pours a peachy reddish amber with a soft off-white head and some floaters at the bottom of the bottle. Aroma includes sweet ripe fruit, light smoky wood, and a bit of alcohol, which takes on more of a solventy character as it warms. Soft warm flavor with nice notes of vanilla, oak, fruity esters, and some booze. Medium full bodied and very smooth. Delicious and unique barleywine which should age nicely.

Bomber. Murky amber pour, red hue and a tan head. Medium to heavy palate. Aroma wasn’t too stron, but it hinted at citrus and other fruit. Quite hoppy with some caramel. Alcohol well hidden given the volume but makes itself known in the finish which was quite dry.

Pours a semi cloudy copper with a medium beige head that remains for half the session. Aroma is medium sweet vanilla, alcohol, caramel, oak and light plum. Flavor is vanilla, alcohol, caramel, oak and some cherry. Creamy Full body, creamy texture. Long oakey sweet finish.