Weyerbacher Insanity

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

Bottle (Trade with nolankowal - Thanks John). Nice chocolate molasses and strong hops and alcohol aroma. Medium orange-brown with small head. Raisin and creamy malt followed by a hops blast. Alcohol doesn’t come out until after swallowing and then hits you with a vengeance. I really only get a hint of bourbon with this - hopefully the full 22oz will help knock out this lingering cold I’ve had.

Pours a dark rusty brown, with a quarter inch head that fades slowly to a thin swirling cap, leaving behind a solid webbing of lace. Smell; very pronounced vanilla, with some definite hints of bourbon. Some of the oak is there, as well as plums and cherries. I can almost detect some caramel malts in the background. Taste; there’s definitely a lot of bourbon flavor in this. It takes a few sips to be able to start picking out anything else. The vanilla makes a nice appearance, as well as some coconut that I didn’t notice in the aroma. Soome of the dark fruits are there, but they are a little overrun by the bourbon flavors. I can see how some would not like this beer, but I happen to enjoy bourbon and scotch, so this is making for an enjoyable drink. I just wish some of the bourbon was a bit more subdued, allowing the other flavors to stand out a bit more. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, adn seems to fit the flavor profile very nicely. With the strong bourbon flavors this is definitely a sipping beer, but I still find myself continually reaching for the glass, although I am feeling a bit numb at this point.

22 oz bomber picked up by Kirk in Ridgewood, NJ. Pours a semi-typical barleywine color touching in a reddish orange hue with a light tan head than is fairly small. The aroma brings a massive amount of vanilla while also speaking of bourbon, and a very small hint of cherries. The flavor starts off sweet as pie...in the malt world, before bringing a huge vanillay oaked sense backed by dark cherries and plums. This progressively moves into a huge bourbon flavored alcohol singe which warms the end of the palate all the way down into the stomach where it sits and warms your entire body. The vanilla oak lingers on the palate in a beautiful way. I can see why some might not be into this one as much, but I personally enjoyed it!! It’s not the best attempt at aging a barleywine in bourbon barrels, but it definitely sets a standard.

2004, bomber. Pour is not as menacing as the label made me think it would look, a hazy light red/orange with a thin tan head, no retention to speak of. Aroma is bourbon and vanilla, caramel and alcohol, cherries, hops and used charcoal. Flavor is uninspired, as I tend to feel about most Weyerbacher beers. Tastes are similar to aroma, more focused on the caramel malt and alcohol, with a lurking tinge of white chocolate and grassy hops. Too much alcohol heat on the back end. Finish is medium in length and drab, boring. Whatever. I definitely preferred the regular barleywine, though in retrospect it wasn’t all that great either.

Bottle handmarked with a silver ink pen 01/05, from a trade with...I’ve forgotten who now.... Aroma is over the top, wow, really intense and full of so many flavors. Malt, alcohol, vim and vigor. Flavor packs one heck of a ABV punch, easy to drink till it hits the rear of the mouth and wham, there’s the heavy burn. Until then it’s quite nice in the mouth. It’s a bit too big for me to really enjoy, Too hot. I can imagine this will sit for a few more years and calm down on the alcohol side. Impressive beer, just but not my style.

This is one of my favorite beers without a doubt. It pours a dark amber/red color. Particles float all over in this beer. The smell is more typical of a BW with of course some bourbon smells also. It pours thick, and provides a small head. The taste for me is just great, so many flavors I can’t name them all but here goes: malt, vanilla, some oak, coconut, bourbon, fruits (little bit of cherry)?, also a little bit of butter-ry type taste/quality to it. Man it is really nice. Palate like the pour is on the thicker side. There are a little bit of hops in there, but they take a back seat and barely show up in the finish. A really nice BW. This particular bottle was a year old.

22 oz bottle - Pours murky brown with a huge number of floaters despite a fairly slow pour. It has a medium sized, enduring head that leaves a heavy layer of lacing. The aroma is malt and bourbon. The flavor is malt, oak, and bourbon with the latter really dominating the flavor. Full bodied and rather smooth, it finishes warm. Whiskey lovers will like this one.

2006 bomber. Pours a very reddish copper with a slightly foamy white head. Aroma is sweet, with the oaked bourbon really coming through. Alcohol, sugar, and cherries also present. Flavor is very unique, the bourbon up front, supported by.. perhaps butterscotch? Toffee in there as well. Very interesting!