|
The rise of so-called extreme beers (as documented by the recent New York Times article) can make a once obscure beer like barleywine seem positively mainstream by comparison.
These days a trip to your local beer store will show you a staggering amount of choices for this style, and the lion’s share of them are from American breweries. In fact, there were more barleywines sent for this tasting than any panel in their right minds could ever hope to sample in a single sitting. Just tasting half of them took a lot of fortitude for our hardy group of judges.
We gathered at the Waterfront Ale House in Brooklyn on an appropriately frigid day with livers girded, and dove right in. One thing notable about this tasting was the high quality of all the beers. Many of them were within a point or two of each other, as evidenced by the 3-way tie for second place.
The top rated beer of the tasting was Uinta XIV, 10.4%, from the Uinta Brewing Co. in Salt Lake City, UT. This beer was a copper-orange color, with an aroma of hop resin, raisins, dates, caramel, sherry, and alcohol. “Waves of hops with malt popping up in between. Good restrained malt. Lingering bitterness OK. Great example of style!” “Complex, delicious, nice balance.” XXXX
The next three beers tied for second place.
Heavy Seas Below Decks, 10%, from Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD. Medium amber hue, slight head retention. Aromas of rich caramel, raisins, apricot, and sherry. “Big malt profile complemented by sherry and currants. Hops are there, but not overwhelming. Alcohol comes out in finish.” Almost British in malt dominance, but bigger and hoppier. Very well-balanced, hops well-integrated.” XXXX
Gnarleywine, 9.7%, brewed by Lagunitas Brewing Co., Petaluma, CA. Light chestnut color, poured with small head. The panel detected notes of plum pudding, cooked dates, sherry, and currants. “Malty, dark fruit, good alcohol, Christmas pudding. Great balance between caramel and dark malts, hops, and alcohol.” “Great texture, awesome balance, some tropical fruit, just enough bitterness for malt to come through.” XXXX
Three Sheets, 9%, from Ballast Point Brewing Co. in San Diego, CA. Deep copper color with garnet reflections, poured with a good head. “Good resiny nose, with some malt underneath. Orange, cherries, toffee. English hops?” “Malt flavor, then the hops swell up, then alcohol. Nice fight between the three. Great balance. Hops linger, but so does the malt.”XXXX
Killer Penguin, 10%, from Boulder Beer in Colorado. Brownish-red chestnut hue with some head retention. Neutral nose, malty, dry, slight sherry, not much hops. “Malty-more English style, but nice. Maple syrup malt. Hops come up later, in middle and finish. Alcohol finish, but not too much.” “English toffee, molasses, dates, chocolate covered cherries. Very good.” This beer was third place of the tasting. XXX1/2
Monster, 10.1%, from Brooklyn Brewery. Reddish bronze color, very clear. Caramel malt, apricot, toffee, alcohol aromas. “Bittersweet nougat candy, hint of brown butter. Good balance.” “Very well-balanced for a young beer. A bit thin, but tasty.” XXX
Old Abominable, 9%, from Stoudts Brewing Co., Adamstown, PA. Copper-orange color, light carbonation. “Caramel malt nose, very inviting. Alcohol underneath, along with apricots, licorice.” “Very subtle flavor. Toffee malt, grapefruit and citrus (not Cascade). Delicate, bitter finish. This could be a dangerous beer-very easy drinking.” XXX
Bigfoot, 9.6%, from Sierra Nevada, CA, orangish amber color, big head. “Beautiful hop nose! Luscious malt underneath, orangey citrus also.” “Mucho hops all the way through — lingers at end. Some alcohol burn also (a bit young).” XXX
Nipple Mountain Nip, 8.5%, from Pagosa Brewing Co., Pagosa Springs, CO. Ruby red color, poured with a big head. Aromas of cooked apples, blueberry muffins, sour cherries, alcohol. “Good balance. Slight woody character, nice smooth finish. Hops and malt play well together.” “Mellow malt sweetness mixed with some tartness. Interesting — almost like a barleywine/Flemish red combination.” XXX
Old Ruffian, 10.2%, 90 IBUs, from Great Divide, CO. Orange copper color with golden highlights. “Nice resiny hop nose, cherries, melon, apricot, alcohol.” “Caramel candy, touch of fruit. Rich, good mouthfeel. Long, bitter finish.” XX1/2
Old Boardhead, 9%, from Full Sail, OR. Poured a clear copper color with nice big head. “Sweet malt aroma, fruity alcohol, almost tropical.” “Resin, cherries, citrus, lemon, hops. Balanced finish, faint maltiness.” XX1/2
Old Reliable, 10%, from Laurelwood, OR. Deep copper/amber color, good carbonation. Hops, malt aroma with plums and cherries underneath. “Lots of hops, smoky bitter finish. Lighter body than expected, but strong.” “Nice bitterness, good balance. Easy drinking for a barleywine.” XX1/2
Old School Barleywine, 15%, from Dogfish Head, DE. Strongest beer of the tasting. “Color on the lighter side, copper-orange. Pretty!” “Very alcoholic nose. Young port, stewed fruit. Very sweet/fruity flavor. Apricot marmalade. Needs age to dry/smooth out.” XX
Old Crustacean, 11.5%, 110 IBUs from Rogue Ales, Newport, OR. One of the bigger beers at the tasting. Poured a clear mahogany hue, no head. Butter, brown sugar, sweet cocoa aromas. “Lots of malt nicely balanced with hops. Alcohol apparent. Sherry, bitter finish.” “Initial malt followed by blast! Of hops. Mouthful of hops!” XX
The final results were: Uinta XIV — first place, Heavy Seas Below Decks, Lagunitas Gnarlywine, and Ballast Point Three Sheets Barley Wine in a 3-way tie for second place, and Boulder Brewing Co. Killer Penguin — third place.
The results of our second half of the tasting were: a tie for first place between two beers from Seattle WA; Old Wooly from Big Time Brewing, and Cyclops, from Elysian Brewing Company (XXXX). Second place was Avery Samael’s Ale (XXXX), and tied for third place with 3 ½ stars were Alaskan Barleywine, from Alaskan Brewing Company, and Old Horizontal from Victory Brewing Company (XXX1/2). Again, as in the first part of the tasting, a very close grouping. As for the remaining beers, Butte Creek Trainwreck, Avery Hog Heaven, and Pike Old Bawdy all received 3 stars. (XXX). Left Hand Old Widdershins, Williamsburg AleWerks Grand Illuminator, and East End Gratitude all received 2 ½ stars (XX1/2), while Duck-Rabbit Barleywine received 2 stars. (XX).
|
