Weekly Beer Focus - Barleywines - Feb 18-27

Beer and Spirits
21

I have faith in you Veronica. The #100 is a damn nice Barleywine

22

I picked up 3 today to join my Sierra Nevada 30th Barleywine.

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot
COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
Gold Medal Winner, Great American Beer Festival (Ales: Brown, Bitter and Pale 1987, Barleywine 1988,1992,1995). Sierra Nevada Bigfoot is an award winning example of the English Barley Wine style. It boasts a dense, fruity bouquet; an extremely rich, intense, bittersweet palate; and a deep, reddish-brown color. This ale is superbly balanced between an almost overpowering maltiness and a wonderfully bittersweet hoppiness.

Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot
COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
At Weyerbacher, we prefer to brew things true to European style guidelines, so our barley wine is definitely on the malty side, without being overly sweet. Notes of date or perhaps fig on the palate follow a pleasurably malty aroma to your taste buds. The finish is warm and fruity, and begs for the next sip.

Weyerbacher Insanity
COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
Insanity, first released November 2004, is Weyerbacher’s latest creation in the world of cutting edge beers. Insanity is made by aging our perfectly balanced Blithering Idiot Barleywine in oak bourbon casks. This incredible combination creates a melange of flavors such as malt, dates, oak, vanilla, and bourbon just to name a few.

I might drink one tonight because I am gone Thu/Fri/Sat nights.

23

In severe discordance with my better judgment, and under the weight of smothering peer pressure, I bought 3 barleywines today … these were literally purchased in lieu of IPA. I think this was the first time in the last 5 years I’ve gone to the beer store and not come home with any IPA.

2011 Lagunitas - Gnarleywine
2011 Stone - Old Guardian
2011 Stone - Old Guardian Belgo


Also bought a Goose Island “Demolition” to see what that’s all about, a sixer of Firestone’s “Velvet Merlin” Oatmeal Stout, and a bottle of RRBC’s “Sanctification,” which I’ve never seen before.


As for the barleywines: Does anybody know if these beers keep well overnight, once opened? All three that I bought are 22’s, and I will likely struggle to get through each of them; if I can keep them open over night without a degradation in quality, that would be good to know.

24

Jorge,

What vintage is your Lagunitas?

25

09 If I’m not mistaken.

26

You da man!! Woo hoo! I do not know for sure how they keep overnight, but they are lower in carbonation and very thick - so I’d expect they would keep for a night without a lot of change…

27

Bravo hoser! Though I hope you don’t hold whatever Stone would do to Barleywine against it. [stirthepothal.gif]

As far as overnight, as with beer or wine I think they do just fine if your fridge is nice and cool. Cheap artificially carbonated things probably lose it more rapidly than the real thing but that is only a guess on my part. I’m sure if left wide open you might notice a little bit of difference. I have one of those clamping bottle closures I use for these types of things.

28

Cool. I have an old-school beer opener that pops the caps off in such a way that their shape is hardly compromised if I flip the cap off in one quick motion – I can usually “snap” the cap back on the top of the bottle. The beer opener looks like this (except mine’s from a now-defunct MN brewery - Hamm’s):

I’ve had the Old Guardian before, and I thought it was gross. The only reason I bought it was because I think there’s an outside chance that I’ll like the “Belgo” version, so I bought that, and thought a side-by-side comparison would be helpful, if not interesting.

Who knows, maybe I’ll actually like these. I’ve come a long way from not liking any tripels to finding some that I actually do like in small quantities; maybe I’ll discover the same with barleywine. I go into this adventure warily hopeful.

29

Well, since I am out of pocket until Sunday, here is my first note. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine style ale. Massive, thick, powerful, a bigger head than I expected for a barleywine. Also, much hoppier then expected, or preferred.

But it did pass the Pedro test. Pedro is my Chihuahua, and he likes Sauternes, SQN Mr K, French Champagne (none of that sparkling crap [wink.gif] ), and some really good beers (Unibroue). He likes this beer, so it is likely a good beer.

30

Wasn’t a fan of the 2010 Bigfoot.

Hey Racer, confirmed…my Gnarly is indeed an 09.

31

Brian- I would have thought you would like the Old Gaurdian just for the overt hoppiness, but it can get real sweet.

The 2010 Bigfoot is a DIPA imho, but maybe it will mellow with time.

32

Cool. Thanks for the double-check.

I’m tempted to crack into the Lagunitas tonight, as I have hours to go before I sleep.

… course, if I do get into that Lagunitas, those hours might turn into minutes! pileon

33

Emelisse Barley Wine Ale

English style. This had quite a bitter hoppy nose, but the flavor was much more malty. Kind of sweet but not very complex. Wasn’t impressed with this one.

34

I had the 2011 Bigfoot a couple weeks ago and it was EXTREMELY hoppy. Much more than I remember the 2010 being, although I probably didn’t have it as fresh. I’m a big fan of Bigfoot but even I was taken aback by the hoppiness of the 2011.

35

While Emellisse isn’t my favorite brewery from the lineup (the Imperial Stout is the only one I was really rocked by) their importer -12% Imports- has some great stuff. Didn’t think they had gone west coast because they are so small, but their Belgian portfolio is killer. Think Shelton Brothers before they blew up.

36

OK … I’m about 3 or 4 sips in to each of my first two barleywines and I’m already feeling it …

37

Nighty Night

38

rolleyes

You been on the wagon or something?

39

I have taken zero sips since that last post, and it’s still intensifying. I … am … fucked.

40

I’m hoping it’s because I haven’t eaten anything in the last 5 hours … but 5 hours ago was a moderately large pasta lunch, so … [scratch.gif]