Straight Jacket 2018. A deep dark reddish copper brown barleywine with a thin dark brown head. In aroma, sweet fruity caramel malt with vinous notes, loads of alcohol warmth, light vanilla and bourbon barrel notes, woody notes, very nice. In mouth, a nice sweet fruity caramel malt with vanille, bourbon barrel notes, woody notes, alcohol warmth, dark fruits, very nice. On tap at Kedzie location.

2015 Bottle: Deep dark brown coloured body with an off-white head that tops the beer nicely and fades quite fast. Aroma of very strong sweetness with pitted fruits, raisins, figs, earth, caramel, toffee, candy sugar, apricots, dates and molasses all noticeable with a ton of malt, a lot of alcohol noticeable and a robust yeastiness all in the nose. Medium to Full-bodied; Strong rich malty flavour with a ton of caramelised sugars, pitted fruits and deep yeastiness with a great complexity with the fruits, malt and alcohol all battling it out, while being very sweet and robust but still complex, all with no bitterness, pungency or astringency. Aftertaste shows a ton of sweetness with molasses, caramelised sugars, toffee and fruits all up front with a good malt backbone showing the yeast, and a strong dose of alcohol near the end, but the complexity and robust flavours are great, all while being very sweet. Overall, a great barley wine that shows tremendous character (including the sweetness), while remaining very soft and smooth on the edges but complex throughout. Great to sample, especially at this age and it might have somehow gotten even better in a few to 5 years. I'll try buying a bottle the next time I see this again and age it ~10 years to see if it helps out some! I sampled this 65 cL bottle purchased from Eataly in Chicago, Illinois on 11-February-2016 for US$18,80 sampled at home in Washington about two and a half years later on 03-June-2018 on a chilly night for the timeframe. Bottled/Manufactured: 17-December-2015 // Purchased: 11-Feburary-2016 // Sampled: 03-June-2018

Sample at the Rhinegeist Rare Beer Fest 10/28/2017 as "Straight Jacket". Hazy dark brownish-amber color with a medium light beige head that diminishes gradually to an outer ring. Patchy lacing. Aroma of oak, malt, dark fruit and hops. Full-bodied with flavors of oaky rye whiskey, dark fruit, caramel malt and earthy hops. The finish is oaky with a fruit and malt aftertaste. Good beer all around.

On tap at Goodnight Irene’s in Wildwood, NJ. Pours translucent brown with no head. Big sweet boozy nose hints at brown sugar and whiskey. Flavor is intense with more booze and dark sugar. Hints of vanilla, oak, bourbon and pecan. Big warming alcohol in finish.