Next to the more familiar American barleywine, Kees also has this non-specified barleywine, which seems to be still available today so I'm not sure if the out of production tag here is legit. From a can bought at the local Mitra shop in Lelystad, Netherlands. Pale greyish beige, opening, mousy ring for a head, resting stable on an initially clear, deep bronze-hued copper coloured beer, turning a deeper mahogany-brownish copper and misty with sediment. Aroma of dried dates, yellow raisins, blue plums, rum-soaked figs, cognac, muscovado sugar, hazelnut liqueur, marmalade, brown bread, Christmas pudding, old madera. Sweet, dense onset, candied figs and yellow raisins with a light sourish accent, sugary but not cloying, medium carbonated but still with a vinous, full mouthfeel. Caramelly and biscuity malts, thick and dense with a very light toasty edge, leading to a warming and complex finish with hints of earthy dried porcini, candied figs, hazelnut liqueur and biscuit, countered by a peppery hop note - yet nowhere near as hoppy as the 'American' version, so that this version is probably best regarded as an English style barleywine of sorts. Whatever the case, this beer is still very much alive and kicking, with an intense yet balanced, warming, dense flavour profile exemplary for the style. Absolutely lovely.
Earlier Rating: 1/23/2016 Total Score: 4
Bottle bought online, curious about this one seen the reputation Kees Bubberman’s new brewery has established in the meantime. Low pressure on the bottle so unsurprisingly, the head formation is limited to a loose, coarse, irregular, milky rim of pale greyish beige foam on the edge of the glass and in the form of thin patches on the liquid’s surface; colour is a lightly hazy, deep orangey burgundy red brown, with a ’fog’ of tiny yeast bits throughout. Rich aroma of candied orange, butterscotch, ruby port, brown rum, dried fig, oxidized oloroso sherry, hints of stewed pork ’carbonades’, damp earth, vague sulfuric touch of coagulating egg yolk, liquorish candy, soggy brown bread, burnt wood, raw red cabbage, raisin, cinnamon. Intensely candied sweet onset of fig, raisin and candied cherry kept in balance by a deep, basic but still kind of candied lemon-like sourishness, finely tingling carbo (actually somewhat sharper than expected but still fit for the style), very resinous, oily, ’fatty’ mouthfeel hauling from a thick honeyish and caramelly malt sweetness with a well-placed toasted bittersweet edge as well as pleasantly nutty qualities, evolving into a rich, aromatic, satisfying finish of ongoing malt ’bittersweetness’ with lingering candied cherry sweetness, late but effective peppery, citrus peel-like, aromatic and softly bittering hops growing in strength after swallowing, and an afterglow of warming, brandy-like and liqueurish alcohol with some carefully onsetting, old sherry- or madera-like, retronasal oxidation; the intense malt bittersweetness and the alcohol glow remain as the last impressions. Rich, satisfying, high class barley wine, but the American hops trying to make this ’American style’ could have been more generously applied: in this form, it is in fact closer to an old English style barley with American hops added for fragrance and aroma rather than displaying the intense ’end bitterness’ most American style examples of the style have. Regardless of this: a classy, noble, elegant example of a wonderful style. I am a bit worried about its cellaring potential, though: this bottle cannot be much older than, say, one year, but already there are signs of oxidation setting in; I therefore think this is one of those barley wines best consumed relatively young. I do prefer barley wines at a few years of age, however, so I guess I’ll have to buy another one, let it rest and just see what happens within a year or three...

Kees nous propose ici un Barley Wine sérieux, plutôt bien fait mais que je trouve un peu trop scolaire. Il manque une petite touche artistique pour que l'on puisse réellement s'emballer. Du côté de la réalisation, deux petites faiblesses tout de même avec en premier lieu un sucre un tantinet trop présent même si le brasseur a su intégrer à la bière une once d'acidité coupant la sucrosité. Mais également un final un peu court. Visuellement, c'est du classique pour un barley wine avec un ambré foncé (EBC de 30), une effervescence quasi absente et aucune mousse. Le nez est sur les fruits confits, l'orange, une pointe de baie rouge et de citron ainsi que la cassonade. A l'attaque, on retrouve en complément des arômes du nez des épices. Des deux houblons utilisés, Citra et Cascade, c'est ce dernier qui s'exprime le plus. La deuxième bouche est la plus intéressante. A la fois la plus intense et la plus présente en bouche, elle voit l'alcool s'affirmer pour donner du caractère. Avec ses 11,5 % il reste tout de même bien intégré. L'amertume avec ses 70 d'EBU permet d'alléger l'ensemble, aidée en cela par la pointe d'acidité. Pas d'évolution notable des arômes mais une bonne complexité. L’arrière-bouche met davantage en valeur l'amertume avec les épices qui s'y renforcent. Petite déception donc sur le final qui manque d'emphase. Barley Wine sérieux.