Baggywrinkle Barleywine
Cisco Brewers in Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States 🇺🇸
Barley Wine - Barley Rotating Out of Production|
Score
7.35
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Barleywine is a style of potent ale known for it's rich, sweet malt character and it's attendant hop flavors. This beer is an intense mouthful, and is meant to be enjoyed with friends and food.
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7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
750mL bottles, 2002 and 2003 vintages (white label bottles; the red label was later), if I remember correctly, had fresh and then with a bit of age on them. Was waiting to rate this from an aged 2003 bottle, but then my girlfriend at the time and I broke up and I never got the bottles that I was keeping at her parents' house (handful of old Cisco, Ipswich, SA Triple Bock).
I think I wanted this to be a bit more exciting than it ever was, regardless of age. Better with some age on it, to take some of the hop character out of it, given it was true-to-style of its day and had plenty of bittering hop. But not so much as to be obnoxious, and was certainly rich, malty, intensely bready, with a lightly phenolic yeast and little/no alcohol. Weird that they stopped making this so quickly.
I think I wanted this to be a bit more exciting than it ever was, regardless of age. Better with some age on it, to take some of the hop character out of it, given it was true-to-style of its day and had plenty of bittering hop. But not so much as to be obnoxious, and was certainly rich, malty, intensely bready, with a lightly phenolic yeast and little/no alcohol. Weird that they stopped making this so quickly.
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Jun 2026
at 12:43
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Rich deep dark brown coloured body with a single centimetre tall tan head and a nice bit of suspended particles/yeast noticeable. Aroma of pit fruits, strong toasted malt, nuts, earth, caramel and quite a bit of toffee - nice and not too pungent of alcohol notes. Medium to Full-bodied; Strong earthy flavour with a subdued sweetness, a good bit of alcohol and toasted malt and some light oak and spices. Aftertaste shows a pleasant mix of dry oak, vanilla, toffee, yeast and some light earthy notes. Overall, a good relatively mild barley wine that shows it’s age nicely and doesn’t come across to bitter - but has some good complexity and a smooth sweetness. I sampled this 65 cL bottle purchased from Ramsey Liqours in Ramsey, New Jersey on 22-February-2013 for US$10.49 sampled at home in Washington on 01-March-2014. 2012/2013 Bottle? [65cL @ 9%ABV] // Bought in February 2013 // Drank in March 2014
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 Mar 2014
at 09:29
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
It glug glugs out of the high shoulder 750mL bottle pouring with a clear amber to copper body that supports a two minute long dirty white head. The aroma offers up plums and smooth muted sweet cherries covered in a sweet syrup with a bit of vague pine like hops in the background. At the end of the draw is the expected bit of boozy heat to the nose. The taste is smooth and largely sweet with dark fruity esters. I get plum juice, cherries and dates with thin ribbons of sweet malts and molasses. This is a really nice smooth sipper.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Jul 2013
at 17:43
7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle is about a year old. Aroma is fairly fruity with a bit of lighter caramel malt notes. Pours light brown with a bit of burn amber. Persistent, thin light tan head with minimum slaving and medium sized legs. Flavor is good with some decent caramel character, but not as complex as others. Light caramel, some light earthy hop notes, and dried fruit. Bitterness is moderately strong. Alcohol is faint in the flavor. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. Medium low astringency with low alcohol warmth. Overall a good beer, but not a great beer. The complexity is a bit small, but the caramel is nice and clean. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Apr 2013
at 19:55
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
24th January 2013
THE Others tasting. Hazy light brown beer, tiny pale tan head. Palate is light and a little soft. Nice mild orange hops over rich caramel malt. Creamy lactose and a little aniseed alcohol. Semi dry finish. Well joined up and tasty.
THE Others tasting. Hazy light brown beer, tiny pale tan head. Palate is light and a little soft. Nice mild orange hops over rich caramel malt. Creamy lactose and a little aniseed alcohol. Semi dry finish. Well joined up and tasty.
Tried
on 03 Mar 2013
at 09:22
7.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle at The Others Tasting, London - many thanks to the man impressively devoid of baggy wrinkles himself, Ken. Pours goddy orange with a fine, white foam head. Some citrusy hops in the nose, rich bread and caramel. Big sweet flavor with earthy pine, caramel and ripe orange. Full bodied with fine to average carbonation. Lightly warming finish with some resinous pine, sweet bread, toasty sugars. Pretty nice, good hops in here. A standard well-hopped American barley wine.
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Feb 2013
at 04:14
7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle, thanks to Ken at THE others tasting. It pours cloudy amber/light-brown with a small off-white head. The nose is varnish, pine, orange, tangerine, candied peel and spice. The taste is varnish, wood, spice, resinous, caramel, pithy citrus, alcohol warmth, oak and leather with a bitter finish. Medium-full body and fine, prickly carboantion. Nice American barleywine.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Jan 2013
at 04:28
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle. Pours amber brown with an off white head. Nose of dried nuts, caramel, dark fruit, toffee and orange peel. Taste is mostly dried nuts and caramel toffee with some orange peel and hints of dark fruit, Finishes chewy fruitcake. Medium body.
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Nov 2012
at 13:21
8.2/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
My wife brought this one back from a trip to Rochester. +++ Sampled from a 22 oz brown bottle this beer poured a hazy orange-amber color with a huge creamy orange-white head that lingered forever and left good lacing. The aroma was orange peel, pine, molasses, licorice and pear. The flavor was sweet and bitter with strong elements of orange, lemon and pine and light notes of pineapple, pear, caramel, honey and ginger. The finish was long with mixed fruit and pine lingering. Full bodied and a bit syrupy. Well done.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Apr 2012
at 15:37
6.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle at the Relentless Thirst Tasting on 08/29/2009. Clear caramel body with a small off-white head. Big caramel and hop aroma. Sweet sugar, caramel, rum soaked fruit and molasses flavor with a smooth bitter finish. Medium full body with moderately low carbonation.
Tried
from Bottle
on 31 Dec 2009
at 09:38