Life Is Round
Private Press Brewing in Santa Cruz, California, United States 🇺🇸
Barley Wine - Barley Regular|
Score
8.14
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Life Is Round is a deep crimson colored Barleywine blended from Old Fitzgerald, Blantons, and Weller barrels. A duo of Barleywines coalesce into aromas of dark cherry, dried plum, vanilla, and marshmallow. The blend reveals flavors of marzipan, English toffee, brown sugar taffy, and homemade caramel. Bright notes of dark raisin and a hint of baking spice bear a nod to the distinguished Barleywine culture from abroad.
Batch #1: 2020
Batch #2: 2021
Batch #3: 2023
Batch #4: 2023
Batch #5: 2025
Batch #1: 2020
Batch #2: 2021
Batch #3: 2023
Batch #4: 2023
Batch #5: 2025
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9.1/10
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Appearance 9
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 10
Overall 9
Bottle. Pours deep mahogany, small tan head, good lacing. Aroma is rich, cocoa, bourbon, toffee, fudge, vanilla, hint of loamy earth, molasses. Flavor is sweet, light plus bitter, rich, decadent. Full body, silky mouthfeel.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Jul 2025
at 02:04
8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8
Malty, sweetish and caramely with some toffee, prunes, vanilla, bourbon, oak and woody notes, some roastiness and earthiness. Quite complex and tasty --- Beer merged from original tick of Life Is Round (Batch 3) on 03 Jan 2025 at 20:54 - Score: 8. Original review text: Malty, sweetish and caramely with some toffee, prunes, vanilla, bourbon, oak and woody notes, some roastiness and earthiness. Quite complex and tasty
Tried
on 06 Jan 2025
at 15:25
8.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
Bottle, 500 ml shared with MiroB and JFK10000. Dark brown with beige head. Some chocolate, loads of caramel, toffee, intensive whiskey, figs, dates, some alcohol in back.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Dec 2024
at 20:46
7.8/10
Great beer. Boozy, clean, superb barleywine and barrell flavours. 10€ for 15cl at the beertemple
Tried
on 20 Oct 2024
at 15:09
7.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 9
Draft. Black beer with a tan head. Caramel and light chocolate aroma. Caramel and rich malt flavor with light chocolate and bourbon. Medium-plus bodied. Caramel and rich malt linger with light chocolate and bourbon.
Tried
from Draft
on 12 Feb 2024
at 19:35
8.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
On tap at Ale Arsenal as part of SF Beerweek. Clear mahogany with almost no head. Boozy and rich malt aromas and flavor.
Tried
from Draft
on 12 Feb 2024
at 05:31
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Poured from a 500 ml bottle. Aroma is malt forward with lots of dark toffee and caramel notes and lighter notes of toasted bread with hints fo chocolate. Moderate alcohol notes with light bourbon and faint oak notes. Pours dark brown with dark auburn hues on the edges and a small, thin, tan head that recedes quickly to the edges and disappears. Flavor is fairly sweet with lots of caramel and toffee as well as lighter notes of burnt sugar, toasted bread and hints of chocolate. Medium low bitterness and medium high alcohol notes. Lingering chocolate, dark toffee and alcohol notes. Light oak and medium light bourbon notes. Mouthfeel is medium full bodied with medium carbonation. Low astringency and medium alcohol warmth. Overall, a solid barleywine with nice bourbon notes. A bit hot and boozy, but a solid beer with complex malt notes.
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Nov 2023
at 03:11
8.3/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8.5
Texture 9
Overall 8
medium brown color. Nice rounded salted caramel, milk chocolate and super boozy. Rounded. Amazing depth. Warming and beautiful.
Tried
on 23 Sep 2023
at 12:36
8.1/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle, B1 shared by Brad on pickup day - thanks! Pours clear hazel z small beige head, decent lacing. Aroma is dark sugars, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, caramel. Flavor is medium plus sweet, light plus bitter. Medium body.
Tried
from Bottle
on 16 Jun 2023
at 21:17
8.5/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8
Bottle, Batch #3. Pours clear reddish chestnut, small beige head, good lacing. Aroma is rich, dark sugars, vanilla, bourbon, toffee, cocoa, werthers. Flavor is sweet but not cloying, light plus bitter. Medium body, low carbonation, silky.
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 Jun 2023
at 22:13