Barrel Project - Vino Naranja 2022

21st May 2025
Can. A light haze on this deepish amber, small tan head. Smooth palate, mildly dry, pretty light for the style. Decent fine carbonation. The light bodied malts bring decent caramel and mild cream. The orange wine barrelling is a touch of genius and for me, it works stunningly well. Orange brandy, marmalade, ripe orange liqueur. The wood of the barrel imparts a little vanilla. It all comes together into a wonderfully rich, smooth amd effortlessly drinkable barleywine. I always like to check out Kees beers, there is no long wait before a stunner comes along!

Barleywine aged on orange wine barrels, an ancient type of wine that more or less holds the middle between white wine and red wine (in that the skins of the fruit are less extensively in contact with the must, comparable with rosé); apparently Kees, one of the great trailblazers in the Dutch craft beer movement when he was still working at Emelisse, created this one for the Plus supermarket chain, which has come up with special editions from other important Dutch breweries in the past as well. Moussey, thick, pale yellowish beige, dense, pillowy, membrane-lacing, proportionally stable head on an initally near clear, deep copper red robe with fiery amber glow and minute sparkling (hardly visible to the naked eye) everywhere, turning more misty and bronze-ish further on. Rich aroma of candied orange peel or even some blood orange, marmalade, Brazil nuts, caramel liqueur, Sultana raisins, calvados, 'Jan-in-de-zak' (an ancient Belgo-Dutch dessert, a kind of raisin bread soaked in brandy), oaky vanillin, coconut-like white rum (even if not physically present here), oxidized orange wine, candied apricot, croissants, passionfruit, rum-soaked figs, apple cake, vague background hints of nougat, wet clay and pisang. Densely sweet onset, candied fig and yellow raisin with hints of passionfruit and pear, but also a light citrusiness of ripe mandarin running underneath, adding a kind of near-sourishness that prevents the sweetness from becoming all too sticky; soft carb, very full, vinous to even oily body. Layered middle with thick caramel-, cashew nut- and lightly toffee-like maltiness, sweet but not overly so, with a vague toasty edge and early booziness, drying and ethereal in a way much reminiscent of calvados or even rum, but not harshly astringent; feels like liquid caramel candy filled with liquor. The vinous, orangey, fruity character of the orange wine colours the finish, where more booziness combined with the sweetness adds a liqueurish feel, but dried fruit and nutty malt flavours keep maintaining balance. Late citrusy hops add further bitterness and are woven cleverly into the whole, which moves from dried-fruity sweet over nutty and caramelly malty to warming boozy and vinous: a complex and fascinating flavour 'parcours' to enjoy over a long time. Multi-layered sipper with a distinct, somewhat citrusy character but lacking nothing of the vinosity, warmth and deep maltiness any good barleywine should display. Very well done and very original.

33cl can from Etre Gourmet web shop as my #600 beer from Netherlands. F: medium, tan, average retention. C: brown, hazy. A: malty, vinous, raisins, caramel, citrus, red berries, spicy, grapes. T: full malty base, vinous, red berries, spicy, grapes, raisins, sangria, decent bitterness, soft carbonation, good for the style, enjoyed for sure.

33 cl. can @ home, bought @ Plus Waardenburg. Murky brown with a thin off-white head. Orange aroma with raisins and caramel. Sweet taste with a smooth sweet finish. The orange from the Vino Naranja works really well with the caramel from the barleywine without becoming a cloying mess.

Dark chestnut brown colour, beige foam. Nose of dried fruit, plums, raisins, some vinous notes; Sweet and warming, a bit herbal. Nice Barley Wine.