Barley Wine Brandy Barrel
Drake’s Brewing Company in San Leandro, California, United States 🇺🇸
Barley Wine - Barley Regular|
Score
7.59
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Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Nip bottle from Aspidites and KrausenJockey, drunk 1/10/16.
Another casualty of my "let’s age everything!" phase...Can’t believe I held on to this thing instead of just enjoying it after a year or two....but you live and learn.
Violet-crimson-mahogany body shows moderate to moderately-high clarity, being careful to leave as much sediment behind as possible. Zero head, barely even any bubbles atop, though there was a decent "PFFT" when I opened the cap. Still, this does not bode well....
To my surprise, the nose, while full of heavily vinous notes, has almost zero cardboard/sherry/madeira....Tons of interesting grape, brandy, wood and other barrel notes arise, with very little alcohol even. With continued warming and breathing, I even get some moderate chocolate character from the malt, seemingly as fresh as ever. Light spiciness, a dusting of cocoa and a touch of vanilla and caramel.
Flavor is even better! Wow. How this tiny bottle has survived in relatively great condition for ten years is beyond me. But there’s no denying it. Grapes, prunes, plums, figs and all such things are the extent of the aging. No cardboard or any such dull notes. Moderately sweet malt shows off caramel, chocolate, raisin and light vanilla, with very minimal wood character and no strong booziness. Near flat, but it doesn’t seem watery or dead. Really f-in good, right up there with some of the better English barleywines I’ve ever had. Next up are the bourbon barrel version and the apple brandy olde ale. Hopefully those have fared as well!
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9
Bottle thanks to Rick. Pours a clear amber with no head. The aroma is strong oak, prune, vanilla. Slick mouth with nice sherry and oak with lingering sweetness. Really enjoyed this.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 8.5
26th January 2013
Almost opaque dark brown beer. A few tan bubbles for a head. Rich barrelly nose with a touch of honey. Zero carbonation in the otherwise neutral palate. Slightly sour wet wood leads to mild brandy. Mild pruney dark fruits. Tangy finish. Hangs together pretty well flavour wise, shame about the flat palate. Rich and tasty.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Bottle courtesy of Marsiblursi. Pours hazy very dark reddish brown with a very small bubbly brownish golden head that quickly dissipates without leaving any trace worth mentioning. Smell is sweet and malty with sweet dark bread, prunes, raisins, alcohol, dry wood, leather, dates, brandy, caramel, toffee, figs, anise seed, port wine, vanilla fudge, roasted nuts and dark grapes. Taste is sweet, tiny bitter, slightly salty, tiny sour and bitter with sweet dark bread, wood, brandy, caramel, leather, hay, prunes, raisins, dates, alcohol, vanilla fudge, lemon zest, star anise, red wine, toffee, roasted almonds and hints of figs and burnt cookies. Mouthfeel is soft, round, boozy and full bodied. Finish is sweet and fruity with caramel, prunes, raisins, brandy, wood, leather, sweet dark bread, toffee and hints of vanilla and cookies. I feel this is probably past it’s prime but it’s still a very nice aged massive barley wine. Happy to have had the chance to try this.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 9
Finally get to try this thanks to madmitch76 for sending this tiny little nip bottle back across the pond. Pours murky muddy sludgy brown mahogany with micro thin head. The aroma offers up soft aged notes of molasses, a touch of sherry, earthiness, muted sweet brandy, smooth dank wet wood notes and booze at the end of the draw. The taste has a thin feel to it and delivers pleasing notes of earthy aged molasses and brown sugar followed by soft muted wood notes. This gets nectar sweet at times too with a hint of tart barrel thinly ringing the experience. Dynamite stuff.
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 4
Getrunken beim RB Treffen in Düsseldorf am 6.1.07 Fruchtig-hopfiger Geruch. Das Bier brennt etwas im Hals, wird am hohen Alkoholgehalt liegen. Allerdings ist es gleichzeitig auch zu süß, auch im Nachgeschmack unangenehm süßlich-klebrig-malzig. Naja.... Test vom 7.1.2007, Gebinde: Glasflasche Noten: 8,8,6,7,9,7 - 7,20
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
2100 rating with a bottle thanks to Ratman197! Pours with a hazy deep brown body and a ring of tan froth. Aroma of brandy, wood, chocolate, grapes, currants, toffee, yeast, madeira. Very complex. Taste is sweet with light oxidation at the mid point, explosive fruit and dark fruit, cherry, brandy barrel finish. All the complex fruity and burnt toffee flavors I associate with a good brandy. Rich and deep with raisin and sherry notes. Slight tang at the finish. Syrupy mouthfeel with light carbonation. Alcohol is well hidden till about 15 minutes after you have had it. Very nice.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9
Bottle 18cl. @ home.[ Trade by Papsoe ]. Clear medium to dark brown color with virtually none head. Aroma is heavy malty, roasted, caramel, dark berry, raisin, prune, cask wood - whsiky, alcohol. Flavor is heavy sweet and moderate to light heavy bitter with a long duration. Body is medium to full, texture is oily - syrupy, carbonation is flat, finish feel is moderate alcoholic. [20081117]
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
6oz Bottle courtesy of Numenor. Murky brown body with no head. Huge molassas aroma with brown sugar, raisins, rum soaked fruit, caramel, and a bit of alcohol. Huge caramel and molassas flavor, more raisins and rum soaked fruit. Full body with very low carbonation and a thick not quite syrupy mouthfeel.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 7.5
Lots of thanks to Marcus for this little gem. 6oz. bottle. Poured into a hock glass. There’s a very strong aroma. Oak. Dark caramel. Prunes. Almost medicinal. Dark ruby toned color with no head. Full bodied with virtually no carbonation. Flavor is wood, dark fruit, tannin, brandy. Sort of coats the tongue. Heat is not an issue. Finish is dry, but not really bitter. Just a little chalky. Definitely vinous.