| FEB/MAR
2005 | REVIEWS | TASTINGS
CBN Barley Wine-Style Ale Blind Tasting
CBN Blind Tasting Panel
• Jay R. Brooks, Tasting Panel Director, CBN
• Bob Coleman, reporter, CBN
• Tom Dalldorf, editor/publisher, CBN
• Vic Kralj, owner, The Bistro, Hayward, Calif.
• Paul Marshall, BJCP beer judge
• Pete Slosberg, author, founder of Pete’s Wicked
Ales
• Special thanks to Mike Long, BTP Tasting coordinator/head
steward
BARLEY WINE–STYLE ALES
This is our third barley wine–style ale tasting in the
last four years, and thanks to the style’s growing popularity,
there are many reasons to make it an annual tasting. First,
the number of brewers now making this style appears to have
grown by leaps and bounds. Second, the range within the style
has also grown as confident brewers make their own interpretation
of the style. Third, a small but loyal niche of beer connoisseurs
have embraced the style, along with many other big beers,
as their favorite. Not only does this make it more fun for
us, but also for the consumer, because there are so many different
barley wines available today. Join us as we do the hard work
to help you choose the best one for whatever reason you need
a great beer. All samples were tasted blind and are listed
in alphabetical order by score.
 Bigfoot
Barleywine Style Ale 2005
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., California
Rich hop aromas, reddish-brown color and a thick, tan head.
Creamy, with terrific hop flavors and a great mouthfeel. Defines
the big hoppy style of American barley wine with citrus fruit,
spiced nutmeg, big malt character and a huge, lingering finish.
(Several panelists correctly identified this beer blind!)
Big
Woody
Glacier BrewHouse, Alaska
Spicy malt aromas with a spirity bourbon-barrel nose. Dark
amber color. Terrifically rich woody flavors with excellent
balance and a long, rich finish.
Hog
Heaven Barleywine-Style Ale
Avery Brewing Co., Colorado
Citrusy hop aromas with herbal notes. Dark amber color. Creamy,
with huge hop flavor and great balance. Intense and wonderful!
Olde
GnarlyWine Style Ale
Lagunitas Brewing Co., California
Sweet malt aromas with herbal hop character. Deep brown color.
Very rich, with an almost herbal mouthfeel and sweet, flavorful
character. Extremely well-balanced, with a rich, long finish.
A heavyweight of a beer.
Old
Numbskull Barley Wine Ale
AleSmith Brewing Co., California
Complex nose of caramel, butter toffee, spices and sweet malt.
Deep amber color and a thick, rich head. Creamy, characterful
beer with rich, roasty malt and hints of raisins. Nicely balanced,
with a big hop presence.
Old
Ruffian
Great Divide Brewing Co., Colorado
Sweet, malty nose with citrusy hop character. Copper color
with a thick, rich, tan head. Creamy, rich, well-balanced
flavors with triumphant warming qualities mid-taste and a
clean finish.
Schooner’s
Barley Wine 2002
Schooner’s Grille & Brewery, California
Sweet caramel and nutty malt nose with citrus notes. Bright
golden-orange color. Full, rich flavors with sweet toffee
notes and great citrusy hop balance. A wow!
Smuttynose
Barleywine Style Ale
Smuttynose Brewing Co., New Hampshire
Light, bready and herbal nose. Dark amber color. Creamy and
tasty, with good balance. Tart, herbal flavors and a long,
lingering finish.
 Alaskan
Barleywine
Alaskan Brewing Co., Alaska
Sweet, rich, malty nose with herbal aromas. Reddish-brown
color. A rich, malty mouthfeel and great hop/malt balance,
with big flavors all around. An archetypal barley wine.
Babylon
Barley Wine
Sacramento Brewing Co., California
Herbal, sweet nose and dark amber color. Creamy, rich mouthfeel
with candy-sweet malt flavors and good balance.
Bourbon
Barrel Barley-Wine Ale
Beermann’s Beerwerks, California
Sweet vanilla nose with herbal and hop aromas. Deep brown
color. Creamy and peppery, with vanilla flavor and a nice
mixture of bitter hop character and sweet rich malt.
Cyclops
Barley Wine Style Ale
Elysian Brewing Co., Washington
Big, malty maple and oatmeal nose. Copper color and great
conditioning. Chewy, rich malt flavors with clean hop balance
and an undercurrent of maple syrup and peppers. A unique,
original barley wine with a huge lingering hop finish.
Doggie
Claws
Hair of the Dog Brewing Co., Oregon
Spicy, yeasty nose with hot peppery aromas. Orange-amber color
and a fluffy tan head. Spicy, hot flavors with tart, raisiny
notes and a full, rich palate with a long finish.
Double
Bastard Ale
Stone Brewing Co., California
Light malt nose and deep brown color. Big over-the-top hop
flavors and a tart finish.
John
Barleycorn Barleywine Style Ale 2004
Mad River Brewing Co., California
Light herbal hop nose, deep brown color and a tan head. Very
clean, rich malt character with good hop bittering and beautiful
balance.
John
Barleycorn Barleywine Style Ale 2002
Mad River Brewing Co., California
Sweet malt nose with herbal aromas. Copper color. Decent balance,
with big hop flavors and a clean finish.
Old
Blarney Barleywine Style Ale
Moylan’s Brewing Co., California
Sweet, herbal, flowery nose and dark brown color. Big, creamy,
rich malt and excellent hop balance with pleasant warming
qualities and a long, rich and seductive, but very bitter,
finish.
Old
Boardhead Barleywine Ale
Full Sail Brewing Co., Oregon
Citrusy and herbal aromas, copper color and a very thick,
rich head. Creamy, chewy malt base with nicely balancing biscuity
citrus hop character.
Olde
School Barleywine 2003
Dogfish Head Brewing Co., Delaware
Bready aromas with light hop aroma and bright golden color.
Rich, spicy hop flavors and complex minty herb character.
Great warming qualities with a long, tart finish. A new 2004
version was released last November.
Old
Foghorn Barleywine Style Ale
Anchor Brewery, California
Sweet, floral, fruity nose with hints of apples and pears.
Copper color. Good balance, with caramel toffee notes and
light, mild flavors. This was the first barley wine to be
produced in the United States, paving the way for the style’s
niche popularity.
Old
Godfather Barleywine Style Ale
Speakeasy Brewing Co., California
Big, hoppy, herbal nose and deep brown color. Spicy hop flavors,
with big tart bittering and a long, lingering finish. This
beer should develop nicely with time.
Old
Guardian Barley Wine 2004 & 2005
Stone Brewing Co., California
Last year’s has clean herbal, citrus aromas and copper
color. Excellent malt/hop balance, with pleasant warming qualities
and a clean finish. This year’s Old Guardian has a lightly
sweeter nose. Still a little green, it has big herbal hop
character and a rich, roasty malt finish. Although it’s
tasty and drinkable right now, lay it down for a year and
it should be near perfect.
Old
Inventory Barley Wine
Valley Brewing Co., California
Rich, malty nose with caramel notes and hop aroma. Dark brown
color. Good mouthfeel, with hints of figs and dates and assertive
hop flavors. A very exotic and complex beer.
Old
Nick Barley Wine Style Ale
Young’s Brewery, England
Light, hoppy nose, deep brown color and a tan head. Big malt
flavors with good hop notes and a spicy finish.
Old
Stock 2004
North Coast Brewing Co., California
Lightly sweet nose with hints of nuts and sherry. Dark amber
color. Soft, rich flavors and candy sweetness but with decent
hop balance and a long, tart finish.
Old
Thunderpussy 2002
Magnolia Brewing Co., California
Big herbal hop nose with smoky and bready aromas. Medium brown
color with a thick, tan head. Big hop bite. Well-balanced,
with smooth, sweet malt and a rich, long finish. (Magnolia
Thunderpussy would have been proud to have her name on this.)
Scaldis
Brasserie Dubuisson, Belgium
A lagerlike nose with rich malt aromas. Light brown color.
Warming qualities and soft, rich, creamy flavors. Nice fruity
hop character with unusual tastes. Not a true barley wine,
but delicious.
Schooner’s
Barley Wine 2002 Cask-Conditioned
Schooner’s Grille & Brewery, California
Sweet candied nose and copper color with a thick, tan head.
Big malt flavors with nutty sherrylike character and great
bittering with a long, lingering finish.
Traquair
House Ale
Traquair House Brewery, Scotland
Light, malty nose with hints of nuttiness. Dark amber color
and a thick, tan head. Tart, malty flavors with hints of hazelnut
and a quick, hoppy finish. Not truly a barley wine, but at
7.2% abv, an excellent strong ale and a very enjoyable beer.
X
Uinta Brewing Co., Utah
Sweet, hoppy aromas and a hint of figs. Dark brown color and
a thick, tan head. Creamy and rich malt flavors with big,
tart hop character and good warming qualities.
 Drake’s
Bourbon Barrel Barleywine Style Ale
Drake’s Brewing Co., California
Caramel malt nose with slight fruit and smoky aromas. Deep
brown color. Big vanilla and bourbon character, with sweet
malt flavor and rich, woody notes.
102
Fish Tale Anniversary Ale
Fish Brewing Co., Washington
Sweet, malty, herbal nose. Dark amber color and a thick, white
head. Creamy, with big hop character bordering on astringency.
A long, bitter finish.
John
Barleycorn Barleywine Style Ale 2001
Mad River Brewing Co., California
Great nose of sweet herbs and fruity hop aromas. Golden-amber
color. Big, full fresh-hop character with intense malts and
a clean finish.
John
Barleycorn Barleywine Style Ale 1998
Mad River Brewing Co., California
Light, spicy herbal nose with a hint of pine. Golden-amber
color. Big, rich malt flavor and a tart, bitter finish. Excellent
balance.
Millennium
Barley-Wine Style Ale
Old Dominion Brewing Co., Virginia
Light, bready nose with hoppy aromas. Deep amber color. Roasty
malt character and rich herbal hop balance with an undertone
reminiscent of whisky.
Old
Bounder Barley Wine Ale
Boundary Bay Brewing Co., Washington
Hot, peppery nose with hints of fruit, nuts and light malt
aromas. Brown-amber color. Tart, astringent hop notes with
chewy hot, spicy flavors and a long, lingering finish.
Old
Horizontal Barleywine Style Ale
Victory Brewing Co., Pennsylvania
Herbal citrus aromas and copper color. Tart, lemony citrus
flavors and a long, bitter finish.
Old
Incinerator Barley Wine
Fire House Brewpub & Restaurant, California
Sweet malt aromas with a hint of chocolate. Thick, black color.
Creamy, rich flavors. Smoked coffee and chocolate character,
but with very tart bittering.
Rogue
Old Crustacean
Oregon Ales, Oregon
Richly sweet, malty nose and amber-brown color. Full, big,
malty mouthfeel with huge bittering and a sharp, biting finish.
Rubicon
Blonde Bombshell Barleywine
Rubicon Brewing Co., California
Nice combination of sweet malt and floral hop aromas. Golden-amber
color. Big hop flavor with hints of toffee and caramel, with
a slightly lactic taste underneath.
Rudyard’s
Rare Barleywine Style Ale
Hale’s Ales, Washington
Rich, malty nose and black color. Roasted malt flavors, similar
to an imperial stout, with big hop character and alcohol evident
in the taste profile.
Thomas
Hardy’s Ale 2004
O’Hanlon’s Brewing Co., England
Light, malty nose with vinous aromas. Deep brown color. Creamy
sweetness with mild hop character, a hint of raisins and a
lingering finish. When Eldridge Pope was brewing Thomas Hardy,
it was usually a good five years before it came into its own,
so it’s not unreasonable to assume the new version of
this beer will likewise need more time for the flavors to
fully mature.
Valley
Rye Barley Wine
Valley Brewing Co., California
Light nose of malt and herb aromas. Almost black color and
a thick, tan head. Creamy, hot flavors with a slight smokiness
and good balance.
 Sky
Diver Barleywine Style Ale
Brew-It-Up, California
Good fresh-hop aromas and bright amber color. Huge hop flavors
and light malt, with a long, zippy finish.
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