Me and barleywine: a new but torrid affair that has taken me from Utah to California to Pennsylvania to St. Louis. You can get it all year, but I highly suggest taking the merciless chill from a winter's night with a barleywine, and if you can get friends together to share it, even better. It might be the best bonding beer in existence. I love barelywine not as much for the flavor but for the experience. My girlfriend loves it for the flavor, and the fact that it makes her feel like she's drinking an elegant sherry in our humble apartment.
Recently I came upon two barleywines and I would highly suggest you do find some of your own. It can be jarring, so I wouldn't START with barleywine if you are a beer newbie. But if you find yourself laughing (or even better, scoffing) at your friends and whatever light swill they are drinking, you might enjoy a barleywine. At the very least, it puts you to sleep.
The Schlafly Reserve Barleywine (St. Louis) I had was from 2008. That is not an exceptionally long time to age a beer, particularly a barleywine that can easily handle 10-15 years. But I'm sure it made my glass(es) somewhat different than if I got it fresh, right off the bat. It poured with virtually no head, with minimal carbonation in both body and mouthfeel. The body is rife with hints of red and orange, lending it a copper or light rust color. The aroma is heavy on alcohol, with notes of fresh grain and a brandy quality. In the body, as I said there is little carbonation. The body and flavor run super rich and malty, typical to the style, but SRB absolutely floods the mouth with flavor. It is one of the best beers I've ever had in terms of flavor distribution: no taste bud is safe. As for what you get, SRB is oak-aged, which takes some of the bit out and replaces it with some sweetness and nuttiness. These present up front, while the slight hints of alcohol warmth and hops buddy up to them at the finish. The luxury of SRB is that none of the flavors dissipate, and the sweet malt that starts hangs on until the very end, not being replaced by any flavors, but merely partnering up with them. It's a good call, and a complex trick, but the end result is a really rewarding barleywine.
Victory's (Pennsylvania) success at barleywine unfortunately doesn't get any better than the name: Old Horizontal. It makes me think of an old man who comes down from the hills once a year with barleywine for all the little kids. Anyway, the differences between Victory and SRB are small in number, but huge in effect. Victory lands on the hoppier side of barleywines, along with, say, Blue Point's Barleywine. It has a much more robust carbonation in the body. Between the hops, the fizz, and the lack of oak-aging, Victory is a more tangy, biting brew. The hops are both piney and grapefruity, and they make up the bulk of the beer's finish. Ultimately, Victory Old Horizontal doesn't have the huge, warm flavor that I love from barleywine like SRB, and the parts just don't quite gel. Don't worry Victory. Golden Monkey, Prima Pils, Storm King: you have more amazing beers coming out of your brewery than some entire states. But for Barleywine, I'm going to hang in St. Louis for a bit. Then I'll probably take a nap.
No comments:
Post a Comment