In order to uphold the caliber of review provided by Mr Mark West, an entire team of beer enthusiasts calling themselves a “beer society” have answered the call to sample and appraise some delicious barley wines in his place, as well as to provide the esteemed imbibing readers of The Milwaukee Alcoholmanac with unbiased, unfiltered and unpasteurized reviews.

Right now you are probably saying to yourself, “Self, what kind of drunken, narcissistic, overtly sexy ‘beer society’ would think that they could teach Milwaukee ANYTHING about beer drinking? We Milwaukeeans invented beer drinking. We practically invented the brewery. We also invented the typewriter. Which has very little to do with my current tirade but is nonetheless true.”

Well, you are right. Even about the typewriter. But, we want to support and promote our friends at Alcoholmanac. So, with this one simple (yet lofty) goal in mind, we oh-so-humbly begin our role in your education on the joys of being a beer sommelier. Which we are fairly sure means “beer doctor” in French. See, you’re learning already.

In this issue, we will be reviewing barleywines. Barleywine is a strong ale similar to Quadruples and American Old Ales. It is called a wine because it reaches an alcohol strength similar to wine — usually 8 to 12% by volume; however, it is categorized as a beer because it is made from grain rather than fruit. The White Shield Brewery in England was the first to market a barleywine, with their 1903 release of Bass No. 1 Ale. English barleywines were historically dark in color, while today’s barleywines can range in color from amber to deep reddish-browns. Barleywines are currently brewed all over the world and have been accepted into the international brewing tradition; however, for the purposes of this article, we will be limiting our review to the American and English barleywines. English barleywines tend to be very malty with alcohol undertones and a balanced blend of native English hops. American versions have similar malt and alcohol flavor, but also contain the more citrusy American hops. This can lead to a more intense hoppy flavor for the American version, particularly for the younger brews. Essentially, it’s like having James Bond and Superman fighting the same bad guy. They are both going to get the job done, but one is going to have a debonair English accent and one is going to be wearing brightly-colored spandex. Barleywine is the best of both those worlds.

Armed with this valuable knowledge (and possibly brightly-colored spandex), you are now faced with a decision — “Which glass should I use to drink this?” If all you’ve got is a styrofoam cup or an old jelly jar, hey — it’s better than having nothing. But if you want a really high-class experience, enjoy all the aromas and the truest taste of a barelywine from a snifter-style glass or a larger wine glass, preferably a burgundy-style glass. The narrow top of the snifter or wine glass traps the aroma inside the glass, allowing you to stick your nose in the glass and really savor the smell. This is particularly important for the American-style barleywines, which often have a higher hop aroma than the English style. Barleywine should be chilled and served at about 50 degrees Fahrenheit, which is just a bit colder then room temperature (60-70 degrees Fahrenheit). In essence, you want to treat your barleywine in a similar manner as a prized bottle of wine. Only, you get to drink beer, you lucky dog! Now, prepare your ice bucket, iron your silk pajamas and get those snifters ready — ‘cause we are about to add a touch of class to your beer review-loving world.

Anchor Old Foghorn 2008
Anchor Brewing Co
San Francisco, CA

They Say: “Old Foghorn is highly hopped, using only Cascade hops. It is fermented with a true top-fermenting ale yeast. Carbonation is produced by an entirely natural process called ‘bunging,’ which produces champagne-like bubbles. Our ‘barleywine ale’ is dry-hopped with additional Cascade hops while it ages in our cellars … Old Foghorn also has pleasant hop bitterness, due to the large quantity of hops used during brewing, and a unique hop aroma due to the dry-hopping and aging.”

We Say: Old Foghorn is gorgeous in the glass. It is a dark caramel color with a creamy, off-white crown. The caramel hue matched the aroma, with toffee, malt and citrus undertones. The beer is full-bodied, while the mouth feel is silky and velvety smooth. The taste is fruity at first, with distinctive notes of plums, raisins and possibly vanilla. It ends with caramel malt and lingers, finishing with a satisfying hoppy bitterness. Once you’ve had a glassful, it will be hard to put this one down. The overall taste seemed to bridge the American and English barleywines and left a warm, fuzzy feeling that went perfectly with the cold winter evening. This is the kind of beer that you drink in your study, with a cigar in your right hand and your eyes intently gazing at a roaring fireplace. Or, at least, that was how we imagined it as we sat around a tiny kitchen table we had moved as close to the radiator as we could without setting the house on fire. Foghorn is a superb, spectacular barleywine that is called the American original for a reason. ‘Nuff said.

Horn Dog Barley Wine Style Ale
Flying Dog Brewery
Frederick, MD

They Say: “Horn Dog Barley Wine is a dark and malty English-style Barely Wine that is aged for a minimum of three months before being packaged. Like a fine wine, this beer will only get better with age when stored at optimum conditions.”

We Say: During our tasting this barleywine was particularly pleasant to enjoy. Horn Dog pours an unusual chestnut almost cherry color, with a creamy, toasty head. The aroma had lots of rhubarb and yeast, with possibly figs and brown sugar mixed in. There was a chocolaty-alcohol nose, similar to creme de cacao. The taste was intense and very different from the initial aroma.

While Horn Dog smells sweet, it tastes malty with a thick, buttery beginning and a slightly bitter end. It is one of the more complex barleywines we tested, with hints of spices, molasses, dark chocolate and dry sherry.  Unfortunately, we were not able to date this beer; however, our best guess at its age is approximately a year or two, considering the smoothness and supremely “shippable” nature of this beer. Horn Dog is full and creamy without having an overly thick or malty body. It is an excellent winter-warming beer and perfect for people who like their barley wines to be slightly sweet and whole-heartedly complex.

Hog Heaven Barley Wine
Avery Brewing CO
Boulder, CO

They Say: “This dangerously drinkable garnet beauty is a hop lover’s delight. The intense dry-hop nose and the alcohol content are perfectly balanced for a caramel candy-like malt finish. This is a serious beer for serious beer aficionados and it only gets better with age. Cellarable for 3 years.”

We Say: Mmmm ... Hog Heaven. We have quite a few Double IPA fans in our group. This beer is remarkably similar to some of our favorites. It poured a medium to deep amber color with a two-finger, creamy tan foamy and bubbly head with great retention and ample, sticky lacing. It was a treat to smell this barleywine compared to some of the others we’ve reviewed. It had a distinct malt aroma and a bitter citrus zest ending with a hoppy punch that left you feeling like you’d just run through a forest of pine.

Fruity esters predominate, especially plums and apricots. Hog Heaven is pleasantly sweet and balanced, with hops, malt, cotton candy (yes, cotton candy!) and some buttery after notes. Although its at over 9% ABV, the alcohol is masked extremely well and is almost indiscernible in the taste. A few ounces this brew, and you’re warm from your ears to your ankles. The alcohol is present but otherwise not noticeable. This was another beer with no brew date, but we estimated the age to be approximately two years old. It is full-bodied, yet surprisingly smooth. Overall, we consider Hog Heaven a more than solid barleywine.

Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale 2009
Stone Brewing Co
Escondido, CA

They Say: “Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine is a stunning representation of all that is big and bold in beer. This beautiful, bold barley wine has a massive malt character and a near-critical level of hop notes. Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine can be enjoyed upon its release or cellared to enjoy in the future.”

We Say: With Stone Brewery’s reputation of brewing distinctly hoppy beers, the anticipation for their barleywine was palpable. This relatively young barleywine poured light, with an amber, brandy-like color and a tan, well-formed head. It had a toasted caramel/toffee smell, with hints of coffee, orange peel and tart grapefruit. The nose came forth and was instantly reminiscent of a hoppy, herbal IPA with a gentle bitterness. Similar to the smell, the taste was a hoppy interlude muddled nicely with toasted malt, honey flavor layered on the grapefruit and citrus zest. Although the hops were somewhat bitter, they were pleasantly balanced by the toasted caramel and malt in the background. It is stunningly smooth and drinks well for the high alcohol content. The hops left a tart aftertaste, which led to an almost smoky finish. Although the first sips seemed fairly extreme, the beer quickly evened out during the course of our tasting. We found the beer highly drinkable, but agreed that it could use a little more aging. This beer is definitely cellar-worthy and well-made and would be a perfect Christmahanukwanzaakah present for you next year.

Sprecher Barley Wine
Sprecher Brewing Co, Inc
Milwaukee, WI

They Say: “A legendary top-fermented brew with a deep amber/orange color, a strong fruit and malt aroma, and a potent alcohol nose accented with hints of Port. A complex flavor of malt, fruit & sherry delicately balanced with hops.”

We Say: The Sprecher Barley Wine pours a clear, amber color with slight white foam on top. We initially detected in the nose hints of raisins, black currants and stewed fruit; on second sniff we were hit with the aroma of toasted caramel and honey; however, we found the aroma slightly deceiving in that the flavor masked what we assumed would be an extreme alcohol kick. The taste was fairly syrupy, but became more even-bodied over the course of the drink. This beer had a smooth, somewhat sugary, finish with lots of malty, toasty, caramel goodness. There was an almost sherry aftertaste, with fruity hints of golden raisins. We agreed that it could use a slightly longer aging period and was slightly sweet for our taste in barleywines. With age, this could be the perfect after-dinner drink for when we are craving something sweet but alcoholic ... like your mother (pause for high-fives).