Style: Barleywine (American)

ABV: 14.0 IBU: 49.0

93/100

Aroma:	12
Appearance:	3
Flavor:	19
Mouthfeel:	4

Core Brewing & Distilling Co Batch 01 - Barrel Aged Barleywine

What the brewers say

American Barleywine aged for 12 months in Maker’s Mark and Four Roses barrels, then blended.

What our panel thought

Decadent, complex, and deep aroma with huge toffee, banana-nut bread, pipe tobacco, figs, raisins, chocolate, vanilla, leather, and dark cherry all vying for attention. All of the aromas beautifully transition into the flavor profile with an added coconut, German chocolate cake, and caramel complexity. Warming, velvety fullness without being filling or cloying in body and flavor, but the mouthfeel is not quite as viscous as some may want. Some alcoholic warmth is present, but it’s not overly harsh.

What our editors thought

Cinnamon, molasses, burnt sugar, and a deep saddle-leather note on the nose with just a touch of fennel. In the sip, a general burnt caramel malt note with a bit of oak tannin. The body itself is a bit loose with a sprawling chocolate and leather body that could use a bit more definition. But the sweet-savory balance is spot on.

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REVIEWS FOR YOU >

Good Word Brewing & Public House Moments Before Impending Doom

“An intoxicating dance of rich malt, booze sweetness, and richness in the aroma. Like a very complex cocktail, with some toffee and cigar in the background and a very pleasant semisweet finish. Sweet, woody, and bourbon in the nose, like a Manhattan. Murky dark amber or light brown in appearance. Very well integrated barrel flavor—the wood and spirits are a major component but don’t overpower the base barleywine, which is a pleasant, if sweet, caramel-forward classic English style in the vein of Hardy’s.”

Triptych Brewing Batch 969 Barleywine

“The base beer is gone; all that remains is a cinnamon-forward, wood-aged beer. Taking the sum of all those parts, amburana being the largest chunk, the entire experience offers a spicy beauty.”

Narrow Gauge Brewing Barrel Aged Vanil (Batch #2)

Roasted malt aroma with vanilla focus, dessert-like chocolate cake, with oak-barrel vanillin and boozy notes. Medium-full body, not overly sweet, roast-coffee finish and complementary dark-fruit esters. Vanilla and barrel blend nicely. Warming, pleasant alcohols.

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