Wiley Roots Double Barrel Barleywine
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What the brewers say
Barrel-aged barleywine with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice added in the kettle. This beer spent 10 months in High West bourbon and rye barrels, which were blended together to create this double barrel barleywine.”
What our panel thought
Aroma: “Boozy freshly emptied barrel aroma (like wet oak) comes up first. Then there’s a big spice component—chai, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, fennel, and juniper, specifically. Moderate coffee and chocolate aroma mixed with light chili aroma and nuttiness.”
Flavor: “Big raisin character with some slight banana character at first sip. Then, rich caramel and toffee come through in the flavor. Still a lot of booze and spices, cardamom and cinnamon especially as a well as pine and juniper. Fairly sweet, which slowly fades into the finish. Fairly low bitterness.”
Overall: “Interesting and complex, with a touch of mildly competing spices that nonetheless offer a different experience than your standard barrel-aged barleywine. It’s saved by the caramel and toffee sweetness.”
