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Friday, February 21, 2020

English Barleywine (2019 Version) - Tasting Notes

This is my sixth English Barleywine - I've brewed variations of this style every Memorial Day starting in 2014.  I really enjoy the complexity of the style with it's bold malt and fruity yeast character.  I bulk age the beers for 6 months or so, drink half the batch the year it was brewed and then save the second half for yearly vertical tastings.  I really enjoy watching these beers evolve.


This year is based on Eldridge Pope's Thomas Hardy's Ale from the Shut Up About Barclay Perkins blog.  I brewed this same beer in 2018.  For the 2019 version I used WLP 099 Super High Gravity (which is reported to be the original Eldridge Pope yeast) - which fermented from 1.120 down to 1.010 - rather than the Nottingham I used last time (which only got me to 1.030).  It will be very interesting to taste 2018 and 2019 side by side.

I also used some red wine soaked oak in this batch.  I can't say for sure it came through all the other complex flavors but it was fun to play with another element with this bold flavored beer.

Tasting Notes:

  • Aroma:
    • Fruity yeast ester comes through up front - raisin and maybe peach and apple.  Caramel and toasted malt come through next.  Also get a sense of the alcohol level of the beer.  Tough to pick out anything clearly as the hops or the wine soaked oak.
  • Appearance:
    • Reddish-brown and very clear.  Pours with a finger head if agressive.  Head doesn't last long.
  • Flavor:
    • Caramel and a toasty bready flavor up front.  A really full and pleasant flavor that lingers into the finish.  Get a nice bit of hop bitterness in the finish that balances things.  Get a bit of fruit ester and I think I pick up on some of the oak and wine.  A very rich set of flavors 
  • Mouthfeel:
    • Medium bodied and slightly sweet.  Has a very slight astringency.  Definitely getting a warming alcohol sensation.
  • Overall:
    • Very rich and complex beer.  It makes a very good sipper on a cold night.  It's boozy for sure but it doesn't taste like it would be 16% ABV.  I really like the toasty bread and caramel flavor and how it coats the mouth and lingers.  Also nice that it's sweet but not overly so.  I think this one is going to age very nicely for me.

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