English Barleywine Vertical Tasting - 2024

Every year since 2014, on Memorial Day, I brew an English Barleywine in a practice inspired by the Sierra Nevada vintages of the Big Foot Barleywine.  It is a malty, fruity, sweet, and high alcohol style of beer that is well suited for aging.  I typically drink half the batch in the year it is made and then save the other half for aging.

This will be tasting of the 10 beers I've made so far.  Read about the previous tastings here: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

I used to do these tastings vertically but as I've accumulated more it's become impossible to do a pure side by side tasting (and actually enjoy the beers).  I like to assess how the beer do while aging in terms of quality so I now do BJCP scoring of the beers and I taste them blind, one a day.  This is an interesting test of my palate, and maybe doesn't lead to a perfect comparison, but it's nice to evaluate a beer without all the pre-conceived notions you have when you know how it was made.

Anyhow, the purpose of making these beers and for aging them for all these years has been to enjoy a really delicious beer style (one that I am more and more convinced gets better with age).

Tasting Notes:

• 2021 Version (Beer A):

• Overview:
• Brewed using a historical recipe (1954 Tennant's Gold Label) from the Shut Up about Barclay Perkins Blog
• Kind of an unusual beer in that it uses a large amount of Corn (5 lbs).  Also uses 2 lbs of Invert Syrup which is the first time I've used it for one of these beers.
• Used Willamette hops for bittering and East Kent Goldings for flavor
• Aged the beer with 2 oz of brandy soaked oak
• Fermented with S04 while the beer called for Wyeast 1099 Whitbread strain.  I'd understood S04 was a Whitbread strain but may not be quite the same as 1099
• Tasting Notes (41 of 50):
• Aroma (7 of 12):
• Musty with some overripe fruit and wine-like character.  A bit of caramel and some alcohol.  Nice smells but fairly mild.
• Appearance (3 of 3):
• Pours with a 1 finger head that lingers for about a minute and fades to a thin layer.  Reddish gold in color and very clear
• Flavor (17 of 20):
• Sweet and malty up front - toasted bread and a dark caramel character.  A bit fruity in the middle.  Maybe a bit of chocolate in there as well.  Some hop flavor as well - grassy and herbal.  Finishes with bit of bitterness but the balance is decidedly towards the sweet malty flavors.  Get a bit of alcohol flavor but it fits nicely.  Maybe even get something like a butterscotch character out of it.  This is a very nicely flavored beer with a lot of complexity
• Mouthfeel (5 of 5):
• Full bodied and drinks very smooth.  Leaves a stickiness on the palate.  Warming alcohol makes its presence known.
• Overall (9 of 10):
• This is a complex and very richly flavored Barleywine.  I think the combination of flavors and balance is quite nice (happy that it has hop bitterness left to it).  I think this would be a very good example of what the style is about and (speculation here) why one might age a strong sweet beer like this.

• 2018 Version (Beer B):

• Overview:
• Brewed using a historical recipe for Eldridge Pope's Hardy's Ale from the Shut Up about Barclay Perkins Blog
• Used a mix of 2 Row and Maris otter, 3.5 lbs of Flaked wheat, and 1.5 lb of crystal
• Used Nottingham yeast and, per instruction, allowed it to ferment in the 70s.  It was an agressive fermentation which produced a very strong and estery aroma.  The beer didn't turn out to be overly estery fortunately.
• Fermented out to 1.030 from 1.105 for an ABV of 10-11%
• This was the most aggressively hopped beer so far (7.5 oz of low alpha acid English hop in the boil) with an IBU target of 84.  Was very bitter just after fermentation but this had settled to a nice balance after 6 months of aging.
• Tasting Notes (35 of 50):
• Aroma (7 of 12):
• Dark caramel and toasted bread up front along with some fruit character and alcohol.  The smell is pretty bold and is nice.
• Appearance (2 of 3):
• Pours with a 2 finger head that lingers.  Redish brown and just a little hazy on this pour
• Flavor (15 of 20):
• Sweet caramel malt up front followed by a fruity character.  Booze hits next - has a bit of a musty and aged character I would say.  Not much in the way of hop bitterness to this one.  The finish is malty but I'd say it get balanced a bit by the alcohol flavor.  Pretty complex with some interesting flavors
• Mouthfeel (4 of 5):
• Medium bodied and only slight stickiness on the palate.  Drinks pretty smooth and has a warming character.
• Overall (7 of 10):
• It is a boldly flavored and pretty complex beer.  The malty character is nice but it isn't the primary profile.  The fruitiness is a bit odd and the booze character is interesting (has a softness to it which is not unplesent) and is probably the dominant character.   Has a lot of the character you would want and expect from an aged beer.

• 2015 Version (Beer C):

• Overview:
• Brewed with Maris Otter, Vienna Malt and down to 2 lbs of Crystal.  Was trying for a more pale beer but ended up darker.
• Used Wyeast 1968 London ESB Ale Yeast
• Beer fermented from 1.096 to 1.006 for 12-13% ABV
• Aged with 1 oz of pre-boiled oak cubes
• Tasting Notes (40 of 50):
• Aroma (9 of 12):
• Sweet malty and caramel aromas  There is a honey-like character in there as well.  It has a fruit character and a bit of booze.  I think it's a really nice smell and pretty bold.
• Appearance (3 of 3):
• Pours with a 1 finger head which lasts for a couple minutes before fading to a thin ring.  Red-gold in color and very clear
• Flavor (17 of 20):
• Sweet malt and caramel up front.  Has a bit of chocolate flavor as well.  There is a light fruit flavor in the middle.  Has a good amount of bitterness in the finish which balances against the sweet malt character.  Taste a bit of booze as well.  The flavors are good and pretty bold.
• Mouthfeel (4 of 5):
• It is medium bodied and has just a slight stickiness on the palate.  Drinks pretty smooth.  It has a very noticeable alcohol warming effect
• Overall (7 of 20):
• This is a complex and very flavorable beer.  It has a nice set of malt flavors and a good amount of bitterness to balance it.  It is a nice sipping beer and seems like a strong beer from the heat although it hides the alcohol well in terms of flavor and aroma

• 2016 Version (Beer D):

• Overview:
• Brewed with Maris Otter, 3 lbs of Rye Malt, and 1.5 lbs Double Roasted Crystal 120 L
• Fermented with Wyeast 1335 British Ale II
• Beer went from 1.093 to 1.012 which is 10-11% ABV
• It ended up forming a pellicle during aging although I never really picked up any flavors I'd attribute to wild yeast or bacteria
• Tasting Notes (38 of 50):
• Aroma (7 of 12):
• Fruity and wine-like character along with some caramel malt.  A little booze in there.  It's a pleasant smell but fairly mild
• Appearance (3 of 3):
• Pours with a 3 finger head that fairly quickly fades down to a thin ring around the glass.  It is red-brown and very clear
• Flavor (17 of 20):
• Dark caramel, toasted bread, and grahamcracker.  Maybe a bit of chocolate in there as well.  Just a slight fruity flavor in there as well.  The finish is mostly malt but it's not that sweet - it lingers in a nice way.  Get a fair bit of bitterness that balances the flavors in the finish somewhat.  Has some booze character in there as well but it's fairly well hidden.  I think this a really nicely and boldly flavored malty beer
• Mouthfeel (4 of 5):
• Medium full bodied and just a little bit sticky on the palate.  I this is pretty smooth and some mild alcohol warming.
• Overall (7 of 10):
• I really like the malt character in this one.  It lacks a bit in complexity but definitely has enough going on to be worth savoring.  I think it drinks pretty easily for a strong sweet beer (doesn't feel like it needs to be a sipper)

• 2017 Version (Beer E):

• Overview:
• Brewed with 2 Row and Golden Promise as base malt and 5 lbs of white wheat malt.  Only used 4 oz of Crystal.  This finally achieved my goal of a pale barleywine.
• Fermented with Wyeast 1335 British Ale II again
• I'd wanted to get a fairly sweet barleywine on my previous version but had kept on getting more attenuation than desired.  This time I finally got one to stop at 1.034 (from 1.098).  So this is an 8-9% ABV beer.
• The beer was aged with 15 oz of Rum soaked golden raisin along with 0.5 oz of oak
• Tasting Notes(34 of 50):
• Aroma (7 of 12):
• Fruity with an almost cider-like aroma.  Maybe some honey in there as well.  Get a bit of malt in there as well.  It's a pretty mild aroma but nice
• Appearance (3 of 3):
• Dark gold in color and very clear.  Pours with a 1 finger head that quickly fades to nothing.
• Flavor (15 of 20):
• Some fruity flavor up front with malt flavors in the mix as well.  The finish is fruity and malty.  There is no bitterness to speak of but it isn't all that sweet where it seems to particularly lack balance.  Alcohol is present in the flavor profile but not over whealming.  The flavors are nice here but it's somewhat mild and not a whole lot going on.
• Mouthfeel (3 of 5):
• Medium bodied and mildly sweet.  Drinks smooth.
• Overall (6 of 10):
• This is an interesting, fruit forward, barleywine.  It is tasty but not particularly complex.

• 2019 Version (Beer F):

• Overview:
• Brewed using a historical recipe for Eldridge Pope's Hardy's Ale from the Shut Up about Barclay Perkins Blog
• Used a mix of 2 Row and Maris otter, 4.5 lbs of Flaked wheat, and 1.5 lb of crystal
• Used WLP 099 Super High Gravity which is supposed to be Eldridge Pope's house strain
• Fermented from 1.120 to 1.010 which is a crazy 16% ABV
• Hopped with 8.5 oz of Fuggle
• Aged with 1 oz Cabernet soaked Toasted Oak
• Tasting Notes (40 of 50):
• Aroma (8 of 12):
• Sweet caramel malt and a bit fruity.  Has a musty character and a bit of booze.  It is a nice smell and pretty distinct
• Appearance (3 of 3):
• Pours with a 2 finger head that fades down to a thin ring over several minutes.  Red-brown in color and very clear
• Flavor (17 of 20):
• Sweet malty flavors up front - caramel and toasted bread.  Has a bit of fruitiness in the middle.  Maybe a slight bit of bitterness to it.  The finish of deep rich malt without a lot of sweetness.  The flavor lingers and is very nice.  The light bitterness gives it a bit of balance.  Alcohol comes though lightly.  This is very nicely and richly flavored beer
• Mouthfeel (4 of 5):
• Medium-full bodied and only slightly sticky on the palate.  It drinks very smoothly.  Slight warming alcohol character
• Overall (8 of 10):
• I really like the flavor of this beer.  It is primarily malty but has enough other things going on to give it complexity.  The remaining bitterness really helps it I think even though it is fairly light.  I think the finish is very nice where there is a richness that isn't overwhelmed by sweetness.

• 2020 Version (Beer G):

• Overview:
• Brewed using a historical recipe for 1940 Truman Stock 1 from Shut Up about Barclay Perkins Blog
• I ended up using Vienna and Melanoiden Malts with the idea of replacing the "high dried malt" called for (may have been way off base on these).  Recipe also used a lb of Invert #3
• Used 7.5 oz of Cluster and Fuggle in this batch
• Fermented with Wyeast 1028 London Ale which is supposed to be the Truman brewery's house strain
• Tasting Notes (39 of 50):
• Aroma (9 of 12):
• Caramel and toasted bread aroma most prominent along with a fruity character - raisin-like.  It is fairly strong and really nice
• Appearance (3 of 3):
• Pours with a 3 finger head that lingers for a few minutes - leaves lacing on the grass.  Red brown in color and very clear
• Flavor (16 of 20):
• Sweet malt flavor up front - dark caramel and toasted bread.  A bit of fruit character in the middle.  The finish is the sweat dark caramel flavor which lingers.  Maybe a very slight bitterness to it - balance is strongly towards malt.  I get a hit of alcohol on the finish as well.  It's got nice flavors and they're fairly bold.
• Mouthfeel (4 of 5):
• Medium full bodied and pretty sweet - sticky on the palate.  It drinks smooth with a little alcohol warming.
• Overall (7 of 10):
• A very malt forward beer.  The malt flavors are very nice and I like the strength and character of the caramel flavors on the finish.  Not the most complex beer with everything other than the malt being very much in the background.

• 2023 Version (Beer H):

• Overview:
• This was a recipe somewhat inspired by Goose Island's famous King Henry
• Uses Golden Promise as the base and a mix of Munich, Caramel Wheat, and double roasted srystal for a darker English Barleywine
• Bittered with Target and Styrian Goldings
• Fermented with WLP005 British Ale
• The beer fermented from 1.1.00 to 1.032 for 9% ABV
• Tasting Notes (40 of 50):
• Aroma (7 of 12):
• Malty (caramel mostly) with a bit of fruit.  Get a hint of alcohol as well.  Maybe a bit of hop in there too.  Nice smell but mild
• Appearance (3 of 3):
• Pours with a 1 finger  head that lingers.  Leaves lacing on the glass.  Red gold and very clear.
• Flavor (17 of 20):
• Malty with toasted bread and caramel flavors.  Get some fruity character in the middle - apple and maybe some raisin.  Net getting any hop bitterness.  The finish is mostly about the fruit character and is pretty sweet.  Get a hit of alcohol in the finish as well.  The flavors are bold and quite nice
• Mouthfeel (5 of 5):
• It is full bodied and very smooth.  It is only slightly sticky on the palate.  Has a bit of warming alcohol character
• Overall (8 of 10):
• I really like the fruity character of this beer.  It blends nicely with the malt and then takes over in a fairly subtle way (fruity but not extremely estery).  It is an interesting and complex drink

• 2014 Version (Beer I):

• Overview:
• Brewed with Maris Otter and 3 lbs of assorted light crystal malts.  I was hoping for a light colored beer - got a bit darker than I'd hoped.
• Fermented with S04 and Nottingham
• The beer fermented all the way down to 1.016 from 1.101 which is 11-12% ABV
• Tasting Notes (32 of 50):
• Aroma (7 of 12):
• A bit of malt and then a fruity and wine like character - maybe some raisin in there.  Has a bit of alcohol in the aroma as well.  Interesting aroma but fairly mild
• Appearance (2 of 3):
• Pours with only a thin layer of foam.  Redish brown and clear
• Flavor (15 of 20):
• Malty up front with toasted bread being the primary characteristic.  A bit of a fruity character next but it is faint.  No bitterness.  The finish is the toasty bready malt character.  Alcohol comes through in the end as well.  The flavor lingers for some time after the sip.  Flavor is fairly mild.
• Mouthfeel (3 of 5):
• Medium bodied and pretty smooth - not really sticky on the palate.  Maybe has a bit of prickliness.
• Overall (5 of 10):
• It is a relatively dry barleywine and not that boldly flavor or complex.  I wonder if there could have been some oxidation here.  Not a bad beer but definitely not as nice as most of the others

• 2022 Version (Beer J):

• Overview:
• Based on a historical recipe for 1954 Tennant's Gold Label.  This is the same recipe used for the 2021 version
• Used Marris Otter, 5 lbs of Corn (which is quite interesting) and 2.5 lbs of Invert #1
• Primary fermented with Whitbread Ale Yeast (Wyeast 1099) which is the Tennant strain
• Secondary ferment with Brett Anomalus (WLP 640) which is a "Yeast Vault" product which was isolated from historical English beers and thought to be prevalent in a beer meant to be aged (like this one)
• This started at 1.110 and ended at 1.020 (Brett took it down from 1.030) for an ABV of 12% ABV
• Tasting Notes (40 of 50):
• Aroma (9 of 12):
• Very fruity on the nose - tropical almost.  I get a bit of bready malt character in there as well in the background.  Also get a bit of alcohol.  Nice bold aroma in this one
• Appearance (3 of 3):
• Pours with a 1 finger head that quickly fades to nothing.  Very clear and dark gold in color.
• Flavor (16 of 20):
• Tropical fruit flavor up front transitions to a caramel and bready malt character.  There is a light bitterness in the finish but the balance is towards a slightly sweet malty character.  Get some booze in the finish as well.  It has a bold flavor and tastes nice
• Mouthfeel (4 of 5):
• Medium full bodied and slightly sticky on the palate.  Drinks pretty smooth.  Light alcohol warming character.
• Overall (8 of 10): 
• The fruit flavor in this beer is very interesting and I like it.  Malt flavor is very nice as well.  I also really like the bitterness in this one - even fairly light it helps the complexity

The rankings this year are:

• 2021 (41)
• 2015 (40)
• 2019 (40)
• 2022 (40)
• 2023 (40)
• 2020 (39)
• 2016 (38)
• 2018 (35)
• 2017 (34)
• 2014 (32)

My scoring this year had a big mover for 2014 from high in the rankings to the bottom.  It was very dark and tasted muted - I think it's possible I had a bad bottle (if so, the score should be improved next year).  Also, 2017 which was the surprise winner last time dropped back to the bottom here.  

I somehow didn't detect bitterness in my newest beer so my palate may not be a scientific grade instrument.  Tasting the beers blind is a very good way of eliminating the BS from tasting notes.

This is the only real way I can compare the beers given how many I have and maybe I'm collecting some real data with these scores rather than just noise (something that will only start to become clear after many more tastings in all likelihood).  I look forward to many more years of doing these :)