Andrew's Homebrew Log: September 2026

It is time for another in my yearly status reports on the progress of my English Barleywine Aging. I have brewed different English Barleywine recipes (or slight variations at least) for the last 12 years and I have saved half the beer in every batch to conduct a long term experiment on the aging properties of each beer

If you aren't aware, an English Barleywine is a strong beer (close to wine strength) which is often fairly sweet and which usually focuses on malty and fruity yeast ester character rather than hops. These are characteristics that make it ideal for aging in that it remains more shelf stable than a normal beer and can continue to develop character that tends to compliment the primary characteristics of the style

These yearly tasting experiments are helpful for understanding the style better and informs my decisions regarding recipe selection when I make my next batch. You can read about my previous tastings here: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 202 1, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025

With so many beers to drink I've found that you can't taste them all in one sitting and have any enjoyment from them so I've begun doing the tastings blind and scoring the beer based on the Beer Judge Certification Scoring system. With this I do a ranking every year and, this year, I've decided to start a trending of the ranking to try to filter out the random noise (could be there is variation in each bottle of beer that impacts scores or, more likely, my ability to consistently judge beer is wanting) - this could maybe help me spot trends in how these beers do over time. I am excited about this idea.

I always feels some inertia in getting started doing these tastings somehow (finding all the bottles and then taping up the lids to make it a blind test is a bit of a pain) but being able to slowly savor each beer and think about what I'm getting from each one is actually a lot of fun. I think this is a ritual that makes all the effort of making and then aging the beers worth while.

Writing after the test, I gave some of these lower scores than maybe they deserved (it's a bit of a tough thing to keep an even mind over 12 days of tasting and it seems like my propensity is to give the first beer the lowest score and maybe is the most likely to be noise). I think all of them were nice to drink but some really were nicer than others. I stand by the scoring system even with some known problems

Results:

2016 Version (Beer A):

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 (35 of 50):

Aroma (8 of 12):

Fruity and musty with a bit of caramel. Smells sweet.

Appearance (2 of 3):

Pours with no head at all and seems completely still. Reddish brown and very clear.

Flavor (15 of 20):

Toasted bread and dark caramel flavor. A bit of fruit in there as well. A slight bitterness to it. Finishes with a nice malty flavor - kind of chocolate-like - just slighty sweet. Noticeable alcohol flavor in there as well

Mouthfeel (3 of 5):

Medium bodied and fairly dry. Noticeable alcohol warming. A little astringent on the pallet

Overall (7 of 10):

The flavors are pretty nice but it's not all that complex and not all that bold. It does have a pretty boozy flavor. Not a bad Barleywine but I like them a bit more complex and a bit more bold than this

2020 Version (Beer B):

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 (43 of 50):

Aroma (10 of 12):

Musty with sweet caramel and a bit of toasted bread. Nice smell

Appearance (3 of 3):

Pours with a 2 finger head that lasts a couple minutes. Reddish brown and very clear.

Flavor (18 of 20):

Sweet bready malt and caramel up front. A bit of fruity ester character in the middle. No real bitterness. The finish has a slightly sweet character. has a faint chocolate note. Maybe a slight alcohol character to it as well.

Mouthfeel (4 of 5):

Medium-full bodied and has a stickiness that lingers on the palate. Pretty smooth

Overall (8 of 10):

This really has a lovely malt character - very bold. The yeast ester character is there but is very much in the background. It still has a nice level of complexity just from the richness of the malt

2023 Version (Beer C):

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 (39 of 50):

Aroma (7 of 12):

Aged alcohol aroma and maybe some oxidized notes. A little fruit. A bit of caramel

Appearance (3 of 3):

Poured with a 2 finger head that faded down to nothing in a minute. Reddish brown and very clear

Flavor (17 of 20):

Nice caramel malt and toasted bread. Has a bit of fruitiness to it as well. Just a hint of bitterness in the finish but the balances is decidedly towards sweet malt character. Has a bit of a chocolate note. Get a bit of alcohol but it's well hidden. Very nice flavor

Mouthfeel (4 of 5):

Medium-full bodied and sticky on the palate. It drinks pretty smooth

Overall (8 of 10):

This is nicely flavored beer. It has a good amount of complexity as well. I think this one leans heavily to malt but also has a nice fruit component. The aroma makes one think of an aged beer which is intended but it doesn't do the flavor justice really.

2017 Version (Beer D):

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 (37 of 50):

Aroma (7 of 12):

Fruity with a bit of alcohol on the nose. Maybe a bit of malt in there as well

Appearance (2 of 3):

Pours with maybe half a finger of head which dissipates almost immediately. Clear and dark gold

Flavor (17 of 20):

Fruity up front along with some caramel malt. There is a sweetness to the finish and maybe a hint of hop bitterness. A bit of alcohol in the flavor profile. It's a pretty bold fruit flavor

Mouthfeel (3 of 5):

Medium-full bodied and a little sticky on the palate. Has a slightly astringent character

Overall (8 of 10):

This is a fairly fruit-ester forward barleywine. It's boldly flavored. Not all that complex as the fruit character dominates. I think it's a nice sipping beer

2015 Version (Beer E):

Outlook:

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 (41 of 50):

Aroma (9 of 12):

Fruity with a sweet character. Caramel malt and a bit of booze. A nice smelling beer

Appearance (2 of 3):

Pours with a 1 finger head which immediately fizzles to nothing. Reddish brown and very clear

Flavor (18 of 20):

A bit fruity up front then followed by a caramel and toasted malt flavor. It has a bit of bitterness on the finish which balances out the malt sweetness very nicely. Just a hint of booze there in the flavor profile. This is a nicely flavored beer.

Mouthfeel (3 of 5):

Medium-full bodied and fairly dry for these beers. Slight bit of astringency maybe and some warming alcohol presence.

Overall (9 of 10):

This is a bold and very nice tasting beer. It has good complexity and is drinking very nice. I like that there is a hop bitterness there still (must be one of my younger versions)

2024 Version (Beer F):

Overview:

This was a rebrew of my first English Barleywine (2014). A recipe I came up with
This iteration uses Golden Promise rather than Marris Otter and a heftier dose of bittering hops based on my observation that these don't last long and the hope that more would sustain the bitterness a bit longer
The beer was fermented with S04 and Nottingham like the first version but, this time, they only took it down to 1.034
I aged this one with a lot of brandy soaked oak

Tasting Notes (43 of 50):

Aroma (8 of 12):

Musty. I get booze and a bit of caramel malt. Nice smelling beer but fairly mild

Appearance (3 of 3):

Pours with a 2 finger head that fades down to a thin ring after a minute or so. Dark gold and very clear

Flavor (18 of 20):

Rich malty flavor up front. Maybe a slight bit of fruit in there. There is a mild bitterness in the finish but the balance is towards sweet malt. It has a chocolate-like note. A bit of booze in there. There is a flavor that makes me think of oak as well - subtle and it could be I'm picking out malt or ester. Really nice flavors.

Mouthfeel (5 of 5):

Full bodied and a bit sticky on the palate. Smooth drinking with a bit of warming alcohol

Overall (9 of 10):

A very rich and malty beer. There is a good amount of complexity to it with the depth of malt flavor. I really like the chocolate note. A bit light on the fruity character.

2014 Version (Beer G):

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 (38 of 50):

Aroma (8 of 12):

Fruity with a bit of caramel malt. A bit of alcohol in there as well

Appearance (2 of 3):

Pours with 1 finger of head that fades to nothing almost immediately. Reddish Brown and very clear

Flavor (16 of 20):

Bold fruity and caramel flavors up front. Light bitterness. The finish is lightly sweet and boozy

Mouthfeel (4 of 5):

It is medium-full bodied and fairly dry. It's got alcohol warming character. Pretty smooth

Overall (8 of 10):

This one has a pretty bold flavor and is definitely a potent beer. I think it has a nice amount of complexity with it's balance between fruity ester and malt character. It's definitely a pretty intense beverage - like sipping a whiskey almost

2021 Version (Beer H):

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 (44 of 50):

Aroma (10 of 12):

Very fruity and a bit boozy. Not sure I pick up on much malt. It's a very nice smelling beer

Appearance (2 of 3):

Pours with a 1 finger head which fades down to nothing in less than a minute. Dark gold in color and very clear

Flavor (18 of 20):

Strong fruity character with sweet caramel malt up front. No real bitterness to it. The finish is sweet malt and fruity ester character and they linger. It has a bit of booze but pretty well hidden. It is a bold flavored beer

Mouthfeel (5 of 5):

Full bodied and sticky sweet on the palate. It's pretty smooth drinking. Warming alcohol as well

Overall (9 of 10):

This is a really nice, bold, and complex Barleywine. It has a very nice combination of fruit and malt character

2025 Version (Beer I):

Overview:

This was based on a historical recipe from the Shut Up About Barclay Perkins Blog: 1879 William Younger No1
It is an all base malt beer which is kind of unusual
The hopping was agressive
I used dry Safale Windsor yeast for the beer and, for kicks, since this historical beer was aged and likely wild microbes had a chance to contribute to the flavor, I cultivated some dregs of the famous Belgian Beer Orval which has a secondary fermentation with brett

Tasting Notes (37 of 50):

Aroma (9 of 12):

Very fruity with a bit of a leathery brett funk. Maybe a bit of malt in there and some booze

Appearance (2 of 3):

Pours with a 1 finger head that immediately fades to nothing. Dark gold in color and very clear

Flavor (16 of 20):

Fruity with caramel malt. Has a medium bitterness which balances the sweet malt in the finish and maybe dominates it. Has a bit of a boozy character. Brett character in there a bit as well in the background

Mouthfeel (3 of 5):

Medium bodied and fairly dry. A bit rough on the palate with noticeable alcohol warming

Overall (7 of 10):

Pretty boldly flavored and reasonably complex with the fruit and malt (along with the brett). It's interesting how bitter it is as this is a well aged beer (Doh!) - prefer the hops to be in better balance with malt and fruit character

Beer J (2019):

Tasting Notes (44 of 50):

Aroma (10 of 12):

Fruity with a sweet and toasty malt character. Has a bit of an aged character - I think - slighty funky. Nice smelling beer

Appearance (2 of 3):

Pours with a thin wisp of foam that fades to nothing almost immediately. Reddish brown and very clear

Flavor (18 of 20):

Caramel and toasted bread are prominent along with a fruity character. Has a mild hop bitterness. The finish is sweet. It has a slight chocolate note. It is a very nice tasting beer

Mouthfeel (5 of 5):

Full bodied and sticky sweet on the palet. It drinks pretty smooth

Overall (9 of 10):

Bold, rich, and delicious beer. It has a nice amount of complexity with malt and fruit notes. Hides it's alcohol very well

Beer K (2022):

Tasting Notes (41 of 50):

Aroma (8 of 12):

Fruity with a wine like note - maybe oak in there as well. Smells nice but isn't a strong smell

Appearance (2 of 3):

Pours with a 3 finger head that fades to nothing almost immediately. Dark gold and very clear

Flavor (18 of 20):

Fruity and malty up front. No bitterness to it. The finish is of slightly sweet malt and maybe a bit of chocolate character. There is a bit of booze in there as well. Very nice tasting beer

Mouthfeel (4 of 5):

Full bodied and a bit sticky on the pallet. It's smooth drinking and has noticeable warming alcohol presense

Overall (9 of 10):

This is a nice boldly flavored beer with a pretty good level of complexity. The flavors are very nice as well

Beer L (2018):
- Tasting Notes (42 of 50):

The rankings this year:

2019 (44) - T-1
2021 (44) - T-1
2020 (43) - T-3
2024 (43) - T-3
2018 (42) - 5
2015 (41) - T-6
2022 (41) - T-6
2023 (39) - 8
2014 (38) - 9
2017 (37) - T-10
2025 (37) - T-10
2016 (35) - 12

Doing a 5 year trend of rankings (2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022):

2024 (T-3, T-1, NA, NA, NA) - 2.0
2021 (T-1, T-3, 1, 6, T-3) - 2.8
2019 (T-1, T-8, T-2, T-2, T-6) - 3.8
2020 (T-3, 5, 6, T-4, T-3) - 4.2
2022 (T-6, T-6, T-2, T-4, NA) - 4.5
2018 (5, T-1, 8, T-7, T-6) - 5.4
2015 (T-6, 11, T-2, 9, 5) - 6.6
2014 (9, T-8, 10, T-2, T-1) - 6.0
2017 (T-10, T-3, 9, 1, 8) - 6.2
2016 (12, T-6, 7, T-7, T-1) - 6.6
2023 (8, 10, T-2, NA, NA) - 6.7
2025 (T-10, NA, NA, NA, NA) - 10

Andrew's Homebrew Log

Pages

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

English Barleywine Vertical Tasting - 2026