Barley Wine Festival

[loaf]

Heading out to this in two weeks:

 

Barley Wine Festival

 

It's getting close but we still have spots available for our 1st Barley Wine Festival on February 27th at the Independence Winking Lizard Tavern. There will be two sessions that day, one from 1pm-4pm and then 5pm-8pm. The beer selection contains Barley Wine, Wheat Wine and Old Ale to sample. The event will be $35 per person ($30 for 2010 World Tourists) and will include 10 samples of beer, a sandwich and pizza buffet and a commemorative tasting glass you get to keep. We'll have some vintage selections and rarities to enjoy. Check out the list below:

 

Draft List

 

Left Hand Widdershins

 

Heavy Seas Below Decks Cabernet Barrel Aged

 

Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot

 

New Holland Pilgrims Dole

 

2004 Sierra Nevada Bigfoot

 

Mad River John Barley Corn Barleywine

 

Bottle List

 

Souther Tier Back Burner

 

Avery Hog Heaven

 

Great Divide Old Ruffian

 

Norrebro Little Korkney Barleywine

 

North Coast Old Stock Ale

 

Stone Old Guardian

 

Victory Old Horizontal

 

Brauerei Hofstettens Barleywine

 

Brooklyn Monster

 

Thomas Hardy's 40th Anniversary Ale

[Kid Cid]

You must bring back and post all of your tasting notes. I tend not to be a big fan of barleywines as they seem out of balance to me, but I'd really like to hear when you have to say.

[untateve]

You must bring back and post all of your tasting notes. I tend not to be a big fan of barleywines as they seem out of balance to me, but I'd really like to hear when you have to say.

 

I don't know enough about tasting to use the phrase "out of balance." I will say that barley wine doesn't taste right to me.

[evil_gop_liars]

Love me some barley wine. Although I haven't had many on your list, 2004 Big Foot should be solid on tap and I have never really cared for the Hog Heaven. I think I would head straight for the North Coast Old Stock line, that beer sounds delicious and I've always been a fan of North Coast.

 

If you like these styles of beer try and find Hair of the dog. These are some very good beverages.

[bushwacked]

Sounds like an intoxicating good time. I have a friend who can pound barleywine like it's Coors Light.

[detlef]

You must bring back and post all of your tasting notes. I tend not to be a big fan of barleywines as they seem out of balance to me, but I'd really like to hear when you have to say.

 

 

I don't know enough about tasting to use the phrase "out of balance." I will say that barley wine doesn't taste right to me.

Well, if he means that there's usually too much malt and sweetness vs hops to balance, then I would tend to agree. In general, I find them to be beers that I appreciate more than I enjoy, much like some of the massive reds coming out of Spain right now. Super impressive but often not what I'm looking for.

 

I've actually put some barleywines down for aging, as it seems sugars tend to become less apparent with some time in the bottle. We'll see what happens.

 

That said, I would love to go to something like this. Just to be able to register, for myself, a benchmark on the style.

[chester]

I've actually put some barleywines down for aging, as it seems sugars tend to become less apparent with some time in the bottle. We'll see what happens.

 

I've got enough in my cellar to last forever (at least a few hundred). going back to a few Thomas Hardy 1992s. Love barley wine, Wish I could go. Have fun!

[Kid Cid]

Well, if he means that there's usually too much malt and sweetness vs hops to balance, then I would tend to agree. In general, I find them to be beers that I appreciate more than I enjoy, much like some of the massive reds coming out of Spain right now. Super impressive but often not what I'm looking for.

 

I've actually put some barleywines down for aging, as it seems sugars tend to become less apparent with some time in the bottle. We'll see what happens.

 

That said, I would love to go to something like this. Just to be able to register, for myself, a benchmark on the style.

That's exactly what I mean. Barleywines are super hopped, high alcohol beers. In order to make them palatable because of the high hops content, a lot of sweetness is left in the beer as well. What you end up with is something that is highly hopped, very sweet, and often not drinkable IMO. When a beer is balanced properly, you taste both the hops (both the bittering and the flavoring) as well as the underlying sweetness. However the tastes are well defined, without out one becoming dominant to the ruination of the taste or the whole thing become a disgusting cloying mess.

[loaf]

it is not my favorite style and I actually almost vomited trying to finish a bottle. That was a year or so ago so I thought it might have been just that one. Going with a group so we'll see.

[detlef]

That's exactly what I mean. Barleywines are super hopped, high alcohol beers. In order to make them palatable because of the high hops content, a lot of sweetness is left in the beer as well. What you end up with is something that is highly hopped, very sweet, and often not drinkable IMO. When a beer is balanced properly, you taste both the hops (both the bittering and the flavoring) as well as the underlying sweetness. However the tastes are well defined, without out one becoming dominant to the ruination of the taste or the whole thing become a disgusting cloying mess.

Funny, I was going to call BS on your comment that they're super-hopped but looked it up just to be sure. I'll be damned, they are typically pretty hopped. I never would have guessed that because I enjoy a double IPA much more than a barleywine and I always thought that was because the double IPA had enough hops to carry the malt and barleywines didn't. However, looking it up shows that they're both in the same range with regard to both gravity and IBUs.

 

So now I'm just confused.

[bushwacked]

Funny, I was going to call BS on your comment that they're super-hopped but looked it up just to be sure. I'll be damned, they are typically pretty hopped. I never would have guessed that because I enjoy a double IPA much more than a barleywine and I always thought that was because the double IPA had enough hops to carry the malt and barleywines didn't. However, looking it up shows that they're both in the same range with regard to both gravity and IBUs.

 

So now I'm just confused.

 

 

Shows how much stuff like black patent, roasted barley, and chocolate malt can attribute to the flavor.

[evil_gop_liars]

Funny, I was going to call BS on your comment that they're super-hopped but looked it up just to be sure. I'll be damned, they are typically pretty hopped. I never would have guessed that because I enjoy a double IPA much more than a barleywine and I always thought that was because the double IPA had enough hops to carry the malt and barleywines didn't. However, looking it up shows that they're both in the same range with regard to both gravity and IBUs.

 

So now I'm just confused.

 

 

These are some serious high gravity ales. The only way to balance these babies out is to dump the hops to them and typically something with a high Alpha Acid. The other interesting thing about barley wines. When made they usually drain the lauter tun and thats it. Meaning they don't rinse the mash and most of those brewers will make second beer out of rinse of the same mash. I believe they call it a "small" beer. So with any luck Loaf may get to taste the small batch also.

 

 

The brewery I linked to earlier "Hair of the dog" makes a beer called Adam and when they first came out their small beer was called Eve. But for some reason the people in charge of allowing names on alcoholic beverages would not allow it.

[Kid Cid]

Funny, I was going to call BS on your comment that they're super-hopped but looked it up just to be sure. I'll be damned, they are typically pretty hopped. I never would have guessed that because I enjoy a double IPA much more than a barleywine and I always thought that was because the double IPA had enough hops to carry the malt and barleywines didn't. However, looking it up shows that they're both in the same range with regard to both gravity and IBUs.

 

So now I'm just confused.

One of the oldest barleywines, Thomas Hardy's, actually does vintages on them. They really are designed to be set down for five or more years in order to let the hops mellow. I seriously don't get the point. It's not like you end up with a unique flavor profile that you cannot get in any other fashion.

[Kid Cid]

These are some serious high gravity ales. The only way to balance these babies out is to dump the hops to them and typically something with a high Alpha Acid. The other interesting thing about barley wines. When made they usually drain the lauter tun and thats it. Meaning they don't rinse the mash and most of those brewers will make second beer out of rinse of the same mash. I believe they call it a "small" beer. So with any luck Loaf may get to taste the small batch also.

 

 

The brewery I linked to earlier "Hair of the dog" makes a beer called Adam and when they first came out their small beer was called Eve. But for some reason the people in charge of allowing names on alcoholic beverages would not allow it.

Doing a comparison of the barleywine and the small beer would be a very cool thing.

[loaf]

my Cousin just called me and wants to fly me down to Florida. His Brother, my other Cousin is turning 30 and he wants me there to surprise him. Yep, on the 27th.

I said I just paid for this dinner. I hope the ticket's transferable...looks like I'm calling the Lizard tomorrow. Hope my buddy who I booked with can find someone to use the ticket