BTN: Barleywines at the Jug Shop

Heavy-duty. The real stuff. Headed in to San Francisco for a tasting of 11 different barleywines at the Jug Shop. As the crowd gathered, the beers started with the New Belgium Grand Cru (9.5%) which was rounded with notes of caramel, lots of carbonation, and came off as clean and bright. Pleasant (and cheap!). Following that, from Denmark came the Amager Batch One (9.2%), which had a bit of age on it (a little more than a year). To be honest, the nose reminded me of cat food (but can't recall what brand), but came off as chewy, caramelly, with a crunchy, earthy element that seemed focused indeed. Very interesting. The Telegraph Rhinoceros (10%) from southern California was earthier and darker, huge, and I mean huge carbonation, slightly tart, big and aggressive with lots of flavor, yet seemingly little presence at the moment. Carbonated foaminess completely takes over the beer. The Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Jack and Ken's (10.2%) from Chico is showing its age very nicely indeed, the nose is a bit recessed, but the taste is beautifully structured, complex, intricate, alas a tad more alcohol than I'd like, but this is barleywine afterall, and you feel it more than taste it. This beer is doing amazingly at the moment. The 2011 North Coast Old Stock Ale certainly stood apart from the pack--leather, earthy, vegetal and sweaty, lots of nonbeer aromas and flavor suggestions. Yet feels slightly aged. I am intrigued. Reminded me a bit of aged stonefruit. Perhaps I should set some of this aside to see how it develops, though I'm not sure I'd ever love it. From (technically) Belgium, the De Dochter van de Korenaar Embrasse (10.9%) was more about rhubarb funk on thie nose, and that sour touch (which I loved) came through on the palate as well. A malt roll-up with salt. Yummy! The Green Flash Barleywine (10.9%) from southern California was not doing well at all. Perhaps a bad bottle? No presence, felt hot and faded. Heat damaged? In a funk? Not very worth drinking at the moment, in any case. From Utah, the Uinta XVII Anniversary Barleywine (10%) was raisiny, warm, and suggested superripe fruits with bundles and bundles of hops. An OTT approach that I don't much love, but others certainly do. Back to southern California, the Alesmith Old Numbskull (11%) had a touch of that funk in the nose, and though very strong, tasted beautifully integrated, savory, dark and superb. This is a barleywine I could spend the wee hours with. Finally, from the Danish gypsy brewer, the Mikkeller Big Bad Worse Bourbon Barrel Edition (12%) had a lovely, lovely layered ose, but the richness and concentration made it particularly hard to process at the moment. Stuffing aplenty, now it needs time aplenty. And my limit, being reached, it was off into the cool San Francisco air and back home.

I very much liked the SN 30th Anniversary. I will say I'm officially sick of Bourbon barrel aged anything. Well except Bourbon.

Remember the days when many Barleywines would be in the 7-8% (original Foghorn, Moonraker, etc.) and anything above was really rare. Now 7% is practically considered a session pint.

Remember the days when many Barleywines would be in the 7-8% (original Foghorn, Moonraker, etc.) and anything above was really rare. Now 7% is practically considered a session pint.

It will be interesting to see how things develop from this juncture. There seems to be a new niche emerging in the Bay Area of lower alcohol session type beers, but those are usually not bottled. The bottled beers that seem to generate the most buzz are higher alcohol (whether imperial IPA, barleywine, bourbon-barrel aged), sour beers, and the growing experimentation with saisons. Low alcohol session beers seem to take up very little shelf space 'round these parts.

Remember the days when many Barleywines would be in the 7-8% (original Foghorn, Moonraker, etc.) and anything above was really rare. Now 7% is practically considered a session pint.

It will be interesting to see how things develop from this juncture. There seems to be a new niche emerging in the Bay Area of lower alcohol session type beers, but those are usually not bottled. The bottled beers that seem to generate the most buzz are higher alcohol (whether imperial IPA, barleywine, bourbon-barrel aged), sour beers, and the growing experimentation with saisons. Low alcohol session beers seem to take up very little shelf space 'round these parts.

And in general I think that makes sense. Session beers tend, not exclusively mind, to lend themselves to the draft/cask format. I will say that craft beer shelf and tap space, at least hereabouts, tends to be over run with the nuclear powered, obscenely hopped, and/or aged in proximity of liquor barrel types. Not that I mind any of those, there's a time and a place for everything. That said my local a couple of weeks back did not have a single one of its taps below 7%.

I don't have the experience you do, but I'm a big fan of barleywine as a category, perhaps because it reminds me the most of grapewine in terms of mouthfeel and complexity. Although as you said, the alcoholic kick takes some managing.

Earlier this summer I had a Sierra Nevada barleywine that was just too simple and plodding. I don't remember the version, but doesn't sound like the 30th Anniversary one you had. My best memories of barleywine are from the UK, they make some incredibly layered and age-worthy versions. Perfect at the gastropub!

I'm a big fan of barleywine as a category, perhaps because it reminds me the most of grapewine in terms of mouthfeel and complexity. Although as you said, the alcoholic kick takes some managing.

This is interesting, as I was considering what wines I would compare the category to as I responded to Kelly's posts above. I know a number of winegeeks who have found their way into serious beer appreciation via sour/wild beers, and a good number of people find the experiences they have in that category are the most 'winelike'. When I think of barleywines in the abstract, I think of categories of wine I love and appreciate, yet rarely drink (Trockenbeerauslese, Port, Tokaj). Yet there's a lot more situation-specific sorting. Sure a bottle of the Mikkeller Big Bad Worse might require a dinner party of eight to imbibe slowly at the end of a meal, but I'd have no problem slurping down half of a 750 of AleSmith Old Numbskull with an old friend in front of a fireplace. Interesting indeed!

This is interesting, as I was considering what wines I would compare the category to as I responded to Kelly's posts above. I know a number of winegeeks who have found their way into serious beer appreciation via sour/wild beers, and a good number of people find the experiences they have in that category are the most 'winelike'. When I think of barleywines in the abstract, I think of categories of wine I love and appreciate, yet rarely drink (Trockenbeerauslese, Port, Tokaj).

Perhaps you're right. Barleywine certainly doesn't remind me of the pleasures of a young Beaujolais. I didn't really reflect on the reason, but perhaps it made me think 'wine' because barleywine has less carbonation than many other beers? Hence the texture is easier to feel and roll around the mouth? But yes, it's definitely more of a rich style.