All About Beer Magazine Article - Barley Wine
By jason on Jan 8, 2008 in Barleywines & Strong Ales, Beer Spotlight, Featured
There’s a great article on the barley wine style of beer in this months All About Beer magazine. Author K. Florian Klemp covers just about everything you would want to know about this extreme style of beer, from it’s historical origins to the intracicies of it’s brewing. It also goes in-depth to discuss the differences between American-style (more intensely hoppy) and English-style (more yeast character) barley wines.
Of course there’s also a good amount of info about cellaring barley wines; I pulled the following quote gems directly out of the article:
“Barley wine changes deliberately, but dramatically, over time, developing some winey, oxidative notes. English barley wines are especially famous for this, given that there is less hop intrusion, and usually a more characterful yeast at work. Some of these, such as J.W.Lees are delicious after a decade or more.”
I think I’ll have to pick an English Barley Wine or two really soon to find this out for myself!
“As barley wins are often vintage-dated, it is a unique experience to sample several years running of a particular brand, a vertical tasting.”
This is definitely one of the great joys of beer cellaring, being able to taste several vintages of the same beer in one sitting to see how the flavor profile progresses over the years.
“American Brewers’ embrace of barley wine over the past 20 years ensures that anyone can have a soothing goblet or an impressively-stocked cellar at their disposal.”
No argument from me here. There’s a ton of great barley wines out there for anyone to try out. The article specifically discusses four famous ones: Anchor Old Foghorn, Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, J.W.Lees Vintage Harvest Ale, and Great Divide Old Ruffian.
As far as my tastings go, be sure to look for my upcoming tasting notes for the just latest vintage of Brooklyn’s Monster Ale barley wine.
Jason
The four beers that the article cites are all good, but J.W. Lee’s stands well above the others. Honestly, do look for Thomas Hardy and George Gale’s Prize Old Ale. George Gale’s is an old ale and not a barley wine, but it develops similar characteristics as it ages. I’ve had a J.W. Lee’s Harvest Ale that was aged for 7 years and it was fantastic. It’s hard to find any of these that have been aging that long already, but well worth the price when you do. It takes a great deal of patience and willpower to age them for years on end.
techcommdood | Jan 8, 2008 | Reply
Prize Old Ale in its last years at Gale’s was, I am sorry to have to say, rubbish - flat as a toad in the road, no condition, no life, poor, very under=developed flavour. I look forward to tasting the Fuller’s version very much. Talking of whom, Vintage Ale makes great vertical tastings: best after two years, IMHO, but still very enjoyable at 10 years, undermining the idea that only dark ales age well.
Zythophile | Jan 8, 2008 | Reply
How serendipitous. The topic for February’s “Session” is barleywine.
Details here: http://www.thebrewsite.com/2008/01/08/announcing-the-session-12-barleywine.php
Al | Jan 8, 2008 | Reply
Looks like pretty good timing of posts on my part, right Al?
It shows you how much I know, I didn’t even know fullers was going to be coming out with the Prize Old Ale. Hope I’ll be able to find some. I haven’t seen any of the Vintage Ale ever here in Upstate NY.
I think I’ll crack open my Thomas Hardy and Prize Old Ales this week, you’ve inspired me a bit Bill
I’ll also be picking up some of the Harvest Ale soon, I know I’ve seen that on the shelves up here.
Jason | Jan 8, 2008 | Reply
You won’t be disappointed in the Harvest Ale. It’s one of my favorites. The young batches are very sweet but smooth, and the well-aged seem to all take on unique characteristics ranging from caramel to oak to plum.
techcommdood | Jan 9, 2008 | Reply