We brewed the Barleywine back on July 18, 2009. It’s over a year old at this point, and wow, has it aged well. During our tasting session the other night, Ray asked me when we brewed this. When I told him last July, he nearly did a spit-take of the precious liquid. Time flies when you’re working on myriad other projects, I suppose. It’s also our first beer without a fancy-schmancy name.

Appearance: Orangeish. amber brown. Opaquely cloudy. Thick, fluffy, off-white head.

Nose: Lots of dried fruit, caramel, malt and molasses. Slight hint of alcohol

Taste: Caramel, plum, fig, raisin. Very little bitterness. A bit of yeasty breadiness.

Mouthfeel: Creamy smooth with a CO2 bite.

Overall: We’re glad we let this sit and stew for a year before sitting down to do a formal tasting. When we first bottled, it had a distinct, flowery hoppiness and brightness that Ray felt was out of place for the type of barleywine we wanted to make. After a year of aging, it’s transformed into exactly what we wanted it to be. It has a great sophistication to it.

This was also the beer we sent up to Boston when The Town Dish headed up there for its “Dish on the Fly.” A bottle of the Barleywine was given to Charlie Cummings, brewer of Harpoon Brewery, who is also a homebrewer. We haven’t gotten any feedback from him yet, but if he’s tried it, I’d love to hear from him.

So, the Barleywine. Our first year-plus aged beer that has mellowed, ripened and come out strong. Maybe we should stash a bottle and open it next July.

Homebrewing, Tasting 3 Comments »