I’m what you call a craft beer nerd.
As a veteran homebrewer and enthusiast of all things malt and hops, there’s perhaps no greater pleasure than spending an hour or two in my favorite watering hole with a good book and a selection of well-brewed and flavorful beers. Since we’re firmly in the grasp of Father Winter’s chill, I want my chosen tipple to be full-bodied, complex, and potent enough to warm my spirits when the winds are howling and the temperatures are, well, unpleasant.
Of all the styles recognized by the BJCP, there are only two that meet my criteria for a cold-weather sipper: American and English barleywines. They’re the brewer’s answer to brandy: strong (8 to 14% ABV), malty ales meant for long-aging and slow sipping. You can expect aromas and flavors of toffee, dark fruit (prunes and raisins), molasses, and dark bread.
While the creation of the first barleywine is lost in the steam of hundreds of British brew kettles, they emerged as a distinctly named style with Bass No. 1 in 1854. The Burton brewery of Bass, Ratcliff and Gretton began producing what they called a Strong Burton Ale -- strong enough to prevent spoilage by souring organisms during aging. It is likely that farmhouse examples were brewed long before, but, sadly, those recipes are lost to the ages.
The name “barley wine” came into common usage sometime around 1903, again thanks to the marketing saavy of the Burton brewers.
The Crown nearly taxed strong ales into extinction through the mid-part of the 20th century. Higher-gravity beers were taxed at a higher rate than smaller, session beers. The tax structure and grain rationing imposed during the two World Wars was enough to limit barleywine production to a small handful of stubborn breweries by the 1960s.
The rise of microbrewery and craft beer production here in the States in the late 80s resurrected the style, with American versions featuring more heady hop character -- notably, lots of citrus and pine from Centennial and Cascade hop varieties. English examples tend to feature more floral and earthy hop character. Fuggles and East Kent Goldings are prominent in English barleywines.
I prefer the slightly sweeter, less aggressively hopped English variety to the American hop monsters, so my style notes with focus there.
Aroma: Rich, malty. Caramel and dark fruit in the nose, with some background earthy English hop aroma. Aged versions make take on a vinous or sherry-like character as low-level oxidation develops. Some alcohol notes may be present, but they’re usually well hidden behind the toffee, caramel, and breadiness. Breadiness is a difficult aroma descriptor to explain fully; reminiscent of freshly-baked dark bread, like rye or pumpernickel.
Appearance: Color may range from rich gold to very dark amber or even dark brown.
Flavor: Complex malt flavors ranging from bready and biscuity through nutty, deep toast, dark caramel, toffee, and/or molasses (detecting a theme?). Alcohol is well-hidden, so sip slowly. These are beers to savor and experience in moderation.
Mouthfeel: Full-bodied and chewy, with a smooth warmth from aged alcohol. Carbonation is typically low.
Regional Examples:
Technically speaking, only Weyerbacher’s Blithering Idiot is an English-style barleywine; expect much more piney, citrusy American hop character in the others. Victory Old Horizontal is a personal favorite.
Victory Old Horizontal (Downingtown, PA) 11% ABV
Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot (Easton, PA) 11% ABV
Allentown Brew Works Big Bad Barleywine (Allentown, PA) 10% ABV -- retired
Appalachian Bee Sting (Harrisburg, PA) 11.8% ABV - limited release, now retired
Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine (Lewes, DE) 15% ABV - fermented with dates and figs
Troegs Flying Mouflan (Hershey, PA) 9.3% ABV
If you want to chase away winter’s chill with these brawny sippers and more, I recommend patronizing these local watering holes with a craft beer focus:
Federal Taphouse (locations in Harrisburg and Lancaster)
Holy Hound Taproom (York)
The Garlic Poet (New Cumberland)
Al’s of Hampden/Pizza Boy Brewing Company (Enola) -- they have Blithering Idiot on nitro right now, so get here soon.
All of these spots rotate taps frequently, so be sure to check their websites for current taplists.
