On tap at the brewery. Pours a dark brown with small beige head. The aroma is candy sugar, brett, toffee, caramel, wood. Medium mouth, caramel very sweet, light brett, really nice.

Big malts very toffee and caramel some smoke but very little smoke more peat malt. Nice earthy happiness, great heat from alcohol but not too booze like. Finishes with mouth full of rich flavors.

Bottle at Aaron’s Pre-Wedding Bash. Pour is deep brown with a small tan head and decent lacing. Tangy, leather, soy sauce, big caramel, brown sugar, dark cherries, and grapes in the aroma. Taste is toasted caramel, coconut, cocoa, lightly woody, some grapes, dark fruits and leather with a slightly tangy finish. Slick mouthfeel with soft carbonation. Decent barleywine but not what I anticipated.

On draft at the brewery - Pours dark brown with light tan head. Deep toffee/caramel aroma. Full mouthfeel of creamy, boozy chocolate. High ABV hidden well...drinks dangerously smooth!

On draft at Dragoon, 6oz pour Dark Mahogany color, not much head. Smells rich and sweet, maybe caramel?, almost like an old ale. Sweet malty taste; toffee, caramel.. Finished with whiskey finishes with finishes with touch of alcohol. The sweetness of the beer blends beautifully with the flavor of barrel. This is top 2 barleywines I've ever had, neck and neck with smog city bourbon OE and possibly best beer ever brewed in Arizona.

This Barleywine is more like a complex Old Ale. Notes of caramel, toffee, crème brulee, and touches of chocolate. The alcohol is well hidden and the sweetness is not over the top. Subtle barrel character. I believe this was aged in a wine barrel that was last filled with whisky, if I recall correctly. There is a bit of oxidation, which is not detrimental at this point, giving it a nice, ripened character. Going to try to enjoy as much as possible while it lasts.

Sampled January 2015
Arrives from the tap with a brown body below a tan ring head. Sweet,rich, nutty malt, lots of caramelized grain, hints of warming alcohol, but this is quite smooth for the strength. After a bit some spicy oak character comes out, and even some nut accentuating toasted oak character towards the finish. Slightly smoky brown sugar, lots of dark fruit character; prune, fig, and raisin, maybe even some caramelized date.

Sweet tasting, but not cloying, lots of caramelized character, but this is all well balanced by a nutty, toasted brown grain, and spicy, woody oak character. The oak character is somewhat subtle, which is perfect for me. The body is thick and rich, but when slowly sipped I don’t feel like it is too much. This is big enough that it even has a bit of a savory quality to it, an almost smokiness even (perhaps from the barrel influence). There is a soft fruitiness here that contributes some sweet plum, some fig, raisin, and a touch of Bourbon like fruit character.

This is a big beer that is quite smooth and quite well done, coming from a person that can be quite skeptical of big beers and, even more so of barrel aged ones.

Smell is caramel and chocolate. Taste is the same with a bit of alcohol taste and warmth. Full body with a smooth creamy texture.

UPDATED: AUG 27, 2017 One of the best AZ beers I've had. Perfect mouthfeel, not cloying like many BA barleywines. Tastes of molasses and toasty chocolate with a smooth whiskey kick. This should put Dragoon on the map. Please get a chance to try this.

Such an amazing and complex beer. I'm not sure they'll be able to recreate the magic that happened in this batch... But I sure hope so! ---Rated via Beer Buddy by Me