Central Waters Brewers Reserve Bourbon Barrel Barleywine

Brewed by Central Waters Brewing Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Amherst, Wisconsin USA

Serve in Snifter

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Bottle courtesy of bytemesis. Hazy caramel color, virtually no carbonation, just the slightest dusting of foam settles permanently on the surface. Aroma is very boozy. There is a sweet raisiny quality mixed with a dash of hops but it is overpowered by the alcohol and so doesn’t assert itself as strongly as I would like. The taste brings in some caramely/chocolatey notes in a vain attempt to balance the sharp alcohol and bitterness. Hop bitterness stays nicely through the finish, an unexpected aspect that I really enjoy about this beer. Palate is quite dry. Overall, a little rough around the edges for my tastes.

12oz bottle in a snifter. Pours deep brown with a lacy, beige head. Aroma of bourbon, oak, vanilla, lots of caramel and toffee and hints of chocolate, plus some light hops. Flavor the same with a great blend of bourbon and a barley wine. Smooth, thicker texture. A good beer.

Bottle shared by Irishboy. Pours very hazy, dirty dark brown with no head. Aroma is like bourbon with raisins. Flavor is toffee, bourbon, raisin. Maybe a hint of oak. It’s not heavily sweet, so there must be some hop in it. It’s very exceedingly tasty.

12 oz bottle from Bytemysis. Nose is vanilla, toffee, golden raisins, and hints of bourbon, oak, and cotton candy. Lightly hazy rust with a small beige head. Flavor is vanilla, light bourbon, toffee, and dark fruit.

Pour is more of a dark aurburn with a fairly tall head. Smelled the bourbon right when i cracked it open. Great aroma. Bourbon with earthy hop notes along with chocolate. The bourbon is upfront in this, so if thats not your style you may not like it. Almost a sweet taste to the bourbon. Maybe a caramel. Great brew all around.

Bottle from Sherm1016 gift pack....THANKS! Pours a foggy brown with a booze filled bourbon nose....some lacing from a thin tan head. Nose and initial taste is bourbon and sweet malt. Letting it warm as well speak, so to speak. Light carbonation. Medium body....lingering boozy finish. Will have another after they age a little.

Pours a very dark amber, almost brown with a finger of creamy, beige head. Decent amount of lacing. Nose is incredible. Bourbon, vanilla, chocolate and alcohol. The alcohol hits you from a foot away. Mouth is awesome as well. bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, plum. The alcohol is not hidden at all. A nice bourbon burn as it moves down the throat. I get a slight nutty aftertaste mixed with the booze. Reminds me of Nutella. This beer was awesome.

I had this beer at FOBAB and love it. Loved it so much in fact that I traded for a four pack. This is one of my bottles served tonight in a snifter. Dark amber...no, brown, colored pour with a white head that recedes to a jagged white ring on the glass. Aroma is bourbon and toasted coconut, milk chocolate, and almonds. Smells like a milk chocolate Almond Joy with a hefty dose of bourbon. Taste much boozier than I experienced on tap. All I really get is butane and young whiskey. This is a far cry from what I had at FOBAB so I think this is going to age and await a rerate.

Pours a deep ruby color with a half finger, tan head that quickly dissipates. Leaves a bit of nice lacing. Bourbon, wood and alcohol are the aromas that stand out. Besides that, I get vanilla, toffee, plumb, and a bit of milk chocolate. Bourbon and alcohol burn goes all the way down, with a decent sweetness and a bit of a milk chocolate aftertaste. A bit of a slow sipper, but not as big as other barleywines I’ve had. The bourbon is quite prominent, and maybe took away from the other qualities of the beer. With that said, I did really enjoy this beer.

[Bottle, thanks Guerde!] Pours reddish-brown with a small beige head. Aroma is a blast of bourbon, especially coconut, with a lot of marshmallow and caramel, some peppery (black) notes at times, and prune. Taste is...wow, does not hide the alcohol very well. After that though, quite nice--uncannily like a liquid Samoa Girl Scout cookie with the big bourbon presence. After warming, some strawberry jam appears. Really good mouthfeel, long finish. Overall, enjoyable, but the booziness does detract a little. Thanks for the bottle, Andy!