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 under the guise of ’’Bourbon Barrel Barleywine 2008’’. Wonderful aroma; sweet, butterscotch and plenty of strength. Hazy reddish amber color with light tan, tight bubble head that lasts. This brew is outstanding. Silky smooth caramel butter slides from the front to the back of the tongue, igniting the palate like a spark ignites a pilot light. The alcohol zaps your tongue on the finish and is considerably warming. It’s not every day that you have a barrel aged barleywine, so it doesn’t remind me of many other barleywines, although it does fit the style with its palpable malt bill and high gravity profile. I picked this brew up along with the bourbon barrel cherry stout, at Woodman’s in Madison expecting very good beers, but not necessarily world class beers. I paid $3.19 a piece for 12 oz bottles. I’m quite impressed. I remember 5-6 years ago attending a bottle only beer fest in Wisconsin Rapids with about 20 brewers represented and Central Waters’ offerings clearly best of show. There’s talent in that house beyond the bourbon barrel stout, which I see is only 1 point ahead of this brew in average rating. I dig this brew and perhaps it’s enough to pull me out of my rating hiatus?

12 oz bottle. Pours hazy red amber. Aroma is raisin, dried cherries, vanilla. Taste of cherry, bourbon, vanilla.

Bottle shared with northropfrye in a snifter. The aroma is exquisite. This is a excellent sipping barley wine. Strong flavour of bourbon and sweet malts. Enjoyable on a cold day.

I tend to find these bourbon barleywines a bit too much, too sweet. This is a great beer, but not my favourite style. Dark amber in colour, very little head. Intense sweet malt, grain, bourbon aroma. Flavour to match.

12 oz. bottle. It pours a nice deep copper color with a thick off white head. The aroma is really nice with layers of sweet fig, raisin, toffee, vanilla and wood. Vanilla and toffee really jump out. The flavor is again, very sweet yet expertly balanced with a piney, earthy bitterness near the finish. Up front it displays fig, caramel, vanilla followed by a strong alcohol presence that cuts the sweetness and richness on the palate. There’s some wood in there too, but its pretty subdued. It’s very full bodied and rich with a perfect amount of carbonation. Loved this one!

Bottle thanks to lemonhead. Cloudy amber pour no head. Lovely aroma. Rich caramel, bourbon, wood and vanilla. Flavors were no surprise. Lots of bourbon, caramel, sweet with a rather dry oaky finish. Mouthfeel was in the medium range with subtle carbonation. Awesome stuff, I need more. Nice cigar BW.

On tap at Local Option. Brown with quarter inch cream head with good retention. Aroma is bourbon, oak, and caramel. Flavor is this plus vanilla and a little chocolate. A dryer finish than expected for a BA barleywine. Very nice.

2012 Vintage. Bottle. Poured a cloudy amber brown color. Small head. Powerful aroma of oak and bourbon barrel wood, which dominate aroma. Some caramal and floral/fruit pine hop aroma also present. Taste is Medium light sweetness, medlight bitter, and huge bourbon barrel flavors with some warming alchohol. Medium-heavy body. Softer carbonation. Long Finish. Outstanding sipper. I almost put this on the rocks:)

Bottle from Skyview, thanks! Clear ruby copper with a vanishing thin tan head. Aroma of bourbon, alcohol, malt, toffee, vanilla, oak and some sugar. Taste is a bit boozy with vanilla, oak, sweet malt, dark fruits. Rich and finishes with some warming.

Thanks to levifunk for this bottle. Pours a deep copper color with a tan head that goes to a ring. Smells of rich malt, figs, caramel. Taste is bourbon, caramel, sizable alcohol burn. Medium body crisp carbonation.

Sampled from 12oz bottle. Poured a dark brown color with a light tan head. Aroma was sweet malts, with touch of dried fruits (raisin) and a touch of bourbon notes. Flavor was a bit sweet, in malty characters. Pretty tasty.