Destihl Antiquity Rye Wine

Brewed by Destihl Restaurant and Brew Works
Style: Barley Wine
Normal, Illinois USA

Serve in Snifter

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Out of the beers I tried at Destihl recently, this barleywine was by far my favorite. The high gravity is well hidden in the woody, earthy and roasted tones of this beer. Pours a beautiful ruby red to brown, a very tasty brew balanced very well.

Sample FOBAB ’12 - Didn’t get as much of this as I’d have liked, but enough to where I feel comfortable rating the beer. Aroma was quite boozy, with rye, roasted malts and some tropical fruit in the background. Flavor was quite tasty - full of sweet, sticky malts and tropical fruits, caramel and yeasty - pretty good overall, but the booze remained evident at a level that seemed like it could use a bit of time to mellow. Palate was not surprisingly a bit hot, but lasting and smooth otherwise. This brewery has impressed in the past and did not disappoint at the festival!

Sampled at GABF. Pours a clear, brick red with some creamy beige head. Boozy nose, vanilla, malt, caramel, cake icing. Sweet, boozy flavor, tropical fruit, malt, cloves, coconut rum. Full bodied, salty, sticky finish. Smooth, nice.

Medium amber/caramel colored pour. Aroma hits with toffee, rye, graham cracker. Flavor is a bit hoppier than expected but gives way to the caramel, cream sherry, brown sugar and honey. Another really great beer from my favorite new brewery!

On tap @ the brewpub in Champaign. Medium amber, low off white head. Aroma is nice: sweet toffee witha nice spicy quality and maybe a bit of kirsch. Sticky sweet malty palate with spicy nuances and that kirsch-like quality founding the nose. Warming finish. I really liked this.

Tap - small thick head, dark brown color, sweet rye and alcohol aroma and flavor (very strong alcohol taste),

Tap at Great Taste. Was surprised to see this one as it was unlisted in the program. Deep copper with an offwhite head. Nose is pretty nice. Spicy rye bread notes coupled with a deep caramel thing that is pretty nice. Faint hopping, but this is really about the malts. On taste, fully flavored with the rye layering in some needed dryness. Caramel dominates, in a good way. Good fermentation character. Definitely a fan of this one!

Draft on tap at the brewpub (Normal, IL). Pours a gorgeous rich copper brown hue, good glow, faint haze with a large light brown head atop that cakes a bit, stays decent sized with a healthy lacing. A gorgeous pour. Aromas are a rich malty melange of rye, touches of spice, caramel, toffee, biscuits, and toast. A touch of red licorice, with some light floral hops, but a deep down malty sweetness with some light complexity to the mix. Initial is a rich malty heavier bodied beer, throwing caramel, toffee, cherries and red stone fruit. Touches of red licorice, rye malts, faint spice, mellow smooth sweetness. Into the backend just a faint touch of heat, light floral hops bitter it just a touch as this barleywine stays true to a red fruit essence. A touch syrupy, with caramel, red cherries and currants. Finish is sweet and dry, mixing together with a sufficient hop bitterness, touches of toast, and light ABV heat (which doesn’t detract at all). Nice, a bit sweet and red fruit dominant (and generally I’m very sensitive to cough syrup like red fruit), but not bad.

Shared with a very nice neighbor at DLD. Aroma is carmelized malts with notes of black pepper, alcohol, rye, and dark fruit. Palate is thick and chewy with little carbonation. Flavor is sweet. Very different, but enjoyable none the less.

Had from a growler at DLD ’11. You could really taste the rye in this one. It was pretty consistent with a barley wine, it the same texture and same tastes. Good offering