FiftyFifty Barrel Aged Old Conundrum Barley Wine Blend

Brewed by FiftyFifty Brewing Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Truckee, California USA

Serve in Snifter

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Sampled from the tap at 2011 FOBAB. Poured a cloudy dark amber brown with a yellowish brown head that dissipated to the edges. Aroma had a good amount of toffee with some sweet grains and caramel backed by barrel. Flavor had a good amount of brandy with sweet grains, caramel and a hint of sweet chocolate.

pour is a rustic orange with a tight tan head. The nose has the overly sweet note I get often from brandy aged beers. Almost like a sweet magic marker but I don’t believe it to be acetone. Light chocolate notes and sweet muddled malts. Cherry and berry notes in back add some pleasantry. The taste is similar but the marker isn’t really present. Still a touch sweet brandy on a sweet beer with berries and light chocolate undertones. The body is very drinkable, full but not heavy and a nice Assertivve carb. There is some alcohol heat in the finish but not overwhelming by any stretch. Not horrible but overly sweet and brandy isn’t my favorite barrel aging apparatus as I find it makes the beer cloying.

FoBAB 11’ Pours a dark ruby to black with off white head. Nose and taste are sweet, boozy, malty. Interesting beer, makes me want to try more of their offerings. BA is well done on this and beer is very balanced.

Sampled at FOBAB, 2011. A nice, thick, deep cream head, and an opaque, dark crimson body. The aroma is well balanced and filled with roasted malts, fruity cherries, rich malty whisky, mixed spicy herbals, fruity citrus hops, and and a brandy note that plays quite with the scheme of things. It’s really hard not to love this nose. The feel is strong, rich, malty, and fruity. These fruits, along with herbal wine, and whisky almost muddle together, but somehow each finds a way to hold on to their own identities. Also, vanilla, spices, creamy caramels, and rye toast. I seem to pick up something new with every sip. So many interesting things hit you at once. It lingers with a roasty, spicy herbal. The more i sipped on this, the more I liked. This was big BA barelywine done very well. Great stuff!

FOBAB 2011. Pours a dark brown colored body with a very creamy, brown head that dissipates slowly and leaves lots of lacing. Aroma is really impressive. Lots of barrel with a nice spice and brandy with a good amount of sweet malts remaining in the back with caramel and molasses. A bit of a dark fruitiness and a good amount of hops still remain as well. Everything blends nicely and I get a hint of chocolate as this warms a bit. Flavor is similar with the brandy really coming out nicely. Rye spice up front with a good amount of caramel and some chocolate, molasses, and raisin dark fruits. Hops come in again and blend with the rye spice to give this a moderate bitterness. Brandy comes out some more at the end as this finishes dry with a light heat and leaves a lengthy aftertaste. Full, smooth body with a soft, moderate carbonation. Overall, an impressive beer. Everything is well balanced and integrated equally. The brandy barrel comes out a bit more on the flavor, but never overpowers. Very well balanced and bold. I really like how the hops and rye spice mix with the rich malts.

A dark reddish brown barley wine with a thin mocha head. In aroma, a smooth vinous malt with treacle, lightly pungent hops, quite nice and smooth. In mouth, a classy barley wine wit treacle malt, raisins, tobacco notes, some coffee notes, warming alcohol, rich and smooth. On tap at FoBAB 2011.