Flossmoor Station Sheol Barleywine

Formerly brewed at Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Flossmoor, Illinois USA

Serve in Snifter

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On tap at Flossmoor Station and served in a goblet. This barley wine poured a muddy mahogany brown with some light ruby highlights and a foamy beige head that slowly settled into a thin layer that lasted the duration of the glass. A healthy amount of thick, sticky lacing was left behind. The aroma of the beer was made up of huge malty notes of caramel and toffee, as well as a touch of grass and pine. The flavor consisted of caramel, toffee, mild citrus, pine, and a nice lightly warming alcohol note. The mouthfeel was full-bodied with minimal carbonation. A very tasty brew. Well done guys.

Big thanks to Russ for bringing this to compare to the Wooden Hell at our tasting...This looks just like WH, a light watery brown not much head to speak off...This takes a huge turn at aroma and taste, while it is nice its now where in the league of WH. Aroma is light dark fruits and caramel. Taste is light woody hops. This is a decent bw, nothing great. Maybe this needs to be drunk on its own and not compared to wh as it is utterly outclassed.

Bottle brought by scubarex to our Epic Chicago Tasting, thanks Russ! Poured side-by-side with Wooden Hell (thanks again, Russ) into tasting glasses (I’ve added WH notes as well). A - Pours a Coke-looking brown, light bubbles as cap on top, no lacing, little retention. Looking just like WH. S - Sweet burnt sugars, candy notes, brown sugar, dark fruits. Very nice. Not as complex as the WH, but pretty solid here. The barrel notes add another dimension to this beer, IMO. T - Sweetness, dark fruits, plums, raisins, with a slight bitter finish. I think there’s some oxidation going on here as well. I know the bottle was stored in proper conditions (55 degrees) since purchase, so any bottles remaining out there need to be consumed. M - Medium, dry finish. D - Good, but not in the same ballpark as WH is at this time. I think it’s going downhill but still has a bit of time left. Drink now if you have one.

22oz bottle. About a year old I think. Hazy mahogany with medium head. Beautiful aroma of caramel malts and citrus hops poking through. Taste starts with caramel and light dark fruit, but a huge hop bitterness comes in and overwhelms all other flavors. Just too much. Might be awesome in a year or two, but way out of whack for the malt base at this point still.

bottle. Thanks Tim. pours a thick woody brown pour with thin lasting head. aroma is rich malts, earthy hops, dark fruits, wet cardboard. very nice balance. great hops. rich caramel and baked bread, light rye. big malty body with excellent balanced and smooth drinkability. light warming.

Tap at the brewpub. Flavor is very sweet, sherry-like. They didn’t mention any vintage information, so I assume this was fresh, but it tasted like it was already many years old. Well integrated and pretty easy drinking but not big or complex enough. Lots of candy flavors and sugars. Kind of greasy in the aroma.

edit: turns out this was a keg from 2007. So not too old, but definitely had some age on it.

On tap at the brewpub. This poured amber/burnt orange/brown in color with a thin head. The nose gave off aromas of fig, sweet caramel malt, brown sugar and dark fruit. In the mouth it was sweet, rich, smooth and concentrated.

On tap at brewpub. Pours ruby reddish brown with off-white head. Aroma is sweet malt, hops, brown sugar and dark fruits. Flavor is sweet malt, brown sugar, dark fruits, caramel, and hops. A sweet barley wine that could use a little more hops but still a great beer.

Draught at tasting at the pub 8/23/08. Reddish amber very sweet syrupy malt. Full body creamy. Hops are there making this a little spicy but overwhelmed by the overall sweet malty character. A sweet american style barleywine.

Pours bronze / mahogany with a small tan head. The aroma has deep caramel, brown sugar, dark red fruits and some abv. Medium / thick body with some fairly sharp carbonation. The flavor starts with dry caramel, medicinal traits, and the traits from the aroma only they are more dry and a bit muted. The finish is dry and earthy with harsh hops. An okay beer, but the taste doesn’t live up to the aroma.

On tap at the station. I’m in love with the wooden hell, so I’m glad I got to try its base. Pours a clear amber with a thick creamy head. Caramel malts, burnt toffee, and slightly biscuity aroma. Toffee caramel malts that are slightly burnt and creamy with a touch of dark fruits and brown sugar. Alcohol is present but not overwhelming. Tasty beer that I could easily drink more of.