Glacier Big Woody Barleywine

Brewed by Glacier BrewHouse
Style: Barley Wine
Anchorage, Alaska USA

Serve in Snifter

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UPDATED: SEP 16, 2004 2/21/04. On draft at Toronado Barley Wine Festival ’04 in San Francisco, CA 2/21/04. Dark amber in color with very little head and non-existing lacing. Quite a baadasssss looking body to it despite the absence of typical measures of beauty. It’s like the light of God just shines brightly on this beer as it sits in your glass. And it is good. But if I’m at a barley wine tasting and I’m measuring this one against all of the others I’ve tried that day, i’m rating it a 3. It just doesn't look like a barley wine. Suffice it to say, I remember this beer much more fondly than the scores I gave it at the time would suggest. Aroma is excellent, incredibly complex with wood, walnut, sweet malt, and dry marsala wine. Flavor is richly nutty and spicy with a cakey, buttery flavor-- spiced rum cake. Very peppery. But in an awesome way. I can’t believe the avalanche of wood character, but it’s overwhelming in its depth. Body is medium-full. Finish is long and hot but very rich and wonderfully balanced. A very, very interesting, delicious beer. Truly a standout among a field of delicious, exceptional barley wines I tried that weekend. Scores above are my ratings from when I first had it, but if I’m trying to place it in the context of all of the beers I’ve had before and since (and adjusting my previous scores based on my memory of the beer), I’m remembering it more like it’s a 9/4/10/4/19/4.6. But somehow I trust my notes from the day I tried it more than my memory of it since, so that's why I've kept my original scores intact. Anyway, I can't wait to try it again.

This is marketed as a different beer than the regular Big Woody, and the alcohol percentage is different, so I think it warrants a new entry. Light and clear brown color, scant white head. Aroma of vanilla. Taste is smooth vanilla and caramel. Nice.

On tap at the Bistro Barrel Aged Beer Fest. Pours a clear copper with a small tan head that has good retention and leaves some light lacing on the glass. Aroma is vanilla, caramel, a bit of oak, some bourbon, a bit of light alcohol, and a little bit of cherry. The initial taste is sweet vanilla, followed by some oak, caramel, a little bit of nuttiness, and some bourbon. The finish is warm with alcohol. Medium bodied. Low carbonation. Enjoyable barley wine. Perhaps a tad too sweet, but very good.

draft... my favorite barley wine at fobab... this should be the standard bearer for a barleywine that’s hoppy still but accented perfectly by barrels, try this

Draft bistro barrel aged fest. Amber color, orangish tan ring for head. Caramilized sugar nose akin to most barleywines and not much of any bourbon character. Flavors however bring out some of the bourbon along with the normal sugary, sticky barleywine flavors. Body consumes the mouth fairly well..nice, smooth, and soothing...but nothing spectacular is jumping out and the caramelized sugar profile overshadows whatever the bourbon is trying to showcase.

Draft @ FoBAB 2009, Chicago, IL. Pours a dark amber color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity malty dark fruit and woody aroma with weak vanilla hints. Has a sweetish malty weak chocolate and dark fruit flavor with woody hints. Has a sweetish malty woody dark fruit finish.

Draft. Mahogony beer with a cream colored head. Malt and light toffee aroma. Toffee and malt flavor with light oak. Medium bodied. Oak lingers with toffee and malt.

Tasted at the Bistro Barrel aged fest 2010. It pours reddish orange with a khaki head. The aroma is of bourbon and wood. The flavor is nice rich dark fruit, especially cherries with some bourbon and caramel. Nice barleywine. I wish I had taken better notes!

5th Annual Bistro BA Festival. I’ve tried this at past Toronado fests and, as someone who loves English barleywines and restrained barrel-aging, it’s one of my very favorite barleywines. This version was particularly interesting as it probably spent a bit less time in the barrel than what they send to Toronado. The flavor is enormous with tons of sugar cane, vanilla, caramel, figs, sweet rum and mild bourbon. It’s relatively sweet but wonderfully smooth. In my opinion, the sweetness is just right for the round, full flavor. Mouthfeel is never cloying but fairly thick. Appearance is dark amber, transparent, with a small head. Marvelous stuff.

On tap at the Bistro Barrel Aged Beer Festival. I’m not a big barleywine fan, but this Big Woody was outstanding. The vanilla and fig came through in the aroma and flavor. It wasn’t overly sweet, but was very mellow.

Sampled from the tap at 2010 FOBAB. Poured a near clear dark brown with an amber hue and a yellowish gray head that lasted throughout the beer. Aroma had bourbon with sweet grain and a bit of biscuit. Flavor started with sweet grain, biscuit and caramel but a slight bourbon and dry note rounded out the beer nicely.