Great Dane Belgian Barleywine

Brewed by Great Dane Pub & Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Madison, Wisconsin USA

Serve in Snifter

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Aroma of mainly escaping alcohol with pleasant bursts of tart apple and pear,very little hop,surprising for a barleywine brewed stateside. Taaste was an array of alcohol soaked fruit,caramel apple, pear ,mango,reminded me of a Whop a-tooee mix you get at picnics.Very full flavored and a pleasant apple liquer flavor lingers on the tongue afterwards,again little hopping evident although the brewer insisted there was a ton of hopping in there. Didnt quite get the warming I expected, nor the buzz from two 4oz glasses,so I question that 14% rating Extremely enjoyable however,should age nicely

Draft at Great Dane. Opaque red. Aroma wreaks of sugar. Thick and sticky, this one seems to have reached its big ABV with malt extract. Belgian? No way. Sugary and over the top, syrupy. Not unlike the Duclaw big beers, but lacking any semblance of subtlety. Touch of amber malt? Sugar bomb.

Draft at Great Dane Downtown. First off, I hardly think this one is 14%, regardless of what they have to say. With that being said, pours a deep and rich caramel with next to no head. Nose is phenolic with clove and apple notes, alcohol and raisins. The apple is out of place. On taste, round and full body, lightly warming. In no way is this 14%. Peppery notes from the phenols as well as some dark fruits. Not particularly complex and there is just too much yeast character. Meh.

This is the Great Dane / Capital Brewery collaboration barleywine that has been aging for about a year. On draught only at the Great Dane downtown brewpub via snifter and received only 4-oz pour. Appearance is a hazy caramel colored barleywine that has a creamy beige head that slowly dissipates and leaves behind some spotty lacing. Aroma is quite complex. Lots of fruits such as raisin, apricots, apples and plenty of Belgian yeast with banana esters. Taste is the fullest bodied barleywine I have ever encountered. Compared to most other barleywines this one is so strong I could swear it was barleywine concentrate. Flavors is apricot syrup, mangos, raisin, honey and banana esters. Finish is thick and smooth, very sweet, with a profile character close to one of Germany’s best Beerenauslese with a Belgian yeast and banana aftertaste. The flavor is so sweet that any alcohol burn was non-existent. I was honored to visit Great Dane in Madison to try this rare treat.