Schlafly Oak Aged Barleywine

tasting sample on 11/5/09... 2007 bottle. pours a deep amber color... big oak/whiskey, vanilla and bitter nose... medium body with a wonderful balance between the malts and hops. more oak makes its way through the mouth followed by some caramel. really nice finish leaves you wanting more.

bottle thanks to zinister. poured amberish ruby with an off white head. aroma was brown sugar, caramel, and dark fruits with the flavor being much the same with a nice slick body. great BW.

Bottle courtesy of Zinister. Heavy reddish orange pour. Nice spice that fades into a clay aroma. Flavor of sweet clay and chalky malts. Hops provide a tiny feeling of flavor as well. Welcoming most definitely.

Pours clear amber with a thin beige head. Aroma of rum soaked raisins, toffee, and roast malt alos has almost a coconut or pineapple note as well. Taste is toffee, dark fruit, wood, and roast. Has a smooth texture and low carbonation. Alcohol is present but not too strong.

Bottle. Heavy malt and hop aromas of caramel, roasted, bread and orange, light dough for the yeast, with hints of toffee, port wine, alcohol, nutmeg and allspice. Head is small, frothy and turns to wispy, off-white with fair lacing and is mostly lasting. Color is hazy and orange/tan. flavor starts heavily sweet and lightly acidic, then finishes lightly sweet, acidic and bitter. Palate is medium to full, oily with a soft carbonation. A well rounded Barley wine, definitely a slow drinker.

750ml bottle 2007 bottle. Thick, opaque burgundy-brown color. Foamy, patchy head that fades out after a minute or two. An excellent Barlywine. Thick and rich, but truly smooth on the palate, exceptionally drinkable for a beer of it’s strength. Mellow oak flavor adds complex depth to the beer. Rather mild on the hops, they are certainly there, but once again, just add balance and depth. Excellent.

[2007] Murky red brown color with a small, off white head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of vanilla, oak, bourbon, nuts, toffee, dried fruits, caramel, and light alcohol. Taste of pine, caramel, sherry, vanilla, oak, toffee, nuts, bourbon, dark fruits, and light alcohol. Really a nice beer. Thanks Rich!

Big thanks to a guy at the IBU meeting for bringing this one along. Pours a nice copper color with a tight head and plenty of good spotty (spotted) lace. The aroma is nice, simple but nice some really good spiciness and some candy sweetness with some raisin, it might be because this was a two year old bottle but I swear I can’t pick up much alcohol if any in the aroma here. The flavor does compensate for the lack of alcohol in the aroma because this is plenty boozy, but certainly not in a bad way at all. This has nice little traces of woodiness from the barrel but the oak is in no way overwhelming at all. The flavor has some nice caramel and roastiness with some pear and some cherry with a little burnt almost char like flavor, the beer is largely just slightly sweet and very nice. The palate is wonderfully silky.