Jackie O's Pub & Brewery Bourbon Barrel-Aged Brick Kiln

Brewed By: Jackie O's Pub & Brewery in Athens, Ohio  

Purchased: 375ml/12.7oz single bottle bought at And Beer in Athens, Ohio; 2014 

Style/ABV: Smoked English Barleywine, 11.8%

Reported IBUs: ?

Make me a beautiful barrel-aged Barleywine. About Jackie O's Pub & Brewery:

Jackie O's is a brewery and brewpub based out of Athens, Ohio. The brewery was founded in 2007 by Art Oestrike and his friend, and brew master, Brad Clark. In 2012 when the production facility expanded, brew master Sean White joined the company. For more info, check out their website or Facebook.

The bottle for the Barrel-Aged Brick Kiln reads: "Starting back in the early 1800's the brick industry was a catalyst for economic development in Southeastern Ohio for nearly 100 years. The brick kilns of Athens Brick Company stood just down the street from our current production facility. Brick Kiln Barleywine style ale is brewed in the English tradition and it's deep mahogany hue is accompanied by rich caramel and raisin notes. Aging in bourbon barrels for an average of 11 months contributed a rich caramel/vanilla/coconut character. Share with friends and loved ones." 

Jackie O's Pub & Brewery Bourbon Barrel-Aged Brick Kiln

This pours into a hazy, murky, dark red-brown body, kicking up a centimeter of protesting head. This brings the murk and has that barrel-aged treatment look. 

This smells amazing with raisins, cherries, chocolate-coconut pastries, intense bakery sugars, coconut, macaroons, layers of molasses, and dense sugars. The barrel is present, and this feels like an appreciable contender. 

Mmm this is fantastic stuff. This hits those notes of macaroons, coconut, treacle sweetness, raisins, cherries, light sherry/oxidation, and subtle barrel character. There are subtle coatings of chocolate in here, and this dials the sweetness up to just the right amounts. Hawt damn.

This is full-bodied, but well-carbed and easy enough to drink. You would never guess this is 11.8%. This has fantastic palate depth and good complexity. It's teetering between Above-Average and Divine, with the barrel character and base beer complexity being the only thing holding this back from something like a Goozie Inlets Barleywin or a Bruery Bois. Still, this brings a ton of bold barrel character with lots of subtle raisin, cherry, coconut, and macaroon notes. The finish is perfect, and the beer is not overwhelming. I highly recommend this.

Rating: Above-Average (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. Jackie O's has their barrel-aged beers down, and this one is no exception. Pick this up and drink it without any food. This is yummy stuff.

Random Thought: Jackie O's was definitely one of the better parts of being in Ohio. 

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Barleywine 2014

Brewed By: Goose Island Beer Company in Chicago, Illinois

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014 (bottled on 09/24/2014)

Style/ABV: American Barleywine, 11.7% 

Reported IBUs: 60

The 2013 Bourbon County Barleywine was pretty good fresh, but it was even better with some age. So how does the 2014 vintage stack up? About Goose Island:

Goose Island is a Chicago-based brewery that began as a brewpub on Clybourn, which opened on May 1988. The actual brewery opened on 1995, and is located on the Southwest side of Chicago. The second brewpub, located in Wrigleyville by the Chicago Cubs, was opened in 1999. On March 28, 2011, Goose Island sold 58% of the brewery to Anheuser-Busch. The remaining 42% of the brewery is supposed to be acquired by A-B InBev in the future, and there has been much discussion about the brewery's takeover. On November 16th, founder and CEO, John Hall, announced he would be leaving Goose Island. On January 1st, 2013, Anheuser-Busch "veteran" Andy Goeler will take over Goose Island. Additionally, around the same time as John Hall's departure, resident barrel-program leader John Laffler also announced his departure from Goose Island. There have been many changes regarding Goose Island...so we will see what the future has in store for Goose Island. 

The 2014 Bourbon County Barleywine punches in at 11.7% ABV, 60 IBUs, and is brewed with Pale, Crystal, Caramel, Dark Chocolate malts; Pilgrim and Styrian hops; and is aged in the third-use barrels that were once home to Kentucky bourbon and then Bourbon County Stout. 

This pours into a murky, cherry soda affair. It's flat and beat up, and head retention is minimal. The body is opaque and murky, with apathetic carbonation and glossy alcohol legs. It looks beat up like it should.

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Barleywine 2014

The aroma is a complex meld of raisins, cherries, toffee, fruit cakes, alcohol-soaked macaroons, chocolate, and woody barrel character. There is a fantastic raisin-chocolate-barrel note with appreciable sweetness, and it smells every bit as awesome as those cellared 50/50s. There's a kiss of alcohol in the aroma, and then the beer drifts into sherry and port. The final note I'm getting is a sweet fruity note, like mixed berries ala the Backyard Rye. It's just a fantastic meld and begs for a sip. 

Yes that's a lemon in the background. And yes, this tastes better fresh than the 2013 did. However, I think the 2013 with a year of age on it was slightly better than this is. Having said that, I'm getting a lot of toffee sweetness, raisins, whiskey, smooth barrel, tons of chocolate, macaroons, and sticky bourbon, and an impressive amount of lingering fruit cake notes. This lingers on your palate for a long time, with some cherries and raisins sticking around. 

This is super sweet, as it should be, and it is truly a sipper. At 11.7%, this does not overwhelm you with alcohol. In fact, this is fairly drinkable all things considered. Palate depth is outstanding, with amazing depth and duration. This is also super complex. And it really is more drinkable than the 2013 was fresh. The 2013 has already mellowed into a tight package after just one year, but this is ready to go fresh. Up front: chocolate, bourbons, raisins, cherries, mixed berries (boysenberries, blackberries); the mids roll into whiskey sweetness, port, macaroons, chocolate, fudge, Bourbon County; the back end drops lingering raisins, cherries, fruit cake. Fantastic. 

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Decent Divine Brew on this. What an improvement as a FRESH beer from the 2013 release. They dialed back the sweetness, ratcheted up the complexity, and the end result is amazing. This is great stuff to sip on and enjoy, and I would not recommend pairing it with anything. I'm happy to have snagged some of this year's vintage, and I hope they release it again next year. 

Random Thought: I think that covers all the 2014 Beaver Countries. 

Deschutes Mirror Mirror Barleywine

Brewed By: Deschutes Brewing Company in Bend, Oregon

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Sheridan 'L' Longue in Chicago, IL; 2014 (2014 Reserve - "Best after 02/24/15")

Style/ABV: English-style Barley Wine, 11.2%
Reported IBUs: 53

Tonight's beer had a limited release event --- which I missed. But I was very happy to find it in bottles. About Deschutes:

The Deschutes Brewing Company was founded by Gary Fish on June 27th, 1988, when they opened the doors to their Bond Street Public House pub. The brewery has since expanded, growing to be one of the top craft beer producers in America. The brewery also operates a pub in Portland, and has a dedicated brewing facility overlooking the Deschutes river. For more information, check out the brewery's website; their Facebook page; their Twitter; or Wikipedia. 

The Mirror Mirror Barleywine is part of Deschutes' Reserve Series of beers. This beer began as a double batch of the Mirror Pond Ale, and should feature lots of big, Barleywine goodness. The bottle says a couple of things, including "best after 2/24/15;" "Mirror Mirror: Barley Wine Ale with 50% aged in wine barrels;" and, "The Reserve Series romance all began with our first release of this limited-edition brew. Mirror Mirror, born of a double batch of Mirror Pond Pale Ale, is an inspired barley wine ale layered with intriguing nuances. Explore this latest incarnation and enjoy its delicious complexity in every sip." 

Deschutes Mirror Mirror Barleywine

This pours out exactly as you'd expect. Pick your tone: red, orange, amber, copper. It's kind of a murky haze of all of them. The beer produces two fingers of caramel/amber-tinted head, and the head is made up of really nice bubbles. There is impressive lacing, alcohol legs, and some head is retaining for the long haul. Bright light confirms much of the same, and you can see the dots of tiny carbonation rising upwards. Actually, the tight spiderweb lacing left on my glass is one of the best parts about this beer's appearance. 

On the aroma: I'm getting a lot of fruity notes and wine character here. I'm pulling out barrel and wine-driven dates, raisins, grapes, berries, cherry, strawberry, and tons of barrel/wine character. There's some nondescript hops on the aroma, with mild pine sap and hop sap, and there is also some underlying brown sugar and toffee sweetness. Overall though, the aroma on this one is somewhat subtle.

This is on the lighter side of Barley Wines, and it is still hoppy enough that it doesn't quite fall into the straight up English Barleywine category. I suspect with age some of these hops are going to mellow out into pine sap, maple syrup, and pine...and it's going to be very nice. I'm getting a lot of toffee, brown sugar, berries, wine tannin and barrel, sweet and candied hops, and sugary goodness. There is some nice barrel character in here, and the wine notes are very subtle with mild grape and tannin kick. It really does kind of taste like an amped up Pale Ale that has been given the wine barrel treatment. There are some cherries and raisins in the taste as well, along with hints of plums.

I'm gonna have to see how this one ages down the stretch. Right now this is Above-Average but it's not quite world class. It's very good though. I'd almost call this balanced and drinkable, especially for the style. While the mouthfeel is full-bodied, it is also thinner and lighter for the style. Nevertheless, you would never guess this is an 11.2% beer as the booze is largely hidden. The beer is well carbonated, and the hops and barrel help balance out the sweetness. Palate depth is fantastic, and the complexity is moderate. Up front is big hop bitterness, pine sap, candied hops, brown sugars, bitterness; that opens into more bitterness, barrel character, wine, tannin, dark sugars, fruits, toffee; the back end dials up some berry sweetness, figs, raisins, more barrel and tannin, lingering wine. The finish is dry and sweet, with tons of barrel and tons of brown sugar/fruit. I think this is going to be stellar in two years.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average here. Unlike The Abyss, I think this one will actually really benefit from aging. It's a bit hoppy right now, and that seems to be throwing things off a bit. Having said that, this is incredibly drinkable and balanced. I'm amazed at how smooth and drinkable this is for 11.2%. This is still nuanced enough to work as a sipper, but if you must pair it with food, I'd go with sweeter desserts like bread pudding, or maybe a burger with a sweet barbecue sauce. Good shit, I look forward to revisiting it.

Random Thought: I'm tired of reading about Session IPAs, right?

Firestone Walker §ucaba (Abacus)

Brewed By: Firestone Walker Brewing Co. in Paso Robles, California

Purchased: 22oz (1 Pint, 6oz) bomber from Binny's in Chicago, Illinois; 2014 (2014 Vintage)

Style/ABV: English Barleywine, 13.5% 

Reported IBUs: 42

Tonight I'm slaying a West Coast #whale checking a beer off my bucket list. About Firestone: 

Tonight I'm looking at a beer from the folks at Firestone Walker Brewing. The brewery was founded by brothers-in-law Adam Firestone (son of Brooks Firestone) and David Walker (husband of Adam's sister). The brothers brewed their first beer in 1996, in a small facility rented from the Firestone Vineyard estate in Santa Barbara County. In 2001, the brothers-in-law purchased SLO Brewing Company in Paso Robles, CA, and set up camp. Despite being relatively new to craft beer, the brewery has a ton of accolades, and is known for their Reserve line and their oak barrel brewing system. You can learn more about the history of the brewery here and here. 

The §ucaba aka the "Sucaba" is Firestone's barleywine formerly known as Abacus. The brewery was forced to change the beer's name due to trademark disputes with ZD Wines of Napa. ZD Wines makes a high-end Cabernet Sauvignon called Abacus. What can you do but lawyer up and scramble those letters. At least Firestone has a cool trademark dispute story that came from it.

The §ucaba is a "true English Barley wine." This one is brewed in bourbon oak barrels, and is described as having complex malt flavors with dark chocolate, vanilla, toasted coconut, and dark cherries. This one uses Bravo, and East Kent Golding hops. The malt bill includes Munton's Pale, Crisp Maris Otter Pale, Munich, Dark & Light Crystal, and Chocolate malts. Punching in at 13.5% and 42 IBUs, this is a beer to be sipped on for the ages.

Firestone Walker §ucaba (Abacus) - 2014

The 2014 §ucaba pours initially into a dark raisin body, but quickly settles into a murky, dark brown haze. It's like the DV clinic on barrel aged beers. The beer kicks up a finger of foamy, brown head. When I shine a bright light through the heart of this beer, I get a beet-red body with serious ruby tones. There's also a good amount of sediment floating around with the streams of tiny carbonation. The beer has vitality: swirling it kicks up a ring of brown/amber head, and there is sticky lacing and glossy alcohol legs to boot.

Straight up on the aroma I'm getting a good amount of bourbon and barrel character. It's fleeting though, as the aroma gives way to brown sugar, raisins/figs/cherries, toffee, chocolate, oven toasted coconut, vanilla-coconut, and some tropical fruit sweetness. The tropical fruit sweetness is in the realm of coconut and pineapple, and I think it is coming from the beer's high levels of sugar...it could be a hop character playing off the sweetness. This smells good, but not dick-ripping-off. Here's to the taste, chimp, here's to the taste.

Holy shit. Wow. Based on the aroma, I was not expecting this amount of awesome. Straight up is a huge HUG of sweetness, with bourbon, oak, giant inviting barrel character, vanilla, coconut, and chocolate. The mouthfeel is full-bodied and dense and boozy, but for some reason it doesn't approach cloying. I'm getting bourbon, barrel, toffee, raisins, figs, cherries, chocolate/vanilla, big toasted coconut, intense brown sugar, molasses, nuttiness from the coconut, and hints of elusive pineapple-coconut sweetness. There's a light kiss of sharp booze and some barrel tannin goodness. Yum.

This is banging, with a full-bodied mouthfeel that still falls on the lighter side of what you could get at 13.5% and in a barrel. It's sugary and big, with minimal carbonation and lots of slickness. It's a sipper, yo. This beer also unravels layers of toffee, sweet coconut, and cherry as it warms up. I cannot stress this enough, pull this out at cellar temps and let it warm up. Palate depth is great, and this beer has really nice complexity for what essentially is a one-dimensional style of Strong Ale. You get oak, bourbon, and booze up front, with burgeoning figs, raisins, and cherries, and some nice chocolate/vanilla; the mids dial up layers of toffee, brown sugar, chocolate, vanilla, coconut, cherries, and hints of pineapple/coconut; the back is lingering oak/vanilla/coconut, lingering toffee, and sticky, boozy goodness. This is a hell of a sipper, and should last you over an hour or two.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Divine Brew on this. This is kind of hot right now (my fault, I know), and probably will smooth out a bit with a year or two under the belt. I think cellaring beer is overrated, and I am usually the person telling you to NOT age your #whale, but you can definitely keep a spare bottle or two of this for a rainy day. Do try it fresh though...it's drinking VERY, VERY nice right now. I have no complaints, and plan to sit back with the second half of my bottle and watch The Walking Dead. This is the ultimate "don't pair with food" beer, so yeah. Sip on this. Enjoy. Life is short, and this is a diamond in the rough. Recommended.

Random Thought: I'm going full insanity wolf here, being that a few hours ago I was crapping out a kidney via IBS. I had IBS on top of running and lifting weights, so I am -- as they say -- le tired. I'm going to sleep like a drunk baby tonight. 

Prairie Artisan Ales The Beer That Saved Christmas

Brewed By: Prairie Artisan Ales in Tulsa (brewed in Krebs), Oklahoma  

Purchased: 500ml (16.9oz) bottle bought at Fischman Liquors and Tavern in Chicago, IL; 2013  

Style/ABV: Old Ale, 10.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight is one of those nights, but I ain't complaining. About Prairie Artisan Ales:

Prairie Artisan Ales are yet another brewery that began as a Kickstarter campaign. Founded in 2012 by brothers Chase and Colin Healey (nice beards), the duo have been busy making beer as Gypsy Brewers, but also have their own brew facility (complete with barrels!). You can check them out on Facebook here.

The Beer That Saved Christmas is an "Ale aged in oak barrels with a mixture of wild bacteria." This one happens to be an Old Ale, and is described as having notes of chocolate, cherry, vanilla, and caramel. I like all those things, so this should be good.

Prairie The Beer That Saved Christmas

This beer pours about how you expect: brown, murky, dirtier than the mall santa's lap, and with a finger or two of bready, dark brown head. In bright light the beer takes on red/brown/purple tones, with streaming carbonation, sticky lacing, and glossy alcohol legs. It's an Old Ale, yo.

The barrel and the "wild bacteria" give this beer some noticeable fruity character on the aroma, with raisins, dates, cherries, figs, plums, fruitcake, peppery and phenolic esters, and tons of wood. The wood leans towards that wine-like, fruity character. The chocolate/vanilla/caramel also comes through on the aroma.

You almost expect this beer to blunt you with malt thickness and caramel/chocolate/vanilla...but this beer is super subtle, with tons of cherry, wood, fruits, oxidized/sherry notes, and growing booze on the back. The back palate really hits you up with wood, chocolate, some nuttiness, and booze. It's a surprisingly complex beer, despite not being as big as you might expect.

I usually roll through the palate progression last, but this is a strange beer. So here we go. Up front: fruity notes, namely cherry, raisins, plums, perfume/phenol; the middle dials up some vanilla, wood, chocolate, sherry/oxidized fruits; the back rolls into dense woody character, chocolate, nuttiness. This beer is surprisingly complex, but the duration is a bit short. The funky yeast mostly manifests as fruit, and you get tons of wood character. It's a medium-full bodied beer with high complexity and an average palate depth and duration. The 10% comes and goes...I do pick up some alcohol in this, but it is mostly blended into the scenery.

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Light Above-Average on this. This beer is surprisingly complex, especially if you sit down and mull over it. If you drink this beer in a hurry or without much thought, a lot of the flavors are going to get lost. I do wish it dialed up the mouthfeel a bit, but it technically achieves Old Ale status with the boozy complexity, rich malts, and rich dark fruits. I bet this one will age well for a few years. Food pairings: nutty desserts, dry cakes, anything with gravy, anything with a berry/fruit sauce, pork or beef roast, duck, and certainly meats and cheeses. This one didn't cost much and worked out in the end. I would recommend grabbing a bottle or two. You pretty much can't go wrong with Prairie. 

Random Thought: This has seriously been the longest week ever.

Pipeworks Murderous

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 22oz bottle (Batch #274/275) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013 (bottled 12.16.2013)

Style/ABV: English Barleywine, 9.5%
Reported IBUs: ?

It's cold and shitty and snowy outside, so a sweet, malty, English-style Barleywine seems like an appropriate way to cap off the night. About Pipeworks:

Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

Tonight's beer is hot off the press, and was bottled two weeks ago. The back of the bottle states:

Pipeworks Murderous

"A crime most fowl 
neath midnight's scowl
Black eyes made for peeking 
blackened beak for shrieking
What desire seeking 
your dreams made carrion reeking
Seek refuge, pray dawns light...
The sky is murderous tonight."

The beer pours into a hazy/swampy golden raisin-colored body. If you aren't privy to golden raisins, then you can also compare the beer's body to a murky brownish-red color. It is a swampy beer, and it kicks up a finger of caramel/amber head. This one appears to be nicely carbonated, which is good news as well. A hazy coating of head settles in, and there is some lacing and slick alcohol legs.

On the aroma...toffee, sugars, brown sugar, an apple/raisin/grape note, some vanilla sweetness, and a weird candy/bubble gum aroma. There's a lot of sappy/resinous hop stuff on the aroma as well, with a pretty strong English-style thing going on. Maybe some bread/toast.

I'm getting a ton of brown sugar in the taste, with some English-style yeast that reminds me of a toasty/bready ESB or Bitter. There's some sappy hops laying low in the mix, but they are subdued by the sweetness. I'm picking up some raisin and grape, with hints of vanilla and toffee. This one gets better as it warms.

I'm drinking this super fresh, so the aggressive toast/caramel/bread/toffee/Marzen-like malts really stand out, along with some grapey hops. It's not bad, and the brown sugar note that you get is nice, but it's very simple for the style. This has a full-bodied mouthfeel with good duration. Palate depth is average and complexity is average to below-average. There is good carbonation, and I'm not picking up much booze. Nevertheless, the sticky sweet and aggressive malts make this one a sipper for sure. This one rides that line between cloying/obnoxious and decadent. I'm getting big toffee, brown sugar, bread/toast, and aggressive malts up front; that rolls into more brown sugar, some sappy grape/raisin, subdued hops; the back end trails off with some hop bitterness, and lingering malt sweetness. I wonder how this one will age.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this. It's okay...nothing that you need to run out and purchase. I do think this beer has potential to taste amazing if it is barrel-aged. And wouldn't you know it, Pipeworks has done just that. I may need to try to get my hands on the barrel-aged version of this, because frankly, I think the barrel character would add a much needed dimension of complexity. As far as food pairings here go...this is a dessert beer meant to be sipped solo after dinner, perhaps with a cigar, but if you must add food pairings go with strong cheeses, smoked meats, or creme brulee.

Random Thought: It's supposed to snow tomorrow into the new year....I'm excited. I don't have to work, I have beer, and yeah. Cheers to that! 

Goose Island Bourbon County Barleywine

Brewed By: Goose Island Beer Company (owned by AB InBev) in Chicago, Illinois

Purchased: 12oz bottle bought at Galleria Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013 (bottled 9/17/2013)

Style/ABV: American Barleywine, 12.1% 

Reported IBUs: 60

I skipped the Black Friday Bourbon County fun, so I've been playing ketchup and trying to squirt my red paste on these beers. Wait, what? The market is already getting crazy with bottles of the Backyard Rye and Proprietors selling for like $50+ a bottle. I love beer, homie, but ain't no way. About Goose Island:

Goose Island is a Chicago-based brewery that began as a brewpub on Clybourn, which opened on May 1988. The actual brewery opened on 1995, and is located on the Southwest side of Chicago. The second brewpub, located in Wrigleyville by the Chicago Cubs, was opened in 1999. On March 28, 2011, Goose Island sold 58% of the brewery to Anheuser-Busch. The remaining 42% of the brewery is supposed to be acquired by A-B InBev in the future, and there has been much discussion about the brewery's takeover. On November 16th, founder and CEO, John Hall, announced he would be leaving Goose Island. On January 1st, 2013, Anheuser-Busch "veteran" Andy Goeler will take over Goose Island. Additionally, around the same time as John Hall's departure, resident barrel-program leader John Laffler also announced his departure from Goose Island. There have been many changes regarding Goose Island...so we will see what the future has in store for Goose Island. 

The Bourbon County Barleywine is new for 2013. This English-Style Barleywine is aged in third-use barrels that once housed Kentucky bourbon and then the Bourbon County Stout. Brewed with a Pale, Crystal, Caramel, and Dark Chocolate malt base, this beer is hopped with Pilgrim and Styrian hops. Punching in at a very reasonable 12.1% ABV and 60 IBUs, this beer has the potential to sell for absurd prices and attract townies. Fuck man, I just want to drink tasty, local beer. 

Goose Island Bourbon County Barleywine

If you want to see what an ugly beer looks like...this one pours into a swampy, dark brown/cola black body, and kicks up one to two fingers of dark brown head. The surprise here is that a pinky of foamy head is hanging around, depositing tons of lacing, sticky residual beer, and alcohol legs. Bright light confirms the story. Dark Barleywine is dark.

The aroma here is really throwing me for a loop...it's definitely a Barleywine, with that treacle raisin sweetness, aggressive molasses, and hints of hoppy pine sap. But I'm also getting a ton of bourbon, whiskey, and wood on the aroma, along with some chocolate/brownie/cocoa. There is a heaping fuck-load of anise and black licorice on this beer's aroma, with some Twizzlers to boot...and a dash of tobacco as well. 

Holy shit this is sweet. If you like your Barleywine with a side of diabetus spiked with an insulin injection, then step right up. The first wave of flavor you get off this is treacle and sickly sweet raisins. Just layers upon layers of sugars. Molasses, brown sugar, toffee, caramel...whew. After the rush of sugar, you get a much needed kick of whiskey and bourbon, and then the beer hits you with that Bourbon County goodness. You pick up the essence of the Bourbon County Stout in this. Lots of brownie, chocolate, and fudge. The whole sticky mess is insanely sugary. This makes the Bruery's Bois look like a crushable wheat beer. 

If you like your Barleywines sweet, you've come to the right place. This is walking the line between being decadent and cloying. The sugar blunts the 12.1% ABV, but I'd be scared to drink more than 12oz of this for fear of having the worst sugar-induced hangover. Obviously this is a proper sipper. The mouthfeel is full-bodied and sticky sweet. Palate depth is good, complexity (surprisingly) leaves a bit to be desired. This beer really unfold in two or three layers. Up front is layers of complex sugar, with some earthy tobacco in the mix; that rolls into bourbon and whiskey; you then pick up the "essence" of the Bourbon County Stout, with more bourbon, some brownie, chocolate, vanilla, toasted coconut, etc. And then it's back to Candy Land because fuck, who doesn't love sugar.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. I'm drinking this fresh, so maybe with some age this will mellow out into something a bit more balanced. I'd rather have a bottle of the Bruery's Bois...and it's easier to find, probably even now, still. So I dunno. I'm not knocking this beer by any means. The depth of the dark sugars is deep, and the raisin complexity is awesome. I suspect this might be really damn good in a year or two, but that's between you and your cellar. I would pair this beer with two or three things. One: a cigar. Two: pecan pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and fruit to act as a chaser. Three: solo. Seriously, drink this for dessert by itself after dinner. This is a hell of a night cap.

Random Thought: What the fuck, New Orleans? Seriously, I didn't expect you to win in Seattle, but I didn't expect you to shit the bed either. After seeing the assertively dominant performance from the Seahawks, I'm inclined to pick them as probable Super Bowl favorites. They look like the 49ers of last year. 

Dogfish Head Immort Ale

Brewed By: Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware

Purchased: 12oz bottle bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Old Ale/English Strong Ale, 11.0%
Reported IBUs: 50

Concluding Sunday Funday....about Dogfish Head:

Dogfish Head is a craft brewery based out of Milton, Delaware. The brewery was founded by Sam Calagione back in 1995.The brewery began as a brewpub (the first in Delaware) called Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, and was originally located in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The initial brewing setup included three kegs and propane burners. They brewed 12-gallon batches of beer three times a day, five days a week. In 1996 the brewery began bottling their beer, and by 1999 they had distribution to around a dozen different states. In 2002 the company outgrew their Rehoboth location, and moved to Milton, Delaware. More info can be found HERE.

The Immortal Ale is one of Dogfish Head's oldest beers, dating back to the brewpub in 1995, and making its way to bottles in 1997. This beer featuers maple syrup from the Red Brook Farm (Sam's family farm in Western Massachusetts), peat-smoked barley, and vanilla. The beer is fermented out with a blend of English and Belgian yeasts, and aged in oak tanks at the brewery. Punching in at 11% and 50 IBUs, this Old Ale/Scotch Ale/Barleywine hybrid is a big, badass brew. 

Dogfish Head Immortal Ale

The Immortal Ale pours a hazy, orange-red color, and kicks up a finger or two of dense, foamy head. The head is off-white, with some tan/red/orange/amber tones, and is leaving plenty of lacing and legs. It is also sustaining nicely, and probably is fueled by some hops.

On the aroma: booze, brown sugar, peated malt, meats and raspberry puree, turbinado sugar, maple syrup, oak...it smells like the Dogfish Head Fort with some oak, maple, brown sugar, and peated malts.

Surprisingly simple taste...lots of oak, toffee, brown sugar/turbinado sugar, tons of maple syrup and molasses, and sugary malts. There's some resinous hops in the form of pine and citrus that plays off all the sugar and maple syrup. In addition to all the maple, there's some vanilla and fruity notes (ala a Quad maybe?) as well. There is some peated malt and smoke as well.

Full-bodied mouthfeel, sticky, dense and heavy...but drinkable for 11% ABV. Palate depth is blissful, but complexity is moderate to lower. Sweet malt and maple syrup up front; maple and peated malt, smoke, oak, vanilla, spice in the middle; fruit notes, wood, oak towards the back...syrup hoppiness abound. Good.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this. Average, but not mind blowing. Especially compared to beers like the 75 Minute IPA, Burton Baton, and Palo Santo Maron. This tastes like maple syrup with some heavy sugars, sugary/resinous hops, and some peated malts and smoke. Good beer that I would pair with pancakes and sausage, biscuits and gravy, potatoes and gravy with meatloaf, and with fruity cakes and dessert.

Random Thought: I feel like a ticker. Tick tick tick.

North Coast Old Stock Ale (Ōtsuchi 2012)

Brewed By: North Coast Brewing Company in Fort Bragg, California

Purchased: 750ml bottle purchased at Binny's in IL; 2013 (March 2012 Vintage)

Style/ABV: Barleywine/Old Ale, 11.7%

Reported IBUs: 34

It's been a while since I've had anything from North Coast. Keeping with my big beer theme, I'm in the mood for a Barleywine. The weather is hot, humid, and rainy...and last night dipped down into the 40s, and tonight is in the 60s or 70s. Yay, Midwest! About North Coast:

The North Coast Brewing Company was founded in 1988 as a local brewpub in Fort Bragg, on California's Mendocino Coast. The brewery was founded by brewmaster Mark Ruedrich, president and brewmaster. Under his leadership, the brewery has won over 70 national and international awards, and has carved a definitive niche in American craft beer. For more information, check out their website here.

The 2012 edition of the Old Stock Ale was brewed as a special, commemorative release as part of the Otsuchi Recovery Fund. You can read the post on North Coast's website, but I'll repost the blurb here:

"2011 marks the 10th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Fort Bragg, California and Otsuchi, Japan.

When Ken Sasaki was a boy in Otsuchi, his father, a fisherman, was lost at sea. Ken-san would sit on the bluffs overlooking the ocean, ever in search of any sign of his father. When he became older, he wondered what was on the other side of the ocean-who lived over there and what they were like.

He drew a line across the Pacific from Otsuchi and found Fort Bragg on the exact same latitude. In 1997, he made contact and invited the mayor of Fort BRagg, Lindy Peters, for his first visit to Otsuchi.

Four years later, Lindy made his second trip to Otsuchi, and the following year, in September of 2002, the first student exchange of Fort Bragg students went to Otsuchi. In 2005, a Sister City Proclamation was solidifed by then Mayor Dave Turner and Mayor Yamazaki. 

When the recent tsunami struck northern Japan, Otsuchi was one of the hardest hit communities and this charming 800-year-old city was leveled with an unimaginable loss of life and property. 

CBS recently devoted a 60 Minutes episode to the Otsuchi disaster and interviewed Ken Sasaki, who made it clear how important the Fort Bragg sister city relationship has been in helping to give Otsuchi the encouragement to rebuild and to maintain their "Never give up" attitude. The people of Fort Bragg have sent over $250,00 to help, but more importantly, they sent their love. As a continuation of this support, North Coast Brewing makes a donation to the Otsuchi Recovery fund for every bottle of Otsuchi Old Stock Ale sold. 

Enjoy this bottle with friends and celebrate the recovery of Otsuchi."

The Old Stock Ale is brewed to be aged. Brewed with classic Maris Otter malt and Fuggles and East Kent Goldings hops, this beer seems to take an English twist on the Old Ale/Barleywine style. Let's see how she stacks up.

North Coast Old Stock Ale (Ōtsuchi 2012)

This beer pours into a hazy, reddish-brown body, and kicks up a few fingers of quickly fading caramel/golden-raisin head. When held to a bright light, the beer takes on a very nice deep orange color, reminiscent of a Barleywine or Old Ale. There's a nice coating of head with some sea foam or a cauldron effect. There's some lacing as well, and big alcohol legs. The beer looks to be hazy, but you can see some fat carbonation bubbles rising upwards in the glass.

I took this out of my fridge almost an hour ago, and I still think this beer can warm up to hit stride. I'm getting some really nice cakey, raisin bread, and raisins on the aroma. There's some berries on the aroma, with blunted citrus, and some layers of maple syrup and pine sap. There's also some nice complex sugars and molasses on the nose. It's a mellow nose...but I wouldn't expect anything more after nearly two years. 

I'm happy to report that this is drinking like a sipping beer...it's also drinking like a beer that has some age. Oxidation is already setting in, and the malts point in the direction of raisins and figs and dark fruits. There's a kiss of earthy hops in the mix, and you get some booze as well. I'm still getting some cakey notes, syrup, molasses, and other complex sugars...which is a nice layer of depth in addition to the raisins, cherries, and other dark fruits. This is slightly vinous, and Port-like...but at the same time, the booze points in the direction of whiskey or vodka. It's good.

At 11.7%, this beer is both boozy and low in terms of drinkability. And you know what, that's a good thing. This is a sipping beer...an Old Ale that can and will age...so enjoy it. Palate depth is good, and the beer is still well-carbonated. This one is being propped up with some tingly carbonation, and a touch of oxidation. The complexity is the only thing holding this back from being truly revolutionary, and that may just be the result of drinking the beer in transition. You get hit with cakey malts, complex sugars, and booze up front; that rolls into dark fruits, raisins, cherries, some earthy hops; the finish is more booze, sticky sweetness, syrup, and a slightly dry finish. 

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Average on this, almost approaching Above-Average or a the middle between Average and Above-Average. This beer is pretty much what I expect from an Old Ale that has some age on it...it's good, if not a touch boozy..but it's not blowing me away. Having said that, this beer is aging well, and will likely continue to age well. I wouldn't pair this beer with food. Sip on this over the course of an evening, or as a dessert beer, or with a cigar. I snagged this beer on clearance for like 8 or 9 bucks, which was a good deal. Hash tag, #didntplantogetdrunkonwednesday

Random Thought: I'm too sleepy for this shit. 

Dogfish Head Burton Baton

Brewed By: Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware

Purchased: 12-oz bottle from a 4-pack bought at Binny's in IL; 2012

Style/ABV: [Oak-Aged] Imperial IPA, 10.0%

Reported IBUs: 70

The only thing better than no snow is tasting her tears.

I'm pretty sure Chicago just set the new record for longest stretch without measurable amounts of snow (281 days, bitches!), which is pretty awesome. Don't get me wrong, I like snow...I just prefer being able to drive more than enjoying the snow. A year or two ago, I drove through three pretty rough snowfalls. The best two trips were the 120-mile drive to Urbana, on Christmas Eve, in the middle of a snowstorm. The roads weren't plowed and cars were in the ditches; it took me 5+ hours to make a trip that usually takes around 2 hours. I also drove from Chicago to the burbs in the middle of a snowstorm during a Bear's game. I timed that trip especially bad as I was ahead of the plows. Fun times. 

To celebrate this monumental occasion (excuses to drink beer, #763), I want to crack open something special. And what could be more special than an Oak-aged Imperial IPA? Awww yeah. About Dogfish Head:

Dogfish Head is a craft brewery based out of Milton, Delaware. The brewery was founded by Sam Calagione back in 1995.The brewery began as a brewpub (the first in Delaware) called Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, and was originally located in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The initial brewing setup included three kegs and propane burners. They brewed 12-gallon batches of beer three times a day, five days a week. In 1996 the brewery began bottling their beer, and by 1999 they had distribution to around a dozen different states. In 2002 the company outgrew their Rehoboth location, and moved to Milton, Delaware. More info can be found HERE.

If you roll over to the Burton Baton page, you can get all the info on this lovely beer. This beer uses a blend of an English-style old ale and an Imperial IPA (the 90 Minute IPA, I believe?). The two beers are fermented separately in stainless steel tanks, and then blended together in a giant oak tank, where the beer sits on the oak-wood-goodness for a month. This beer melds flavors of citrus, wood, and oak. Ratebeer gives a slightly different synopsis for "how this beer is made." According to what is posted on Ratebeer, this beer is made from Pilsner and Amber malt (getting up to 11% ABV), and is then hopped with Warrior and Glacier hops. They say that this beer is then fermented using two yeast strains, an American and English yeast; and then the beer is conditioned on oak for four months. Then the beer is dry hopped with Glacier hops; and then the whole mess is blended 50/50 with the 90 Minute IPA bringing the beer to 10% ABV. It's entirely possible that Dogfish Head has since tweaked the brewing process for this beer. Nevertheless, at 10% and 70 IBUs, this is a formidable beer. Let's glass this up.

Dogfish Head Burton Baton

The beer pours a rusty, copper/amber color, with 2 to 3 fingers of big creamy head. The head has a copper tint to it, and there's a ton of carbonation in the form of tiny bubbles visible in the beer. When held to a bright light, the body of this beer is more orange-amber, and the head picks up those orange hues. There's nice head retention with a fat, creamy, finger hanging around; and there's some mad lacing. This beer is very carbonated, and appears to be a touch hazy or unfiltered? This beer is supposed to lay down nicely; so it may have some yeasties floating around. 

There's a fuck-ton of hops and sweet malts on the nose of this. This is very Barleywine-esque, and you get that marriage of super sweet malt sugars with giant citrus hops. I'm getting very light wood aromas, and any oak/vanilla is masked by the huge malt sweetness. I'm getting big dank pine, huge oranges, orange candies, some shades of pineapple and sweet tropical fruit, molasses, a brandy complexity (seen in the 90 Minute), maybe a dash of raisin, and some wood.

Wow...this is awesome. This is not what I was expecting at all. This is incredibly balanced, with huge sweet citrus, brandy, bready cake, raisins, caramel, and molasses up front; all balanced by nice, but gentle, woody notes. The middle cleans up with sweetness and bitterness from the hops, and the back end features alcohol complexity. The whole mess is slightly sticky, but very balanced. Even at 70 IBUs, the hops are held in check by the giant malt profile. And the 10.0% ABV is well-hidden. This has notes of wood, but any oak is blending in with the giant malt-hop thing. 

This is insanely smooth and drinkable. At 10.0% ABV, this drinks like much less. This is definitely a sipping beer, and fits the winter season well. I can feel this warming my belly. Palate depth is outstanding; and the mouthfeel is medium-full to full, with some stickiness and sweetness. This is carbonated, and balanced, which lends to drinkability. Complexity is okay. Up front is just smooth carbonation, and then a blast of sweet hops with big malts; this rolls into malts, boozy malts, hop spice; the back end is lingering hops and sweet malts. There's wood throughout, and nice boozy complexity.

Rating: Divine Brew

I'm feeling a light Divine Brew on this. This is insanely well-balanced, refined, mature, and not at all what I was expecting. Complexity is a little low, but the Barleywine-esque malt and hop sweetness play off the wood in such a mature and refined way...and at 10.0% ABV, this is really a smart winter warmer. I would pair this beer with spring rolls and peanut sauce, spicy wings, and temperatures between 10 and 40 degrees. Any colder and you might need to upgrade to something with more aggressive heat. This is definitely worth checking out...and I'm going to lay down a few of these to see how they hold up in a few years.

Random Thought: I'm getting cats. Well, kittens. I haz excitement. Excuse, #814 to drink beer. Right?