Tag: Barleywine

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Sucaba is Back!

Screen Shot 2015-01-10 at 9.58.54 AMThere are two mysteries surrounding §ucaba.  Well three if you count the weird Double S at the start of the name.

1 is this fact:
“We’ve never talked about it, but §ucaba is actually a blend of two separate beers,” Brynildson said. “The base beer is what you would call §ucaba, but each year the final blend also includes around 10 percent of another barrel-aged beer, which gives it this chocolaty, dark cherry dimension.”

2 is how you say
So what’s the official pronunciation? “There is none,” Brynildson said. “SUC-a-buh, SOO-cah-ba, SOO-cab-uh, you hear it all, so it’s kind of fun. But in the brewhouse, we still call it by its original name.”

Either way, this is one of the Firestone Walker beers that you buy two or more of.  One to try and one to cellar.

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Barleywines to honor Sam

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Venerable Alhambra craft spot, 38 Degrees was planning a Los Angeles Barleywine Festival, but now it has an even better name to honor a true L.A. beer legend.

The festival will “offer over 30 barleywines. Some cellared, some fresh, some hoppy, some barrel aged. We will be pouring sampler sizes of all of these gems for those who want to try a few, as well as full pours. We ask that all that come to celebrate keep in mind that these beers are high gravity and to enjoy with caution.”

Check out the link above for a current list.  It looks to be a BIG afternoon.

 

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Critical Hit

What do you get when you let Ninkasi go wild with 11 hops?

This: CRITICAL HIT BARLEY WINE “comes with a warning – It is hopped to high heaven. 11 varieties of Hops. Two-hundred and twenty pounds of them, for only 17 barrels of beer! Its high gravity nature has been mellowing for a year to warm the cheeks and soul. Critical Hit will be released for the first time in limited release 22oz bombers and draft. Available Jan, 2012 100 IBUs 11.7% abv”

And to learn about other Ninkasi beer releases head to the excellent Brewpublic site.

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Mad River Barleywine

When the weather turns chilly, one beer style that I like to turn to for a warm up is the traditional barleywine.

And one of the best to sample is from sometimes neglected and not talked of enough, Mad River Brewing.

John Barleycorn Barleywine (9.5% abv)
“Nutty caramel malt aroma, a sweet, warming full body and features hints of plum, black currant and maple. Serve in a snifter with desserts, chocolate, or sipping with a good cigar.”

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Chicken Killer Barleywine

What with all the DIPA’s and RIS’ out there, it is easy to forget the humble barleywine. So here is one you should check out when you are in the southwest.

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Here is the 411… “CHICKEN KILLER BARLEY WINE
Chicken Killer Barley Wine is the revolutionary beer that will someday define America’s unique Barley Wine style. It is brewed with twice the ingredients of the Santa Fe Brewing Company’s other beers, and only half the usual amount of liquid is extracted from these ingredients. This makes one substantial beer. At over ten percent alcohol, Chicken Killer is actually as substantial as wine, but this is not to say that it is difficult to drink. On the contrary; be careful with this one. The flavors of the beer are at first as overwhelming as the intense Santa Fe sun. But in the same way our sun gives us the unrivaled brilliant colors of Santa Fe, the potency of Chicken Killer gives us the remarkable spectrum of flavors that can be found in no other beer, in no other city. If you did not have the opportunity to try last year’s vintage, come try this year’s!”

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LongShot

This is my favorite Sam Adams beer release of each year, hands down. Each year it’s dramatically different and you get a wide style variety from a mere 3 different beers.
longshot
Here is the pertinent information…..
“The 2010 Samuel Adams LongShot variety six-pack will be available nationwide in select retail stores beginning in April for a suggested retail price of $9.99. The variety pack will include two bottles each of Michael Robinson’s Old Ale, Ben Miller’s Barleywine, and Jeremy White’s Saison.

ABOUT THE WINNERS AND 2010 CONTEST

Michael Robinson’s Old Ale is a malty English-style brew boasting notes of dried fruit, nut, and caramel. A slight bitterness balances the combination of five malts in this full bodied beer. Light brown with reddish highlights and good clarity, the ingredients of this English-style brew are all American with the exception of the yeast which is distinctively English. Created to enjoy on cold nights or as an after dinner treat, Mike’s Old Ale is 9% alcohol by volume, about twice that of the average beer. An experienced homebrewer, Mike was recognized as a finalist in the 2008 Samuel Adams American Homebrew Contest, as well as in the 2007 Samuel Adams® Patriot Homebrew Contest.

Ben Miller’s Barleywine is a dark red, flavorful brew with rich plum undertones to complement its caramel malt flavor. A self-proclaimed ‘hop head,’ Ben used several varieties of citrusy American hops in this beer, creating its resiny aroma followed by clean bitterness. Ben’s Barleywine is his 100th homebrew, brewed to commemorate two years of enjoying the hobby.

Jeremy White, who works in the IT department at Samuel Adams, channeled his love of Belgian beers to create his Saison, a classic Belgian-style brew. Jeremy’s flavorful, refreshing and lighter-bodied beer is brewed with Grains of Paradise, an exotic tropical spice also found in Samuel Adams Summer Ale. The peppery flavor is complemented by a slightly sweet aroma with hints of vanilla and citrus.”

The Old Ale sounds tempting.

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Treblehook Barleywine

I haven’t had a Redhook beer in eons. Mostly because only LongHammer IPA makes it way this far south. But I will be on the look out for this seasonal offering.
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Fall/Winter 2009 Limited Release: Treblehook Barley Wine
Treblehook is vigorously hopped and patiently aged with aromatic malt and spicy hop notes. Smooth and complex, this beer is carefully brewed by hand with sublte caramel, toffee and chocolate notes

Style: Barley Wine

ABV: 10.1%

Malts: Pale, Caramel, Special Aromatic, Flaked Barley, Black, Melenodin

Hops: Cascade, Palisades, Chinook, Simcoe

Bitterness Units: 52 IBU

Original Gravity: 22

Brewed Since: 2007

Shelf Life: 365 days

Awards: Gold Medal 2008 Great American Beer Festival, Silver Medal 2009 Great American Beer Festival

Cellaring: Can be cellared for up to 3 years

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Barleywines

One of my favorite magazines is Imbibe. They cover all the beverages worth drinking. For their Holiday issue they talk about witbiers and barleywines. Both of which are great for the season.

Get some satsuma tangerines and a St. Bernardus wit and you will be happy or if it is late and you just finished off leftover turkey, grab a Sierra Nevada Bigfoot.