Honey B
Goose Island Beer Co.

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From:
Goose Island Beer Co.
 
Illinois, United States
Style:
English Barleywine
ABV:
9.2%
Score:
94
Avg:
4.39 | pDev: 8.66%
Reviews:
6
Ratings:
21
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 05, 2014
Added:
Nov 16, 2011
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  0
English-style barleywine aged in an Evan Williams bourbon barrel.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by joshuaseresse:
Photo of joshuaseresse
Reviewed by joshuaseresse from Minnesota

4.52/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Had a couple of these on-tap at the Clybourn brewpub. Served into a 10oz snifter:

A - pours a deep mahagoney brown with slight tones of amber. Whisks of foam head with bits of cloudy foam on the top and sides with very light lacing.

S - Rich tones of toffee, burnt brown sugar, caramel and dark fruit. Really nice bourbon notes with oak, vanilla, and strangely enough...bits of honey (although there is no honey in the brew.)

T - Heavy brown sugar, leather and toffee. Vanilla, oak nice subtle notes of bourbon and some figs. Really creamy and smooth.

M - Smooth and velvet with minimum carbonation. No burn from the ABV at all. Really great mouthfeel.

O - I really enjoyed this one. A very nice barrel aged english barleywine that I would love to have more of. Sadly, its only on-tap and at $10 for 10oz my budget won't allow me to drink a ton of it. Wish I could get a growler of this and just drink the shit outta it!
Jan 05, 2012
More User Ratings:
Photo of BRami127
Reviewed by BRami127 from Illinois

4.98/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5
Had this for the 1st time at FoBAB 2011 where it won Best In Show. Since then, both Goose Island Clybourn and Wrigleyville had them on tap. Poured into snifter.

A: Pours a deep, caramel brown. Very light brown head and very light lacing.

S: Strong, sweet scent of caramel and sugar. Also some bourbon notes

T: Heavy, with booze and sugar intermingling together. Surprisingly smooth. Unlike any barleywine I have ever drank before.

O: Easily the best Barelywine I have or will ever have. It's a shame this is a one off beer. It would be great if this was bottled, especially for a "Black Friday" release.
Jul 05, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by sweemzander from Illinois

Oct 19, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by hopswap1 from Illinois

May 10, 2013
 
Rated: 4.75 by cadaugherty from Illinois

May 09, 2013
Photo of mvdillman
Reviewed by mvdillman from Indiana

4.79/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Served into a snifter from Clybourne location.

A: medium mahogany with a finger of off white head.

S: bourbon with a hint of vanilla

T: the alcohol is covered really nicely. Tastes of toffee, and a little caramel come through.

M: full body

O: one of the best BA barley wines I've ever had.

Salud!
Feb 23, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by spycow from Illinois

Jan 17, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by ravot from Illinois

Dec 20, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by antoines15 from Indiana

Apr 19, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by imperialking from Illinois

Feb 20, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by coz from Illinois

Feb 06, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by pirmannt1 from Illinois

Jan 02, 2012
Photo of Urbancaver
Reviewed by Urbancaver from Ohio

4.38/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours a dark orange. Nice frothy white head. Very nice appearance. Smells sweet and honey heavy. Not much else. Tastes oaky and honey strong. Sweet but has a nice tanin bite. Very nice carbonation levels. Almost syrupy thick mouthfeel. Very nice given the flavour profile. Overall very solid
Nov 30, 2011
 
Rated: 3.5 by Duff27 from Illinois

Nov 24, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by thanmad from Illinois

Nov 20, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by ChrisPro from Illinois

Nov 19, 2011
Photo of KickInTheChalice
Reviewed by KickInTheChalice from Illinois

4.15/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Tried at Fobab, with notes from a second sampling at Goose Island. Served on tap in a 10 oz. snifter.

Appearance: My pour is a hazy brown color with a few hints of burgundy at the edges. A tan sea foam froth rests on top, fading to a light ring after a few minutes.

Smell: The aroma is much more bourbon forward than the flavor. After my nose processes the strong bourbon note, vanilla is the next strongest aroma. Sweet toffee, caramel, figs, and dates impart a strong sweetness, with a bit of roast malt and oak in the back.

Taste: As mentioned above, the bourbon plays a much more gentle role in the flavor, allowing the base flavors to really shine through. There is such an incredible vanilla flavor here, especially for a barleywine. The flavors are blended well together, with each component bringing more vanilla out. Caramel and toffee provide an enhanced sweetness with just a bit of roast to the malt presence up front. The gooey sweetness carries over to toffee soaked figs and dates and some rum raisin makes an appearance as well. Toward the end the bourbon presses through, helping to soften the gooey sweetness and bring out some of the barrel character as well. The finish is smooth, still fairly sweet, and full of vanilla.

Mouthfeel: My only true knock on this beer is that the carbonation feels fizzy. With a smoother, creamier carbonation, I would bump this score a point and probably the overall score half a point, really bringing it into the elite category. The rest of the body has a nice, full mouthfeel, with a gooey stickiness that is only partially softened by the barrel dryness toward the end. A bit of bourbon alcohol presence pleasantly reminds me of the 9.2% ABV.

Overall: This was a strong offering for GI to bring to Fobab. A very good bourbon barrel barleywine. This does not really push any boundaries, but there is no crime in bourbon barrel aging a barleywine well.
Nov 19, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by JoshVandy from Indiana

Nov 18, 2011
 
Rated: 4.25 by thewimperoo from Illinois

Nov 18, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by 4DAloveofSTOUT from Illinois

Nov 16, 2011
Honey B from Goose Island Beer Co.
Beer rating: 94 out of 100 with 21 ratings