BART - FiftyFifty Brewing Co.

EgadBananas

Louisiana

4.1/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured more like a stout, black, some brown edges, tanned head. Aroma was sweet, with a sugary fruity note, medium barrel wood and bourbon, hint of char, molasses, plums, chocolate and roasted malts. Taste had a nice vanilla and wood note, subtle but well noticeable bourbon note, chocolate, figs, hints of citrus hots and a very mild bitterness. Feel was more on the medium body side of things, carbonation felt good.

This had a reminiscence of Eclipse, but not the full on stout experience. Pretty nice, quite enjoyable.

Thanks David!

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 12:04:34 | More by EgadBananas

scottfrie

California

4.31/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

22oz bottle into snifter.

A: Pours black with a finger of thick light khaki colored head that lasted for quite some time. Wispy spotty lace was left down the glass.
S: Caramel, brown sugar and molasses are sweet over boozy and roasted notes of toasted malt and raisins.
T: Sweet, buttery and smooth but powerful flavors of raisin, caramel, toffee, fig, molasses, brown sugar, dark chocolate, whiskey, and earthy spice. Solid hoppy bitterness from the barleywine lingers alongside slight vanilla, more whiskey booze, and lightly bitter chocolate.
M: Thick, slick, soft and sweet. Very smooth and integrated flavors, but still bitter and boozy although not hot. Low carbonation; drinks very well.
O: I really enjoyed this. After having it on tap a few times I’m glad I got to sit down in a controlled environment and really enjoy a bottle. An excellent blend.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 01:40:39 | More by scottfrie

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

4.43/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap, served in a tulip (from notes; originally consumed 6/2012)

An ink black in color with just a thin light tan collar around the edges. No lacing.

Barrel aging is supremely evident. Huge notes of oak, whiskey, and vanilla greet the olfactories. Dark roasted malt, oats, and dark chocolate round out well incorporated nose. All of the aromas are well-intertwined.

The barleywine characteristics come out a little more in the flavor profile. Some roast, whiskey, and oak up front before some light floral hops and dark fruits through the middle. Oats and chocolate blend with whiskey, and some vanilla in the finish. Some booze is evident, and lingers for a little while.

Full, rich body. Thick, but smooth. Well blended.

I am amazed at how well these aromas and flavors play together. Everything is well incorporated. The name says it all: Barrel Aged, Really Tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2012 19:07:06 | More by ColForbinBC

cosmicevan

New York

3.53/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Notes taken from a bottleshare at the Phoenix Sun in NYC. Thanks kindly to Alex for sharing.

a - dark as night. head like a dessert coffee. body was deep dark purple.
s - timid. some roast. nutmeg...dark fruits.
t - there is a lot going on in this one. kind of strong ale fruitiness...wow, it IS a strong ale...i had thought this was a stout going into it, but upon checking, tis a strong ale. decent for the style, a bit heavy on the booze and roastiness.
m - big and boozy. medium bodied.
o - overall decent strong ale, probably not worth what you'd have to give up to get it.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 20:10:45 | More by cosmicevan

Sean9689

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a darker brown color, light tan head, thin collar. Nose is smooth booze, oak, caramel, some dark fruit. Flavor is oak, burnt sugars, oak, vanilla, toasted malts. Medium body, good carbonation, creamy sweet finish.

Not my favorite beer from FiftyFifty, but nothing really mind-blowing here. I'm looking forward to see how this ages in the next year or so, as I have one bottle left. Decent, but not sure I'd seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 00:13:36 | More by Sean9689

corby112

Pennsylvania

2.9/5  rDev -31.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

2012 vintage on draft at Devil's Den in Philadelphia, PA.

Pours a dark chocolate brown color with a half finger light beige head that quickly fades into a lasting ring.  Minimal spotty lacing left behind.

Sweet boozy aroma with a very strong barrel presence that slightly overpowers the sweet and dark malts notes.  Toasted oak, and alcohol followed by spicy rye, coffee, dark chocolate and vinous fruit notes.  It takes a while for these other notes to open up, but they're there underneath all of the booze and oak.

Medium bodied with a really strong boozy barrel presence that dominates the flavor, almost completely obliterating and trace of a base beer.  Lots of toasted oak, vanilla, spicy rye and scorching hot booze assaulting the palate.   After it warms up considerably, there is some subtle hops, leathery malt and dark fruit but the boozy barrel character is way too strong.  This brewery usually makes really good barrel aged beers but this turned out to be extremely hot and one dimensional.

Serving type: on-tap

08-15-2012 02:44:38 | More by corby112

Phelps

Arizona

3.98/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bart is a blend of brews that changes up each year. This particular iteration is a blend of Totality imperial stout, Donner Party porter and Summit barleywine aged in bourbon barrels for 180 days. Poured into a tulip.

Thin yet completely black look. The half-inch head of light, sandy tan head fizzles away nearly completely after a few seconds.

Interesting nose, with a noticeable blend of roast and barleywine notes. From the stout and porter: bitter toast and roast, a hint of coffee, some oats. From the barleywine: caramel and oranges. Not much barrel from any of it, though.

In the flavor, the barrels aren’t very noticeable save some clean oak. Bitter black malt and dark coffee blend with orange zest, caramel, oats and vanilla.

Smooth, soft medium body. Mild massaging carbonation breaks into soft fizz as it moves. Alcohol isn’t very noticeable, but dark malt bitterness builds.

Bart’s decent, but I could use more barrel or bourbon. Interesting blend, though. Really tasty yes; barrel-aged no.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 05:57:45 | More by Phelps

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

on tap a monks in philly

Pours a slightly clouded golden amber color with a crop of soft beige head. Retains for a bit before leaving patchy lacing on the glass.

Nearly equal parts punchy pine hops and warming, boozy glow. Touches of vanilla and oak with leathery tannins. Bourbon and caramel malts with notes of sweetness.

A bit hoppy up front from the barleywine aspect of the blend, carried by notes of pine and citrusy grapefruit. A little fruity and juicy, but swept away by building barrel notes with vanilla and oak. Bourbon with chocolate, oats, caramel, bread crust. Finishes bitter and hoppy with lingering boozy warmth.

Fuller body, well carbonated, sticky and slightly dry on the tongue with a lingering effect. This is an awesome example of blending, style bending and barrel aging. I had the opportunity to try this twice but I still wish I had some bottles.

Serving type: on-tap

07-07-2012 17:34:16 | More by xnicknj

FosterJM

California

4.5/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

1354th Review on BA
Bottle to CCB Snifter
22oz

Thanks to StarRaptor for sharing

App- Appeared in the glass an inky black. The stout took over on the coloring of this one. Had only minimal touches of the ruddy brown or bright orange from a Barleywine in this case. A nice head formed a bit of a khaki color and faded quickly leaving some okay lacing.

Smell- Hot damn. So smooth and bourbon for days. A little bit of vanilla. A ton of the malts from the barleywine take over and create an enticing mix on the nose. I am even more anxious to take a sip now.

Taste- Incredibly smooth. The room full of BA's got quiet as we all tried to pick out random flavors and nuances to this beer. The name stands as reason. The team up there wasnt lying. The malt creates a great background from the BW to age on and the oatmeal makes it very creamy with a sweeter flavor.

Mouth- Full medium with a medium thick carbonation. A lot of malts and barrel come through on the residual flavors with some vanilla and creme flavors remaining.

Drink- Incredibly good. I never thought I would get to try this one. Thanks Scott. A very wonderul beer that was complex and layered for days.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 00:21:11 | More by FosterJM

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On Tap at Devil's Den for their 4th annual Bella Vista beer bash. Served in a tulip glass.

Barrel Aged Really Tasty is just that, really tasty. Out of the spout BART appears very black in color with a nice firm half inch of tightly coiled cream colored foam with minor sticking.

Smell is really off the charts with barrel profile. A nice integration of bourbon, oatmeal, chocolate, deep malt profile with some trace hints of alcohol. Some mild hop aroma comes out. The oak is nice and pleasant and not to overstated and the vanilla is superb. Well integrated is an understatement.

I gotta say I might like this better than regular Eclipse variations, although this is off the tap which makes it that much better. The barleywine portion takes away some of the bourbon/barrel flavor from the eclipse portion, yet adds another layer without losing the boat. Tastes of bourbon, vanilla, floral hop presence, oak, oatmeal, roasty malt and a touch of smoke. I love this beer. It's easy to drink.

As said above, easier to take down than a regular eclipse, although I am a bit of a lightweight. The smoothness off the tap make this stand out like whoa. A touch of heat, not hot with a above medium body. You gotta try this stuff. I might have to seek this out again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-02-2012 16:07:56 | More by onix1agr

alexhahn82

California

3.58/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

B.A.R.T. (Barrel Aged Really Tasty)

This batch is a Heaven Hill barrel aged mixture of Donner Party Porter + Old Conundrum Barley Wine. 60 IBU's and 10% ABV.
(Only available in 8oz Pours @ Fifty Fifty on tap)

A - Dark, almost red win like color, 1 finger head with lacing.

S - Barley wine. And thats about it.

T/M - Taste is of bourbon up front with immediate and evenly blended flavors of porter with a medium but stern finish of Barley wine.

O - Amazing. Seek and Destroy, Seek and Destroy (Do it twice!)

PP (Price Point) $7.95 for an 8oz pour. Great deal, do it all day! A dollar an ounce for an insanely good barrel aged product!

Serving type: on-tap

07-19-2011 03:04:51 | More by alexhahn82

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.68/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

At the Eclipse party, barrel aged barleywine and stout, 1/2 and 1/2, named after the practical dog mascot of the brewery so the story goes. Amazing delivery of the jack daniels into this one. (Edit: It was heaven hill, but whatever the bourbon was, it melded ever so nicely) Great barrel aged bourbon barleywine aroma, rich and seductive.

Taste, good enough with anything in any style, lots of vanilla, ample hops from the barleywine, it never felt heavy in here. Was like a conglomeration of all their stouts and a barleywine. I'd take this over any of the FW anniversary blends any day. A little big of lingering chocolate from the stout side of the equation. Tad of citrus from the barleywine. Lots of complimentary if not often harmonious flavors in this one.

Can't figure out how something like this, with so much diverse flavor from different component beers, didn't have much heat and didn't really fatigue the palate. This was a great beer to change it up with after a massive palate gauntlet of Eclipse barrel aged stuff that night. Can't wait for this on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

12-25-2010 00:51:39 | More by Beerandraiderfan

Jmoore50

Nevada

4.38/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

This was one of my favorite beers from the 2010 release party. I am almost sure that it was barrel aged in Heaven Hills barrels. I like barrel aged Barleywines, I like barrel aged Imperial Stouts, so this one pretty much started as a great idea.

The beer has a darker amber center that gradients out to a burnt gold color. It is a medium bodied beer that when poured produces almost no head. Legs, this beer has them.

Lots of chocolate liquor with a noticeable sweet kick. I got more dark fruits out of this one paired with the chocolate and booze. I could also specifically pin down the oak from the barrel in this.

A lighter mouthfeel and with loads of flavor make this a dangerous beer to drink. It is loaded with caramel and toffee flavors with chocolate and Heaven Hills being noticeable as well. Again, I can taste the oak and it results in a sweet vanilla flavor.

A thinner body and mouthfeel result in few different things. The flavors are still present but so is a lot of the barrel. Not necessarily a bad thing I just found that the flavors were not meshing as well as I would of liked. Don't get me wrong, this was an amazing beer and a welcome change to the different beers on tap.

Cannot wait for more of this to start making its rounds.
J

Serving type: on-tap

12-05-2010 06:00:45 | More by Jmoore50

largadeer

Kentucky

4.43/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at FiftyFifty, 2010 edition aged in bourbon barrels of some sort.

A beer has never been more aptly named, for this is indeed a barrel aged rare tick.

It's a dark caramel hue, nicely carbonated, topped by a small but retaining off-white head.

There's a ton of caramel on the nose, both from whiskey barrels and the barleywine component of the beer. The whiskey character seems slightly more one-dimensional to me compared to Eclipse, but it's excellent all the same. Totality contributes a bit of chocolate that blends harmoniously with the fruitiness of Old Conundrum. Alcohol is hardly noticed.

The palate is only semi-sweet. Big caramel and bourbon flavors are balanced by light alcohol and tannic oak. The mid-palate brings out notes of stone fruit preserves, vanilla and milk chocolate. Medium in body, a little thinner than I'd like, with a little astringency showing up in the otherwise mellow finish.

This was quite good. Not on the same level as Eclipse, but with a bit more work it has the potential to be. Glad that this is going to be bottled next year.

Serving type: on-tap

12-04-2010 21:08:40 | More by largadeer

PaulStoneAnchor

California

4.85/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I recently just had this on tap at the Eclipse pre-release party. It has some great chocolate, oak, earthy hop bitterness, and vanilla notes. Its the perfect blend of stout and barleywine. The bitterness that comes from the barley really pulls out some nice citrusyness that plays well with the vanilla and oak notes. Overall an amazing beer!

Serving type: on-tap

12-04-2010 21:03:27 | More by PaulStoneAnchor

Floydster

California

4.15/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Sampled at the 2008 Strong Ale Festival, was excited to see this in the lineup after hearing all the hype from the Bistro Barrel Aged Fest, consumed 12/5/08, reviewed from notes, color was a medium brown with some dark orange mixed in, creamy 1/2 inch off white head that had some retention, small amount of lacing also, aroma was filled with whiskey, roasted malts, oak, dark fruit, and both types of chocolate, flavor was a little dry at first with some hops carrying over from the barleywine component, beer gets sweet as it warms with the fruit and malt, oaky characteristics keep it dry enough to keep things in check, bourbon finish is smooth but a little funky at times, there is also a bit of earthiness lingering in the background, mouthfeel is sweet and fairly smooth, body is on the thicker side even after barrel aging for four months, could drink a few glasses of this, especially nice in the winter time, not too filling, I did not know a barleywine and oatmeal stout could blend so well, probably would have been better without the Jack barrel but still quite enjoyable, recommended

Serving type: on-tap

12-23-2008 04:02:05 | More by Floydster

hopdog

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap. This is a blend of their Barley Wine and Oatmeal Stout aged in a JD Barrel for 160 days. Interesting sounding to say the least.

Poured a dark brown color with red edges and a small sized off white head. Aromas of wood, oaky, bourbon, citrus, and fruity. Tastes of lighter wood, bourbon, fruity, and citrus. Some coffee and oats in the tastes too.

Serving type: on-tap

12-09-2008 04:28:15 | More by hopdog