BB10
Birrificio Barley

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From:
Birrificio Barley
 
Italy
Style:
American Barleywine
ABV:
10%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.88 | pDev: 11.86%
Reviews:
14
Ratings:
22
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 30, 2017
Added:
Feb 05, 2008
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  3
No description / notes.
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Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.81 by shelby415 from Oregon

Dec 30, 2017
 
Rated: 3.85 by samEBC from Belgium

Jun 05, 2017
 
Rated: 3.92 by desint from Belgium

Jun 04, 2017
Photo of Beginner2
Rated by Beginner2 from Illinois

3.69/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Listed on the "1001" by, my guess, some Italian bribe.
Jun 15, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by nathanmiller from New York

Jan 15, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by BeerForMuscle from New Jersey

Dec 08, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by ygtbsm94 from Utah

Dec 26, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by mrfrancis from Kentucky

Jul 13, 2013
Photo of stcules
Reviewed by stcules from Italy

3.82/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Riserva 2007.
Dark brown, almost black color. Almost no foam.
Very vinous at the smell, with strong malt notes, light caramel.
In the mouth again vinous, with a lightly toasted malt. Red fruit, plum, grape, dried fruit.
Full taste. Cocoa notes, liqurice, chocolate, dry figs, raisins.
Good body, lightly carbonated.
Fruity and vinous aftertaste.
It's a beer that requires time in order to really appreciate all the nuances.
Jun 02, 2012
Photo of drpimento
Reviewed by drpimento from Wisconsin

4.57/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Hahahahaha, I love it man, I friggin love it. These guys are out there bustin their balls makin this great stuff for us to drink. This is great! Oh yeah, and this beer too! Poured with a nice foamy frothy thick tan head and some lace. Color is a very dark brown with red higlights.Aroma is a heady mix of malt fruit yeast fortified wine and chocolate. Flavor's the same way, but with a lot more of everything. Quite sweet. Sipping beer for sure. Body is heavenly and has perfect carbonation for this style. Be nice to try with a good cigar. Sweet boozy finish. Sipping beer with your smoking jacket on. hahahah hell ya
May 19, 2010
Photo of Nickls
Reviewed by Nickls from District of Columbia

4.12/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours with a nice finger of lightly tan head that has some bubbliness about it and holds fairly well on a deep, dark cola brown hue. Not great lacing, though.

Aroma is really packed with lots of fruits: passion fruits, plums, prunes, all really nice. Some hop bitterness comes into play, but really leans to an English take on the style. Aroma also has notes of caramel and toffee. Flavor is decidedly less sweet than led on by the aroma, but this is a good thing for me. Still lots of fruitiness in the taste, but more on the prune-side. Nice bit of a hop kiss mid-taste; then toffee and even a coffee note sneeks in. Really lots of nice flavors, and well-balanced and enjoyable. MF is medium, with subtle, soft carbonation. Really nice sipping brew and warming, and my only complaint is that the hop profile would need to be amped up a little to make it a US Barleywine. Nonetheless, it's definitely a nice one in general. Good brew.
Mar 27, 2010
Photo of corby112
Reviewed by corby112 from Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a very dark brown, almost prune purplish black with a huge 3 finger frothy coffee colored head with excellent retention that slowly fades into a lasting cap that coats the glass with large chunks of soapy lacing.

Roasted malt aroma with hints of bitter dark chocolate malt, dark fruits, especially plum, dark cherry and fig as well as some spice.

Roasted malt flavor with a lot of bitter dark chocolate and dark fruit, especially plum, raisin, dark cherries, grape and fig. There is also a good bit of cocoa and coffee bean to balance things out. The sweetness of the estery fruit notes are balanced by the roasted notes and the subtle hops provide a slight dry finish. The alcohol is undetectable and the excellent balance make this beer extremely quaffable. Highly recommended!
Nov 02, 2009
Photo of GRG1313
Reviewed by GRG1313 from California

4.27/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Ale brewed with Cannonau grapes and orange peels. Black with a tan head that quickly fades, comes back nicely with a light swirl.

Nose of sweet burnt carmel and whiskey with sherry untertones.

Mouthfeel is creamy and rich with light and elegant caronation. Tastes of quality.

Flavors are complex and layers of sweet burnt sherry/carmel to whisky prunes to rich sweet espresso. Hints of aged grapes and light candied orange peel.

Finish is a rich and thick espresso. This beer shows of quality, layered complex flavors and a rich full character. Nice all around.
Oct 31, 2009
Photo of wl0307
Reviewed by wl0307 from England

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Purchased at the BSF bar, GBBF 2009; this "non-filtered, bottle-conditioned" ale comes in a 375ml dark green bottle - like the kind used for most lambic/gauze; "Riserva 2008", BB 09/03/2014, served cool in Hapkin's bulb-shaped sniffer.

A: very dark in colour, like charred-wood brown, coming with a mild carbonation and a tan frothy head that gradually settles to a thin cap to last throughout the drink.
S: old dried fruits (raisins+prunes), stimulating black sugar, bitter-chocolaty & creamy malts sit on top of a thick body of American flowery hops plus some thick-bodied honey; the whole aroma comes with good depth and volume, backed by a soul-lifting aura mixed of sweet dried herbs and root herbs (licorice-ish as well) in the background. Very nice indeed and like an American Barley Wine, albeit less pronounced in the hop department.
T: the foretaste comes delicately yeasty-sour and lightly mouldy (like expired/lightly moulded cheese even), while it's also full of dried fruits just like the aroma suggests (raisiny, prune-ish and even grapey) and always buttressed by a rather light-bodied toffee-ish dark malts with an edge of burned nuts and black sugar... Elegantly lingering in the finish, the pleasant stream of sweet coffee, licorice-herbal tea, and tannins as of semi-roast tea leaves along with residual aroma of more dried fruits are balanced by a moderately chewy mouthfeel of decent input of hops.
M&D: very soft in carbonation and medium at most in terms of overall body, this 10%abv. ale is smooth and fairly easy to enjoy without going heavy at all. The hops profile reveals in a skilful way, as do the overall slightly old-ish characters. I'm very surprised to find this Italian take on the Old Ale (rather than any barley wine that I know of, actually) style such a mature product, that a structure of flavour is neatly presented and alc. level is certainly brilliantly camouflaged.
Oct 11, 2009
Photo of jdhilt
Reviewed by jdhilt from New Hampshire

3.88/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a two finger tan head that fades slowly leaving some lace. Dark brown almost black color. Medium carbonation and medium bodied. Alcohol nose. Flavor is alcohol and woody, needs to be aged for a few years. Waaay overpriced at $31.95 for a 750ml blue bottle from Colonial Spirits Acton, MA.
Jul 23, 2009
Photo of clickpush
Reviewed by clickpush from Pennsylvania

2.19/5  rDev -43.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2
Appearance: Poured from half bottle (BB Dexi) to wide mouth glass. Dark brown, thin looking body. SRM about 25-30. Small tan head reduces to thin lacing and halo. Lazy bubbles and some chunky yeast balls interspersed throughout the beer.

Smell: Caramel, alcohol, roasty burnt rubber, plum skins. Complex yet abrasive. I'm confused and worried.

Mouth: Entrance into mouth is repulsive. Is something rotting in here? Somehow the rich character is completely killing the fact that there is a nice roast malt, burnt toast finish. Some sour quality that just doesn't work. What the heck is making that flavor? Unfortunately I don't think that this is a tainted bottle.

Drain pour.
Jul 05, 2009
Photo of avalon07
Reviewed by avalon07 from South Carolina

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a dark brown color and a super thick consistency with lots of sediment floating around. There was a half inch of foamy, long-lasting head and good lacing.

S: Smelled mainly of malt and some fruit.

T: Tasted of malt, a sugary component, fruit, alcohol and a little hops. Not exactly in line with a typical barleywine, but good.

M: A decent amount of carbonation with a smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

D: This is an odd beer, but it has a drinkable quality. Not what I expected.
May 15, 2009
Photo of Suds
Reviewed by Suds from Missouri

4.09/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From a 37.5 cl bottle, labeled 'Riserva 2007', this brew has a thin, film-like head that quickly disappears. The color is dark brown, bordering on black, with crimson red highlights in the shallows. The aroma is simply fantastic. A rich complexity of malt, roasted grain, fruity esters, alcohol, oak, vanilla, raisins, and chocolate. It's the kind of beer that is amazing to smell; there's a lot going on in there. The taste is equally good, although quite different from the norm. It is astringent and vinous, with a curious smoky and slightly acidic, tannic character. The beer is supposed to be made with Cannoau wine grapes, which is a wonderful full-bodied wine. I think that this adds to the complexity of the beer. The beer dries out by the finish, and almost becomes astringent, leaving a roasted, slightly sour flavor in the hind-taste. This is a well conceived and incredibly enjoyable (especially in the smell) brew. Well worth having.
Feb 07, 2009
Photo of hoppymeal
Reviewed by hoppymeal from Michigan

4/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a murky cider like brown with a good sized medium tan head that slowly recedes. Aroma is of sweet malts, grapes come thru nicely, almost like a sweet white wine aroma, a bit of chocolate and a hint of roastiness. Taste follows with the grape showing stronger even than in the aroma, some oakiness and tannic qualities and some chocolate hiding in the back. Mouthfeel is medium in body, some biting at the front of the tongue before a nice drying begins and continues thru into the finish, the dryness balancing the sweetness. A very interesting beer, the alcohol seems well hidden. I think this could be quite good with some age.
Dec 16, 2008
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.92/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Found at State Line Liquors and drank in Snowball, ON with BobbyS. A complex beer of wafting aromas, creamy almost winey mouthfeel. Tastes: caramel, cocacolish with wheat, porterish mollassess, and of course yeast. Very drinkable.Chocolate, coffee.Balanced and neither overally sweet, nor bitter
Aug 22, 2008
BB10 from Birrificio Barley
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 22 ratings