John Barleycorn Barleywine Ale - Mad River Brewing Company

GreenCard

Oregon

3.78/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: deep orange, slight haze, little head formation (just a thin crown)

Aroma: full malty/caramelly punch laced with rum

Flavor: malty sweetness pretty heavy at first then it dries out as the 11% abv rinses through followed by an acerbic hop bitterness which pervades way past the semisweet finish

Mouthfeel: full body, pert carbonation, lots of alcohol warmth

Other comments: My favorite barleywine is Old Saguaro. That is the standard by which I rate other BWs. This one comes fairly close.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2010 03:02:47 | More by GreenCard

megamass

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

06-07-2013 05:01:03 | More by megamass

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +7.5%

05-16-2013 18:46:48 | More by Slatetank

CelticAleMan

California

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

05-13-2013 18:20:00 | More by CelticAleMan

boilermakerbrew

Indiana

4.15/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Picked up a 2010 vintage from the local store.

A- Pours an opaque, deep, deep, mahogany. Very small, dense head that only retains a little, but leaves a little foam around the top. No lacing.

S- Huge, sweet malt scents with more huge, bitter oak and a little hops. Terribly complex with a lot of booze kicking in at the end. Overall, the combined scents give a barrel-like scent to this beer.

T- Huge boozy flavors hit up front with a fair dose of hops bitterness. Small transition over to some mildly sweet caramel malts. Big oak-like flavors push it back towards the hops and booze. Ends with a pretty strong combination of hoops and alcohol bitterness that lingers. Interesting and complex, just mot entirely good flavor combinations.

M- Thick and syrupy across the tongue. Very low carbonation with lots of alcohol detectable in the taste. Alcohol has a surprisingly low amount of burn for its prominence in the taste.

Overall, this has been aged between 2 and 3 years, and could stand up for years to come. The alcohol is somewhat overpowering the flavors of the malts, but the hops are still prominent.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 22:08:07 | More by boilermakerbrew

Gregg_Kawakami

Hawaii

4.5/5  rDev +21%

04-21-2013 20:46:31 | More by Gregg_Kawakami

BeerlyLegal

California

4.5/5  rDev +21%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I had a 2011 12oz bottle poured into a tulip.

In my opinion this is a damn good barley wine and a bit surprised by BA's ratings. Maybe a little bit too sweet for some, but overall a beautiful brew with an 11.1% ABV that sneaks up on you nicely.

I scented a cheese plate with grapes and apples.

I tasted a caramel syrupy flavor mixed with hints of dark fruit, molasses and malt. With that said, you would think this is a sticky beer however it has a very smooth finish that allows you down it quite easily. I would love to get my hands on this again.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 05:43:50 | More by BeerlyLegal

BGsWo22

New York

1.75/5  rDev -53%

03-21-2013 00:36:55 | More by BGsWo22

nzerbe

New York

4/5  rDev +7.5%

03-05-2013 11:46:58 | More by nzerbe

evilkalla

Alabama

3.18/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Serving: 2009 vintage bottle into an ale glass. I drank a couple of these soon after purchase and they were a little harsh, so I've left them on the shelf for a few years. Figured it was time to see if they have improved.

A: Poured thick, slightly hazy, with a small amount of carbonation. Deep amber/brown color. Has a thin film of a head which receded quickly.

S: Has a slightly sweet malty smell to it, but all traces of hops have vanished. Not surprising given the age.

T: The slightest bitterness, with a strong flavor of dark caramel malt. The alcohol is noticeable but not offensive. It has improved a fair amount since I tasted it about three years ago. Overall, a fair but middle of the road barley wine.

M: Thick mouthfeel which is expected given the amount of malt in this beer. Not bad.

O: This is a barley wine that was not very good when it was younger, but improved a bit with a little aging. Still doesn't blow your socks off but it has a relatively mild flavor which isn't offensive.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 00:36:40 | More by evilkalla

MarkyMOD

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

03-02-2013 02:36:11 | More by MarkyMOD

AmitC

Indiana

4.03/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured the 2011 limited release from a 12 oz bottle into a snifter.

Clouded Brown color. a lot of suspensions and haze. Dirty. About half finger thick tan colored head that stays well as a layer. Decent to excellent lacing on the sides. Almost opaque. Calm.

Aroma still has a lot of hops coming through and at first smell it comes of as an earthy IPA. A good amount of malts and a very typical Barleywine style aroma with a good mix and interplay of earthy, ground hops and strong malts. Very slight alcohol warmth that comes through. A lot of bready and some caramel notes come through in the nose.

Taste is just decent. Again very typical. Some sweetness of malts and hidden yet coming through bitter hops. A good amount of booze and very good alcohol warmth. Finish is semi dry to slightly bitter sweet.

Mouth feel is heavy medium to almost full bodied with a very good chewing texture. Some booze that shines or what looks to be killing the rating of others. No astringency except for 11.1% ABV.

I like it and it drinks good. However, i would not buy it again just because of its price.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 00:29:54 | More by AmitC

hayesjw

California

4.25/5  rDev +14.2%

02-20-2013 00:17:09 | More by hayesjw

Beaver13

Colorado

2.95/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle. Pours dark murky copper red with a small off-white head that quickly goes to a thin collar.

The aroma is sweet caramel malt with some dark fruit, molasses and alcohol.

The flavor is sweet sugary caramel malts with dark fruit and a medium bitter finish with a big harsh alcohol burn. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with low but spritzy carbonation.

Overall, it's an ok barley wine but not well balanced - too sweet with lots of harsh bitter alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 05:48:03 | More by Beaver13

HoistinBrews

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

02-09-2013 02:02:20 | More by HoistinBrews

ambruns1979

California

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

02-03-2013 07:53:02 | More by ambruns1979

DmanGTR

New York

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

02-01-2013 18:25:45 | More by DmanGTR

bb8189

Ohio

4/5  rDev +7.5%

01-27-2013 19:34:28 | More by bb8189

tdm168

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A - dark amber with a thin white lacing that fades rather quickly; there are some hops floating in the rather dense liquid

S - sugary, bready, cake batter, citrusy hop aromas

T - caramel, bread, candy sugar, birthday cake, citrus, bitter finish

M - full bodied, warm, well carbonated

This is a really nice, balanced barleywine. It's incredibly malty and sweet, but the hops are also intense and balance the flavor. The ABV is well hidden adding only some warmth to the mouthfeel. For 11% this is dangerously drinkable. I really enjoyed this one. I will definitely pick it up again.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 13:08:15 | More by tdm168

portia99

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

2008 vintage (9.1% on the bottle) 12oz bottle poured into a Brooklyn snifter.

A - Pours a muddy brown color touched with amber. Lots of haze and floating particles throughout. Low off-white/tan head.

S - A touch tart, fruity and astringent. Lots of caramel and toffee malt aromas, sweet and sugary. A bit yeasty and somewhat boozy.

T - Underlying hop bitterness, a bit medicinal. Earthy and grainy malt, fruity - a bit apple and grape-like. Caramel sweetness, brown sugar, burnt sugar. Fair amount of oxidation in this 4+ year old twist off bottle.

M - Body is rather thin...surprisingly so. Carbonation is lively and at a higher level with a firm tingle on the tongue. Alcohol is noticeable but only mildly giving a faint touch of warmth. Hops give a bit of a medicine-like bitterness.

O - Overall, just an average barleywine. This is a well aged bottle showing a fair amount of oxidation. The age is obviously showing a bit here and really isn't doing this much service. Better fresh?...I don't know, but as this is just an average barleywine. I wouldn't turn it away, but not anywhere near the top end of the range for this style.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 23:55:46 | More by portia99

AlexFields

Tennessee

2.25/5  rDev -39.5%

01-12-2013 18:25:45 | More by AlexFields

Hardcore

Hawaii

4/5  rDev +7.5%

01-10-2013 06:50:18 | More by Hardcore

Lukass

Ohio

4/5  rDev +7.5%

01-03-2013 01:18:36 | More by Lukass

cocojoe

Oregon

3.45/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is a 2011 version coming in at 11.1% ABV

A: Cloudy caramel brown color with amber hues. Very little head.

S: Sweet, floral, caramel, toasty, cashews, figs

T: Super thick and sweet front, really smoothe and thick the whole way through, caramel and dark fruit, some really dark notes as well, subtle roasty notes. Definitely an American barleywine, has a fairly strong hop presence as well. Finishes a little flat for me.

M: Thick, sweet, full body

O: Not my favorite American style barley wine. The aroma is really nice, but something in the flavor is lacking a bit. Not a whole

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 10:49:15 | More by cocojoe

SDG1070

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

12-29-2012 00:01:09 | More by SDG1070