Insanity - Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

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93
exceptional
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1,328 Ratings

THE BROS
91
exceptional
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rAvg: 4.18
pDev: 11.48%
Reviews: 780
Hads: 548

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Brewed by:
Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

Pennsylvania, United States

Style | ABV
English Barleywine | 11.10% ABV

Availability: Rotating. bottle (734), on-tap (43), growler (3).

Notes:
A bourbon barrel-aged English-style Barleywine.

View: Beers (40) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by ThisWangsChung:

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.69/5 rDev -11.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12 oz bottle poured into a snifter.

A: Pours a ruby red color with nice clarity. The head is quite good for a barleywine; a one finger light cream color. Retention is pretty good, and even after fading, the collar on the side of the glass is quite nice as well.

S: This one comes across as being very caramel-forward. I also detect notes of toffee and brown sugar. The bourbon barrel influence is certainly present, as well, providing tones of vanilla, coconut, and pleasant booze. Quite nice.

T: The bourbon presence is what first sweeps across the palate at first. Vanilla and coconut - even if it's not as distinctive as, say, Sucaba - are certainly an enjoyable sensation on the palate. I swear I detect the most subtle hint of chocolate on the midtaste. The aforementioned midtaste and finish is where the barleywine proper breaks away from the barrel's influence; caramel, toffee, and prune notes gradually build from the midtaste all the way to the finish. It's certainly good - but it lacks the proper depth to be elite.

M: The feel is both moderately thick and a bit syrupy; the latter is no big deal given the style's conventions. The sweetness does a decent job of covering the alcohol presence without being an overbearing expression. The aftertaste provided by the oak barrel tannins give a bit of a dryness without exasperating the alcohol harshness significantly or gutting the flavors.

O: Truth be told, I'm the kind of person who prefers my barleywines to be simple and non-barrel-aged, but I'll be damned if this one isn't pretty good. I'd even go so far as to say I (slightly) prefer it to Sucaba. So sue me. The relative cheapness and ease of attainability are just gravy, really. All in all, it's really good, but not amazing.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 00:37:08 | More by ThisWangsChung

More User Reviews:

mookihouse

California

4/5 rDev -4.3%

05-20-2013 18:28:08 | More by mookihouse

lauries444

New Jersey

3/5 rDev -28.2%

05-20-2013 02:02:28 | More by lauries444

Apellonious

North Carolina

4.1/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle - 4 pack

A - ruby red with brown undertones. Little to no head on the pour. Very thin lace.

S - dark fruit, fig, sugary malt. Slight waft of bourbon.

T - brown sugar, bourbon, dark fruits. Hints of banana and vanilla.

M - thick, moderately sticky, coats the back of the tongue and throat. Carbonation is light.

O - great offering. This is my first 'barrel aged' barleywine, so nothing really to compare it to, though reminds me of a Belgian ale, or maybe Ol Curmudgeon. Something good comes out of PA.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 22:34:14 | More by Apellonious

drgonzo2k2

California

4/5 rDev -4.3%

05-19-2013 16:52:52 | More by drgonzo2k2

Stalgondo

Georgia

4.75/5 rDev +13.6%

05-19-2013 16:30:53 | More by Stalgondo

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4.75/5 rDev +13.6%

05-18-2013 22:05:09 | More by Photekut

sierrahopdevil05

Pennsylvania

4.75/5 rDev +13.6%

05-18-2013 15:42:01 | More by sierrahopdevil05

robbrandes

Oregon

4.5/5 rDev +7.7%

05-17-2013 03:38:45 | More by robbrandes

KeyWestGator

Florida

4/5 rDev -4.3%

05-16-2013 11:38:50 | More by KeyWestGator

Casey3236

Pennsylvania

4.25/5 rDev +1.7%

05-16-2013 03:49:25 | More by Casey3236

bconsidine

Maryland

4.25/5 rDev +1.7%

05-14-2013 17:35:16 | More by bconsidine

jason_nwx

Oregon

5/5 rDev +19.6%

05-14-2013 14:53:30 | More by jason_nwx

azdback

Arizona

4.25/5 rDev +1.7%

05-14-2013 05:04:26 | More by azdback

larryi86

Delaware

4.41/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle pouted into a snifter

A- A hazy ruby red with a two finger off-white head.

S- Toffee, bourbon, cherries, caramel malts, oak, some vanilla.

T- Raisins, toffee, bourbon, oak, vanilla, brown sugar, caramel malts, light hoppiness, well balanced.

M- Smooth, medium body, slightly chewy.

O- A great barrel aged barleywine. Between this and Sucaba I am changing how I feel about barleywines. This is not as good as Sucada, but it is a great easy to find and cheap replacement.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 01:43:16 | More by larryi86