Insanity - Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

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93
outstanding
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1,383 Ratings

THE BROS
91
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rAvg: 4.18
pDev: 11.48%
Reviews: 791
Hads: 592

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Brewed by:
Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

Pennsylvania, United States

Style | ABV
English Barleywine | 11.10% ABV

Availability: Rotating. bottle (745), on-tap (43), growler (3).

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

View: Beers (42) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by superdedooperboy:

superdedooperboy

Georgia

4.13/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

My 500th review. Insanity.

12-ounce brown bottle poured into a snifter glass. Served at approximately 45 degrees F.

Deep amber in color with a tinge of pale brown, showing off a wonderful clarity and a creamy head of beige foam that falls away fairly quickly, forming a thick crown that leaves a few splotchy remnants of itself on the walls of the glass. A swirl of the glass suggests a bit of viscosity, as some legs are visible.

The nose is beautiful, with a lovely bouquet of vanilla, cherry, distinctive Bourbon notes, figs, and white pepper. Absolutely mouth-watering.

Full-bodied and viscous, though certainly not overly thick or rich, with a moderate carbonation keeping the mouthfeel in check. Sweet malt opens up the palate, with notes of caramel, fig, and flan, followed up in the middle by a bunch of barrel-infused goodness, showing plenty of vanilla and woody oak along with fresh cherries and more dried fig. Hop character is virtually absent, showing itself mostly in bitterness, which, combined with the bit of alcohol loaned from the Bourbon barrel, balances the rather heavy sweetness quite well and dries the palate, leading into a semi-sweet finish with a bit of lingering caramel and custard.

As with most big brews aged in whiskey barrels, drinkability is low by default, but that doesn't take away anything from this brew, which shows wonderfully balanced characteristics and a magnificent incorporation of Bourbon barrel aging. The base beer comes through quite well, and the barrel lends just the right characteristics to the beer without being overpowering and without making it too hot, which is often a fault in brews of this nature. Though I've not been impressed with all of the Weyerbacher beers I've had the chance to sample, this is certainly one of the more impressive of the bunch, and along with Heresy, it goes to show the brewery's skill in aging beer in previously-used oak. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2011 05:39:12 | More by superdedooperboy

More User Reviews:

themilkman87

Pennsylvania

4/5 rDev -4.3%

06-19-2013 23:29:44 | More by themilkman87

t_carterb

Georgia

4.25/5 rDev +1.7%

06-19-2013 16:09:20 | More by t_carterb

DocJ007

Pennsylvania

3.95/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a snifter.
2013 vintage

A - Light amber to brown in color, with a minimal head that dissipates quickly. No lacing.

S - Lots of toasted malt, oak, and vanilla from the barrel cover up hints of dried out raisin-bread from the base English barleywine.

T - Oak barreling brings forth complex notes of oak, vanilla, coconut, and candied sugar. No hop presence as expected. Finish is booze warmth.

M - Medium bodied with medium level of carbonation. Nothing surprising here.

O - This beer should be a sipper at 11.% ABV but drinks remarkably easy for being so strong. A very enjoyable barleywine that is better that the base beer (blithering idiot) in every way. If you are a fan of barrel aged beers and/or barleywines then you should be happy with this beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2013 14:03:40 | More by DocJ007

Stevedore

Wisconsin

4/5 rDev -4.3%

06-18-2013 05:02:48 | More by Stevedore

Dactrius

Wisconsin

3.5/5 rDev -16.3%

06-18-2013 03:46:24 | More by Dactrius

Darklight

Pennsylvania

5/5 rDev +19.6%

06-17-2013 23:49:12 | More by Darklight

alex_hart

Oklahoma

4/5 rDev -4.3%

06-17-2013 02:19:17 | More by alex_hart

jdkitchi

Wisconsin

4/5 rDev -4.3%

06-16-2013 01:38:08 | More by jdkitchi

RealAleBlanco

Texas

4/5 rDev -4.3%

06-16-2013 00:22:06 | More by RealAleBlanco

Erice78

Florida

3.5/5 rDev -16.3%

06-15-2013 03:19:08 | More by Erice78

BillHilly

Washington

4.25/5 rDev +1.7%

06-15-2013 01:54:52 | More by BillHilly

hopley

Massachusetts

4.98/5 rDev +19.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A - brown with nice 2 finger head which settled down, limited lacing

S - Great smell - sweet bubble bum with alcohol and vanilla

T - spectacular! great barrel taste with some vanilla, limited hoppiness for an ale but that's ok for an 11% abv, a fact that came through very clearly

M - heavy and thick, awesome

O - frigging great - the type of beer that you usually can only taste at a beer festival - so thankful they bottled this!!

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2013 01:54:01 | More by hopley

Shumania

Virginia

3.96/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12 ounce bottle poured into a snifter

A: dark cola, ruby red color, cream colored head and small bottles on the side

S: deep dark fruit, sweet cherries, plum, vanilla

T: similar to the smell, dark fruits, figs, raisins, cherries, vanilla, mild tropical hops, lots of hot booze

M: nice creaminess, but this is a sipper.

This is a very complex beer. There is a lot going on and it all works well together.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2013 01:08:12 | More by Shumania