Insanity - Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.39/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured from tap into tulip at south park tavern in Dayton. Pours a murky orange with sticky white lacing. Lots of caramel aromas...toffee and vanilla.
Taste is where this shines...wow. huuuge caramel flavor. Its basically like a worthers in liquid alcohol form. Lots of sweetness and vanilla flavors as well. Some woody notes finish. Really just sooo smooth. Wow. This is a fantastic English barleywine. One of the best I ever had.
Right now there is a woman sitting 2 seats down from me talking to herself (weird) ..she must have had one of these.

Serving type: on-tap

04-02-2013 22:59:24 | More by DrinkSlurm

Darkmagus82

Montana

4.2/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Served on tap in a chalice glass

Appearance – Served a hazed copper colored brew with a one half finger white head. The head fades very quickly leaving a light level of lacing on the sides of the glass.

Smell- The nose is big of a bready, caramel, and fruit aroma. The fruit is a mix of both light and dark with the darker fruit smells winning out over the light. Smells of raisin, cherry, and prune are mixed with lighter notes of pear and banana. With these smells comes a light oaky and vanilla smell as well as a decently boozy smell of a more bourbon nature.

Taste – The taste begins malty and caramel and stone fruit sweet. There is a big bready base with large amounts of caramel sweetness with lighter notes of a cherry, prune and plum sweetness. As the flavors advance some of the oaky flavors begin developing further with the sweet fading ever so slightly, but remaining rather strong none the less. Toward the end of the taste the boozy notes that were detected in the nose come to the tongue. The flavors, largely of a bourbon nature, blend well with the sweet caramel and fruit leaving a nice thick warming sweet taste on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer was on the thicker and creamier side with a carbonation level that was a bit on the lower side. The thicker body and thinner carbonation were both quite nice for keeping this a sipping brew as well as for allowing for the sweeter and maltier flavors of the brew to really pronounce themselves with the warming boozy taste that is present.

Overall- A great sipping brew if I do say so myself. Not too overpowering, but definitely strong and flavorful enough with just the right amount of warming kick from the boozy taste to make it quite and enjoyable warmer.

Serving type: on-tap

03-11-2013 01:09:02 | More by Darkmagus82

BrokenStones

New Jersey

3.8/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a 12 oz Snifter @thecloverleaf in Caldwell, NJ. One of the better beer venues in NYC metro area. Constantly rotating taps, special features and tap take over nights...food is really good too.

A: Auburn, white foam 1", nice lacing.

S: alcohol, honey fruit and mild hops.

T: alcohol, carmel, hops, medium body.

M: medium body, hits all senses in the mouth and pallet.

O: A really good beer; I would have it again if it again if thee were not 60 other beers to try. Worthy of throwing a 4 pan in the fridge.

Serving type: on-tap

02-29-2012 09:30:20 | More by BrokenStones

Thorpe429

Illinois

4/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Pizza Paradiso in Dupont Circle. Served in a snifter.

Pours an orange-copper color with a short white head and a bit of lacing on the way down. The nose carries a decent amount of bourbon along with light vanilla and oak. Sweet caramel and brown sugar there as well. Flavor is fairly sweet with some nice barrel notes in the background. Medium-full body with slight carbonation and a nice chewiness. Solid brew.

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2012 01:27:14 | More by Thorpe429

drabmuh

Maryland

4.03/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap at Pizza P for their barleywine thing. Served in a snifter, beer is sort of copper / red and mostly clear. Thin almost non-existent head, low carbonation, no lacing, basically this beer is still.

Aroma is sweet, mild oakiness and a little liquor, smells nice really good.

Beer is nice, smooth, sweet, good finish, and nice malt backbone, this beer is a huge improvement on Blithering Idiot, quite an amazing version of a barleywine. I'd have it again.

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2012 16:10:49 | More by drabmuh

FightingEntropy

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A little extra time waiting for friends at the Muddy Pig led to a draft of Insanity to bide the time. No head on the beer, but a light white bubbles around the beer/glass boundary. Blood red beer in singles lighting--more of a brown and ruby held up to the light. Nose is fairly light, but sourdough bread, dark cherries and chocolate on top of a light spice and assertive alcohol. Insanity is the more standard barleywine Blithering Idiot that's aged in a oak bourbon barrel. Taste clearly gives the ghost of barleywine past and has a very familiar blend of dark fruit, oily bitterness, and figs. Departing from Blithering Idiot is the strong oak and harsh alcohol. Warming while reading a book the bourbon shows up full force with an alcohol sting--somehow more balance now. Drink this one slow.

Good, but I prefer Blithering Idiot. In the bottle, the idea of bourbon barrel aging being added to an already fine barleywine should be even better, but this one doesn't add up to more than the sum of it's part. Well worth a try for a night but will look elsewhere for my next barleywine.

Serving type: on-tap

12-23-2011 05:26:38 | More by FightingEntropy

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2006 vintage on draft at Capones in Norristown, PA on Black Friday 2011.

Pours a cloudy dark amber color that's opaque with a one finger off white head that slowly settles into a thin ring.  Spotty lacing left behind.

Sweet boozy aroma with lots of caramel malt and dark fruit notes. Hints of caramel, toffee, date and fig.

Crsip medium body with soft carbonation that gives way to booozy malt sweetness and dark fruit notes. Nice heat up front that gives way to some zesty spice and sweeter notes. Hints of fig, date and raisin along with caramel and toffee. Has smoothed out but still boozy with a decent amount of heat.

Serving type: on-tap

11-30-2011 01:03:50 | More by corby112

HopDiggityDawg

North Carolina

4/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Duckworth's.
a -hazy reddish amber with a a little head, minimal lacing.

S - bourbon.

T - Bourbon, sweet after-taste

MF - has a medium to full body

O - very good, I am not a fan of Barleywines but I had a sample of this one and it led me to order one. Did not know until half way through that it was 11+% abv

Serving type: bottle

Serving type: on-tap

07-15-2011 11:01:55 | More by HopDiggityDawg

claspada

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Aromas begin with sweet and profound with burnt brown sugar, biscuity malts and cookie dough. As it warms you get some dark fruit, plus a delicious blend of oak/wood, vanilla and bourbon. Really light on the booze, much ligher on tap then from the bottle.

The taste follows nose, but much more intensified. It begins sweet once again with complex burnt/carmelized sugar flavors. Some earthy and oaky notes from the Bourbon; it finishes with a nice prickly booziness. As it warms yoy get more of the barrel influence with sublte vanilla and a more complex nuttiness.

The mouthfeel if quite full bodied, with ample carbonation. Barrel aging helps this finish dry despite the high ABV.

Overall this is way too drinkable and delicious. This is how barrel-aging is supposed to taste; balanced to perfection.

Serving type: on-tap

06-30-2011 18:59:41 | More by claspada

b3shine

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Looks good; like a murky, barrel-aged barley wine should. Smells GREAT! Malt, cherries, and wood notes are present. Tastes good, but it's the weakest part of the brew. VERY sweet. Cherries and barrel-aging are good, but intense. Mothfeel is good; goes down easily for 9.5%. Overall, a good brew...but it doesn't hold a candle to bourbon-barreled Behemoth.

Serving type: on-tap

06-19-2011 22:41:07 | More by b3shine

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4.83/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Weyerbacher Insanity on tap at Pony in Hell's Kitchen, NYC, part of a brewery event there.

App: Served in an eight-ounce glass, Insanity comes looking like a classic barleywine: the expensive-wood color, the frothy fluffy head (almost overflowing from the tiny glass), plus some serious retention and awe-inspiring lacing.

Smell: Sweet and profound, burnt sugar, biscuit, grandma’s cookies. Raisin, plus a delicious blend of wood, vanilla and bourbon. Quality booze. This is how barreling should be done!

Taste: Follows nose, intensified. Sweet and nourishing right away, sort of Virginia ham and Wal-mart cookies all in one. Very earthy and Appalachian, but also high-end European-style cakes in Manhattan. Bourbon, prickly heat at the end. Reminds me of drinking my 12-year-old Elijah Craig: vanilla, wood and I’m in heaven.

Mouthfeel: Full body, carbonation and flavor. Beautiful vanilla/bourbon aroma all around. Dessert-y and enticing! Spicy-hot-dry finish.

Overall: Drinkable, delicious, gorgeous. This is the reason why I love barrel-aged beers. Wow! Easily my favorite Weyerbacher, up there with Double Simcoe.

Serving type: on-tap

06-06-2011 02:12:33 | More by DoubleSimcoe

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served from tap into a sampler shaker. Poured a hazy yellow-orange with a half finger off-white head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, dark fruit, and sweet alcohol. The flavor was of sweet malt, dark fruit, caramel, nuttiness, and alcohol. It had a medium feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. The alcohol on this one was very forward and almost invasive. It wouldn't have been bad if there was more sweetness to balance it out slightly. If you have a bottle of this I would suggest laying it down in your cellar for awhile to allow this heat to subside some so that more subtle flavors can make their way forward. Worth trying though fresh or aged.

Serving type: on-tap

05-04-2011 16:38:53 | More by thagr81us

mdfb79

New York

4.1/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 04/25/11 notes. Had on tap at Churchkey in Washington, DC.

a - Pours a murky reddish brown color with one inch of off white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of bourbon, oak, maple, caramel malts, bready malts, and toasted malts.

t - Tastes of bourbon, oak, maple syrup, caramel malts, toffee, light alcohol, and bready malts.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation.

o - Overall a very nice English barleywine. I loved the nose; it was full of bourbon, maple, and caramel/toffee. Would like to have again.

Serving type: on-tap

04-28-2011 19:04:55 | More by mdfb79

GoalieRon33

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Orangish Brown, with some red floating around. Not much of a head. Lacing was evident, nothing spectacularly though.

S- Burnt aroma. Very bready. Booze is present throughout. Not much hoppinness at all.

T- Definitively burned flavor. Oaky as all hell. Booze becomes present at the end of each swill. Strange overall taste.

M- Mildly heavy. Not motor oil thickness, but not too watery. Pretty solid.

O- Not the biggest fan of this style, which is probably why I'm slightly skewed negatively with comments. Odd beer, but true to style.
Worth giving a shot.

Serving type: on-tap

04-26-2011 22:20:07 | More by GoalieRon33

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

4.47/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Weyerbacher feature night at Rattle N Hum. Snifter.

Pours a dark amber, transparency is difficult to ascertain in the light. Almost no head, but a thin collar sits on top. Nose has rich toffee and caramel notes, loads of big sweet maltiness but not overdone. Taste follows suit, heavy maltiness, toffee, caramel, dried dark fruits, some alcohol in the finish. Alcohol lends some character and warming qualities to this; full bodied and a great mouthfeel. Sticky finish with an appropriate and far from cloying feel. Damn good barleywine.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2011 03:18:33 | More by liamt07

jabergess

Georgia

4.6/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Usually it is hit or miss with me and barley wines. They all have the same flavor, the same taste. This one is resoundingly different. The smell is amazing, vanilla, bourbon and raisins all having a party in my glass. What I really like is that the taste is just like the smell. And its all wrapped up in a tasty 11% package. If this is anywhere near your favorite style you need to to give this one a try.

Serving type: on-tap

04-10-2011 03:01:38 | More by jabergess

Bierguy5

Ohio

4.47/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Hazy amber color, with a solid white head that disappears quickly. Only a few tiny bubbles streaming to the surface.

Dark fruit, figs, caramel. Great oak, vanilla hints in the nose as well. Some alcohol as well. Very complex.

Long lingering ripe fruit, with a bit of English toffee. Oaky tannins. A bit of caramel sweetness. Drying finish.

Medium body, fine carbonation. Enough warmth for a barleywine. Great complexity. This is killer.

Serving type: on-tap

04-02-2011 21:27:48 | More by Bierguy5

ktrillionaire

Florida

4.18/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Insanity passes muster in the looks dept. It is a lustrous shade of mahogany and is capped with a loose cappuccino-hued froth.

S - The nose is quite mild, for an EBW, and especially for an EBW aged in whisky barrels. As it airs out, some general maltiness is out there, and a bit of a hint of hazelnut liqueur.

T - The flavor is quite delectable, immediately yielding notes of chocolate and hazelnut; as it airs out booze and oak get in the mix in a very complementary way. The flavors are all very good, but if I am to nitpick, there is not quite enough intensity.

M - The feel is too thin. Were it bulked up, these flavors would be more plump and juicy than they are.

O - Weyerbacher just seems to get better and better. Another big-time winner from one of the most underrated breweries out there.

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2011 18:37:57 | More by ktrillionaire

Lolli1315

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A- A reddish brown color that is slightly hazy with ruby highlights. A small tan head forms that disappears completely with time as lacing is nowhere to be seen.

S- Lots of wood, vanilla, and bourbon punch you in the face immediately dominating the smell. Bits of caramel and dark fruit begin to emerge before alcohol rounds out the smell.

T- Just as in the smell, you can really tell that this beer was aged in bourbon barrels. Wood, vanilla, and bourbon are dominating, a little too much in my opinion, as the flavors of the barley wine are somewhat lost beneath them. The dark fruits with a little bit of apple emerge towards the middle with touches of caramel lining as well. The alcohol begins to pick up and becomes slightly solventy towards the end of the beer as it warms with every drink.

M- Full bodied and a little syrupy. Low amounts of carbonation as well.

D- This beer is a sipper for sure and it was a little struggle making it through a full pint. If you like bourbon, and I do, get this for sure. Unfortunately, I think that much of the complexity of the beer gets lost the booziness of this one. Might as well drink a glass of bourbon instead.

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2011 15:31:01 | More by Lolli1315

metter98

New York

4.22/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: The beer is clear mahogany in color and has a thin ring of off white bubbles lining the edge of the glass.
S: There are light aromas of bourbon and vanilla in the nose.
T: The taste is rather complex and has flavors of bourbon, fruits, malty sweetness, oak and vanilla.
M: It feels medium- to full-bodied and very smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
D: The beer is dangerously drinkable because the alcohol is well masked from the taste.

Serving type: on-tap

03-08-2011 04:47:37 | More by metter98

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.93/5  rDev -6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

On-tap at Prime 16 into an Old Engine Oil tulip.

A: Clear deep persimmon body with a half-inch head of fine tan bubbles that recede into a persistent ring. Very nice looking barleywine, especially for an on-tap pour.

S: Vanilla, caramel, candied raisins, bourbon, oak, and some warm alcohol. Just lovely.

T: Follows the nose precisely: bourbon, vanilla, caramel, dark fruits, and a massively boozy finish. A little harsh, but delicious.

M: Fairly lively full body; the ample carbonation goes a long way toward cutting through the sweetness, but prevents the flavor from being quite as mouth-coatingly intense as it could be. Overall, pretty good.

D: As tasty as this is, the heat really takes its toll.

Notes: Great beer, plain and simple. I could have dealt with a bit less booze and (potentially paradoxically, I know) a bit more bourbon. The barrels are clearly there, but their contribution isn't as pronounced as it is in some other BBBWs. Still, this is a great treat, and at happy-hour pricing it's an absolute steal.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

03-04-2011 01:06:14 | More by woosterbill

Pahn

New York

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

On tap at Prime 16 in New Haven. Served in a tulip.

Appearance: Bartender leaves a fluffy one inch head that sticks up above the glass and dissipates slowly. Pours a hazy red orange and leaves big splotches of lacing. Nice.

Smell: Some sweet malt, bourbon, and a small cola-like note. Faint dark fruit and a hint of molasses. As it warms, the same small smoky/roasted note that subtly elevates the flavor comes out in the nose and does the same thing there.

Taste: Lots of bourbon with a sweet caramel malt and bready backbone. A straightforward, simple--maybe even simplistic--but well done barleywine with a strong bourbon influence. Some smoke and chocolate/roasted malt seems to show up in the finish and works great with the noticeable (but not distracting) heat to temper the sweetness of the beer and enrich the flavor.

This is one of those beers you "get" pretty much right away. It may be a big, aged barleywine, but it's not mysterious or complex: it's oaky vanilla, bourbon, sweet and straightforward malt, sufficient bitterness, a little smoke, a little heat. The thing is, everything that is happening in the flavor is contributing something good to the overall experience.

Mouthfeel: Thinner side of medium bodied, very carbonated. I'm leaning toward 3.5 since I would prefer it to be a bit heavier, creamier, and less noticeably carbonated, but unlike many beers of this ABV and style, it avoids any really harmful pitfalls (stickiness, excessive dryness, excessive heat). It's not a memorable mouthfeel, but it's also without any overt flaws.

Drinkability: This beer delivers. I enjoyed spending a good 45 minutes on this 12~oz glass, and won't hesitate to order Insanity again (or pick up a 4pk). Extra points for the well hidden alcohol, and extra praise for generously distributing such a well done bourbon barrel aged barleywine so widely and at a fair price.

It's not really that aptly named, but Insanity is a solid, no frills, well done barrel aged barleywine. I usually want a little more depth, a little more creamy feel from a barrel aged barleywine or stout, but I also usually pay twice the price as Insanity and I usually get a more flawed beer.

(If you're thinking, "Hey, Insanity is $14~/4pk, what do you mean fair price??" this is a quality barrel aged beer for around $.30/ounce, vs say Uinta's Cockeyed Cooper, which sells for around $.60/ounce. CC is better, in my opinion, but we're talking *double* the price.)

Serving type: on-tap

02-28-2011 22:54:29 | More by Pahn

andrewm190

North Carolina

4.4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Great beer. Found it on tap at Quarry House in Silver Spring, poured into the appropriate glass. Straight away it was fruity, clearly of a high alcohol content but not overwhelming (taste wise anyway). The color and appearance of the beer were difficult to discern due to the lighting, but the taste is what matters most in these things, and the beer scoured very well.

Serving type: on-tap

08-12-2010 02:39:54 | More by andrewm190

jampics2

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Brew Kettle. This is one I've had before at the end of a tasting, and I have a 2 year old bottle in the cellar, but I wanted to taste it on a straight pallate for the review.

Caramel in color, still looking. A small ring of head surrounds the goods.

Smells great. Lots of toffee, oak, and dark fruit. Bourbon is subdued. I get some booze soaked golden raisins for some reason. Nice depth and uniqueness in the nose.

Taste is stupendous. Amazing beer, here, this kicks blithering idiot in the balls. Huge toffee and caramel, nice wood and bourbon. Smooth and dank. Vanilla and candy, dark fruits and even a touch of coconut. Wow! We have a winner!!

Nice body, just enough carb to keep it going down smoothly.

On a curve, this is very drinkable for being such a big beer. Would certainly buy again! Just about the best available non-whale bourbon barleywine out there.

Serving type: on-tap

06-18-2010 19:43:36 | More by jampics2

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

On-tap, but it might as well have been cask or nitro.

The head - a fat, two-finger width and built like Cool Whip. This sat on top of what appears to be pureed mahogany. Dense and pulpy and a citrusy, sanguine shade. Quite a stark visual contrast from on top to bottom. Very attractive and un-beer like.

One of the most fantastic aromas ever committed to a brew. Amazing. Coconut, vanilla, and fresh-cut oak - in Technicolor. All veil the scent of barleywine hiding underneath. In fact, I completely forgot this was a barleywine beforehand, honest - thus adding to my surprise and delight when the lightbulb flicked on.

My god does this not go down like a creamy beer smoothie. Despite the fact that the head sports a creamy, nitro-tap-esque feel, the flavor is not compromised. When you sip this beast, it comes forth in layers - first, a dollop of sweet cream, followed by a warm fruity rush of the barley nectar. The consistency of the liquid is, for lack of a better comparison, similar to apple cider.

This is my ideal of what a dessert beer could or should be because, well, it tastes like bloody dessert. F'n stellar.

Serving type: on-tap

06-13-2010 01:57:23 | More by Bouleboubier