Schlafly Reserve - Barleywine Style Ale - Saint Louis Brewery / Schlafly Tap Room

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

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

2007 release poured from a 750ml bottle into snifter glass.

A: The beer is a deep coppery brown color thin off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains brown sugar, bourbon, caramelized malts, some fruit and a good amount of hops.

T: The taste starts out with sweet flavors of caramel, brown sugar and fruit. Then a hearty malt character comes in. There’s a complementary creamy oak essence in the background. The hops presence is decent and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, strong kick, good representation of style, this is a solid beer to sip on for a long time and it seems to have held up well for over 5 years.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 04:18:31 | More by TheManiacalOne

Chaney

District of Columbia

3.63/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2007 Reserve served in a Schlafly tulip.

A: Poured almost a beet red color, very cloudy, and with a nice finger or so head that still managed to stay a miniature toxic waste dump on top of the liquid below it.

S: Lots of candi sugar, along with some apple, oak, and plums. So far, this is not a hop bomb, nor is it a dank, dark beer. Really nice!

T: Smooth in terms of bitterness (not much hop left, after all is said and done) sugary, oaky, and almost complete devoid of a fruit component whatsoever. Also, this was really missing that "Ahhh" factor on the finish. On the great BWs, even though they are heavy and meant to be sipped, there is a certain refreshing bookend to the finish. That was sorely lacking here.

M: Thick, sugary, syrupy, but not boozy. I got a minor prickle from the carbonation, which was totally appropriate, but I got quite a bit of solvent on the tail end which I didn't find desirable.

O: This beer was off to a great start, but to my mind, it wasn't worth the 5-year wait.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2012 04:31:11 | More by Chaney

kylehay2004

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Enjoyed at the brewpub in St Louis, reviews from notes.

A: half finger head without lacing on a clear, deep amber body.

S: smokey, lots of caramel malt, burnt toast, resin and toffee.

T: oak, caramel and toasted malts, brown sugar, light candied fruit.

M:medium body an moderate carbonation .

Overall: nice aroma, full flavored and complex and easier to drink than many barleywines, even for an English barleywine.

Serving type: on-tap

11-25-2012 22:21:40 | More by kylehay2004

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.2/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

not sure if this is the right one, the list said vintage barleywine from 2010, aged in oak barrels, not on oak chips, but i dont see the other, this is reserve series too, and how many damn barleywines can one place make at 10.2% abv right. it must be this one. pours a real redish color, hazy and ruby glowing, brown just a tad, and a smallish but sturdy and lasting off white head. the nose is oaky as hell, dark dried fruity, and real alcoholic. some dates and figs or something come in to rock the flavor and round it out. some spice too on the back end, and a brown sugar sweetness that is quite memorable. the oak is the lasting flavor for me, fresh and strong, like the white oak from the bruery, really, its that good. a big barleywine too, lots of body, lots of bubbles, and lots of booze. the three b's right? overall a beer you should share, the dried fruit and date thing gives it an almost indian feel or something. the nose is the best part, but the whole thing will delight any discerning palate. get it.

Serving type: on-tap

11-20-2012 03:52:39 | More by StonedTrippin

cvm4

Mississippi

3.75/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2011 Vintage

A - Pours a deep copper that's somewhat clear and a very light brown head.

S - Toffee, bready malts, vanilla and oak.

T - Good helping of malt, leather, vanilla, tangy oak and also with some light hops on the finish.

M - Thinner body than expected, good amount of carbonation.

O - It's good, but not top tier good. Would easily grab this over some other barley wines.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 01:03:26 | More by cvm4

sprucetip

Alaska

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2008 Vintage. Orange/amber, active, modest tan head with some retention and more than patchy lacing. Very dense looking, but I don't detect floating yeasties, but it just kinda looks thick and dense.

This smells really nice. malty sweet, mildly boozy (wonder how much that dissipated in 4 years?), lightly fruity, and accented nicely by the oak staves. There is some very, very faint sort of sour like element as well, intended or not. If there is any hop presence, I'm not finding it. Again, really nice. It all works well together.

The oak is stronger in the taste than the nose, and it has some slight bitterness. Of course the malty sweetness is solid, but it tastes much less sweet and malty than it smells. The fruitiness of the nose is faint in the flavor. Impressive taste, but not quite as unique and special and the aroma. Very oaky, and not as balanced as the nose.

Plenty carbonated, thick full body, very gentle warming, highly viscous, with a lightly bitter finish. Whicked smooth after 4 years.

Well done, Schlafly! Damn, I wish I had more of these in the cellar, but I don't. If I see any more on the shelves I will certainly be grabbing some to lay down for a few years!

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2012 05:16:20 | More by sprucetip

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.38/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from tap into snifted at the taproom in stl. Pours a deep ruby brown with slight tan head. The board says "vintage barleywine" im not sure if its the same but the abv matches. This is a 2010 vintage age over a year in new oak barrels.

Great sweet toffee dried fruit aromas. Some earthy wood.
Taste is just fantastic. Amazing toffee and a lot of dried fruit and grape vine and oak. Marshmallow and chocolate notes. Wow. Super easy to drink and just amazing flavor. Such a good brew!

Serving type: on-tap

11-14-2012 00:58:33 | More by DrinkSlurm

Chico1985

Massachusetts

3.28/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

2008 vintage.

Pours a light amber with purple tones and a haze. A thick bubbly off-white head retains pretty well leaving good lace, impressive for the age/alcohol content.

Smell is straight up grapes, with bread, sweet malts and more fruit coming out with warmth. Reminds me of fermented fruit juice.

Taste brings out more flavor. Red grapes first and foremost, toffee, light+dark fruits, toasted oak, bread+butter malt, apple?, notes of white and red wine. Very sweet and fruity.

Slick mouthfeel with medium carbonation, a bit thin for a barleywine. Feels big not too bad as far as booziness goes.

This is quite an odd barleywine, not sure if the age has come into play here, but the big ol grape presence threw me off. It'd probably be best to split this 4-5 ways.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 16:41:20 | More by Chico1985

cbutova

Massachusetts

3.18/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

2008 vintage thanks to Chico1985.

A- Orange-red body to a beer poured into a pint glass. Big creamy white head has good retention and a nice texture. Good webs of lace around the glass.

S- A sweet raisin and grape fruit feel is the main thing in the aroma for me, wine-like. Vanilla, toffee and oak provide a nice backing to the fruits.

T- Grapes and that wine profile make up the main flavor for me, it was dominant to begin with but seems to mellow after a few sips. The addition of oak provides a nice vanilla and toasty wood presence which only gets better with each sip. Bread, yeast spice and sweets as well.

MF- Very thinned out for a Barleywine, doesn't provide that thick oily body. Carbonation is moderate and there is a spicy bitterness. A bit watery.

Definitely unique for a Barleywine, thinner and more fruity than most. The oak is the best thing about this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 03:40:23 | More by cbutova

smakawhat

Maryland

3.2/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from the bottle into a snifter glass at DC bottle share at Smoke & Barrel. Vintage 2011, from notes.

A nice mild creamy top, thin bubbles make up the puck produced. Clear red amber body with a hint of chestnut like brown. Solid.

Nose doesn't bring much going on. Very subtle slight stickiness with some mild caramel. Not much else going on here, but pleasant.

Palate seems to match the nose with the mild malt caramel sense, nothing syrupy or thick. There's a faint liquor sense of cinnamon toast going on but also there's some strange sour astringency going on by just a "hair" too. Palate feel is slightly wet without much to cary flavor forward for what little there is.

Overall it's ok, but it's not really impressive at all and doesn't bring much to remember. It almost feels like it's past its prime for something only one year old.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 02:05:39 | More by smakawhat

mdfb79

New York

4.25/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From 10/02/12 notes. Had a 2008 vintage of this last night at Rattle n Hum in NYC at their Rare Beer event. Sampled after a bottle of BA Old Ruffian.

a - Pours a hazy dark amber-orange color with one inch of white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of caramel, toffee, bourbon, bready malts, toasted malts, burnt malts, oak, and some vanilla. Rerally amazing nose; tons of toffee, bourbon, and vanilla, with no real alcohol heat to it at all. Fantastic nose.

t - Tastes of caramel malts, toffee, dark fruits, sweet molasses, bourbon, vanilla, oak, bready malts, and alcohol. A little sweeter and a little more alcohol to it, though still quite nice.

m - Medium body and moderate carbonation, body is very very smooth and creamy. Easy to drink considering the ABV; doesn't feel like 10.2% ABV.

o - Overall a really nice BA barleywine; this one has aged quite nicely. While the BA Old Ruffian was superior to this one, the nose and mouthfeel were both fantastic. Considering this isn't that expensive off the shelves and is easy to find, I will definitely be grabbing a few of these and their BA stout this winter to stash away for a few years.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 21:46:17 | More by mdfb79

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

4/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

2011 edition from the bottle. Served in my 20oz imperial pint glass from Schlafly.

Pours a gorgeous amber-copper color, a little cloudy with tons of very fine rising bubbles, a good one finger head that lasted forever and left nice lacing.

Smell is excellent on this bottle, great fruitiness, gobs of malt, leather and tobacco, no alcohol on this batch, just plain wonderful, I can't stop sniffing the glass.

Taste is very, very good. I think the 2011 batch is the best I've had yet. There's a lot of the same characteristics from the smell, especially the fruity flavors, the pungent maltiness, and some great bitter hop balance.

Mouthfeel is a bit on the dry side for a barleywine, but the carbonation is silky and smooth, and it's pretty drinkable. There's a notable alcohol warming that finishes you off as you put this one away. Definitely a stay-at-home bottle of barleywine. You might not even get out of your chair after this one. Although it's august right now, this is definitely more of a winter sipper.

Even though this bottle is less than two years old, it's excellent. I suspect it could age forever and still remain excellent, but I was in a barleywine mood and this was what was on hand, so I drank it. Once again, I am not disappointed. Schlafly's premium bottles have never disappointed me, and they certainly make an excellent barleywine too.

I think that either Schlafly's barleywine is getting better every year, or I'm liking barleywine more and more every year, or possibly both. Why ask why? Just enjoy it. This ain't no punk beer, so barleywine fans look out, and everyone else beware.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 00:28:22 | More by AlCaponeJunior

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

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

2011 Vintage.

Colour is somewhere between a dark ruby red and a chestnut brown. Relatively large off-white head. Decent retention and lacing.

Smell is fairly sweet. Brown sugar, oak, dark fruit (plum, raisin, grape), toffee.

Taste is a bit of a surprise after the nose. The oak is stronger, and by far the dominant flavour is butterscotch. Brown sugar is still there, fruit flavours are toned way down. Vanilla is present. This one is all about the malt, huge butterscotch/toffee flavour. Some bittering hops.

Full bodied, but thinner than expected. Moderate carbonation, on the higher end. Sticky. Booze is not that present, despite the strength and the fact that this bottle is less than a year old.

Overall, good. Not a killer, and the butterscotch flavour is a little intense to drink too much of, but good.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 18:07:07 | More by jrenihan

womencantsail

California

3.68/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a murky amber color with a white head. Nose of caramel, brown sugar, toffee, toast, and mild fruit. There is a fair amount of oak and vanilla, too. The taste is very sweet. Tons of sugar notes, caramel, and toffee. A nice note of vanilla with some light oak, too. There’s a light citrus hop character on the finish, but I wouldn’t mind more.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 16:17:43 | More by womencantsail

AleWatcher

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle into founders snifter.
2008 vintage. (reviewed July 4th , 2012)

So no oxidation notes, which is nice to notice right off the bat.
Very clear body-- seems like this must have been aged on oak spirals instead of a barrel. Reddish plum-colored body sits with a one-finger crown of light tan foam perched atop it.
Surprisingly nice retention... Even good lacing.

Smells a little nutty-- like "tawny port" nutty. Some decent sweetness with a touch of brown sugar and caramel and a nice English toffee note up front before a dry toffee-laden bitterness rules the finish. The oak really dries it out-- it almost works for me but it's still a bit too sharp.

Feels a little thin. Syrupy at the same time.

Overall-- this is not bad. It's holding up very well. I could see this beer hanging on another 2 or 3 years if cellared properly. I honestly wish this beer had been barrel aged. I think that the notes of bourbon, vanilla, and charred oak would REALLY add a tremendous amount here. As it is, everything is in good proportion flavorwise, but all aspects are just a touch muted.
It is solid. Especially for the availability and price.
I'm glad I have a few more bottles.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2012 03:37:57 | More by AleWatcher

Greywulfken

New York

4.38/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2008 bottle.

A: medium-deep amber, head foams but reduced to a collar of bubbles; quick swirls coughs up a nice foam sheen

S: caramel malts, toffee, some bourbon/whiskey kinda aromas

T: sweet vanilla caramel and honey over pale booze-soaked fruit, rich malt and crisp hops; some oak wood on the finish

M: medium bodied, creamy with some stick, slightly drier finish than some barleywines (especially for the English sort)

O: I found this delightful - being a barleywine fan, I'd recommend this if you see it - I'd compare it to a Uinta, Mad River or Alesmith barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2012 18:00:04 | More by Greywulfken

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.2/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle, 2008 vintage. Served in a snifter, the beer pours a dark copper/brown color with about a half inch light tan head. Head retention and lacing are both decent enough. Aroma is sweet and malty, the brew smells like dark fruit (raisins, figs), brown sugar, caramel, oak and some vanilla. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's the addition of some candied oranges and coconut. There's also a nice lingering sweet finish. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit coating and creamy, and has low/moderate carbonation. I think it's a good overall brew, I might have to pick up another bottle of this soon.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 21:32:01 | More by bluejacket74

TCMike

Minnesota

4.15/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a goblet. It produced a 1 finger beige head, which dissipated quick. The color was a dark copper.

The aroma is of dark fruit, alcohol, and wood.

The taste is similar, but with added sweetness of brown sugar? The taste isn't as overwhelming as I had anticipated. Its well balance, and doesn't have any noticeable hop bitterness.

Very good sipper.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 23:59:23 | More by TCMike

ehammond1

California

3.55/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle (2010)

Thanks for providing this one, UCLABrewN84!

Blind Tasting and Review

(Aged for 1+ year)

Dark rust in color with a small dark khaki colored head that leaves small dots of stick down the glass.

Simple, though pleasant enough, aroma of caramel, toffee, butterscotch, and oak.

The flavor is similar, with the sweet and bready malts accented by alcohol playing the dominant roles in the beer's flavor. Barrel treatment is minimal in flavor.

Medium bodied with low carbonation. Appropriate.

Unexciting, though not flawed. Above average example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 20:11:46 | More by ehammond1

jera1350

Minnesota

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

Vintage 2007:

Darker copper color with a thin layer of tan foam and some lace.

The smell is mostly very sweet malt. A touch of hops in there also.

Lots of malty sweetness. Brown sugar, caramelized sugar. After five years, still pretty hoppy, especially on the end. Some moderate bitterness from the hops and just a hint of vanilla at the end from the oak.

Very smooth with a mildly sticky feel and a dry finish.

A nice beer that has aged well. The oak is ever so subtle in the beer which was a bit of a disappointment. Overall tasty, but nothing extraordinary.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 16:09:14 | More by jera1350

sweemzander

Illinois

4.23/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750mL bottle poured into a snifter. 2009 vintage.

(A)- Pours a nice reddish chestnut color. Some tan bubbles.

(S)- A nice rich profile of caramel, toffee, fig, and a dry oaky finish.

(T)- Quite a nice rich profile. Tobacco, fig, caramel, and toffee profile. Bits of dry oak and vanilla at the end.

(M)- A smooth carbonation level to it. A nice rich balance to it as well. A tad hot, but otherwise a nice feel to it.

(D)- Overall, a great barrel character to it. Nice rich flavor. Quite the barleywine despite its age; could go even longer age-wise for sure.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 22:33:11 | More by sweemzander

UCLABrewN84

California

3.18/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle pour provided by myself at the blind barrel aged barleywine tasting hosted by DarthKostrizer.

Thanks to dazedandconfused for sending me this one!

2010 vintage.

Pours a clear orange-brown with a beige head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, brown sugar, and alcohol. Taste is of malt, brown sugar, and some very woody flavors. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty average barleywine that seems to be put together poorly.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2012 04:39:13 | More by UCLABrewN84

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.15/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Review from 1/2011 notes. Poured into a Black Raven pint glass. Pours a slightly cloudy red amber. Minimal head, but the ring leaves some lacing. Strong sweet malt, caramel and oak aroma. Sweet malt, caramel, dark fruits and oak flavors. Finishes with light hops and oak with some booziness. Not overly complex, but well integrated and mellow. A nice oaked barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 03:08:26 | More by LiquidAmber

billab914

Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2008 vintage poured from a 750ml bottle into my CBS snifter. It poured a dark caramel color with a thin, bubbly head that quickly disappeared.

The aroma has a rich, caramel, dark fruit presence to it but it's pretty light on any barrel aged character. I get a little bit of hoppiness to it, but it definitely takes a backseat to the malty, caramel flavors. It's a pretty smooth and appealing aroma for the style though.

The taste shows more of the barrel character to it with the woody oak really showing through in the finish. A moderate bourbon flavor is present along with some vanilla. The rich, malty, flavor is complimented well by the barrel.

The mouthfeel is on the heavier side with carbonation being low. Overall it was a very good beer. The woody oak, vanilla and bourbon complimented the beer very nicely. Everything came together pretty nicely in it. Very nice beer to sip on this evening.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 02:39:37 | More by billab914

jtierney89

New Jersey

4.3/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours a deep garnet with a bit of haze. One finger off white head. Nose has an smoked strawberry jam like presence, with notes of molasses, chocolate, deep caramel, and rich dark malts.

Wow, unique taste indeed. With a noticeable tartness on the first sip. Surprisingly lighter in body than expected (not that this beers body is in anyway light) but lots more carbonation than expected as well. Grain husk and grape jam upfront. Big caramel sweetness rolls along the tongue. Toffee and strawberries along with other dark fruits round out the massive malt body.

Cloying sweetness is avoided with a noticeable hop finish. A touch of smoke and oak only add to the balance of this big beer. Taste like a deep forest of dark berries, fruity, floral, and savory all at once.

For a young barley wine the flavors are pretty well blended into one complicated sip. Something that most barleywines dont achieve until a year of age. Not that this beer is incredibly smooth, it still slaps your tongue around. But it's one of the more well blended fresh barley wines I've had. I'd love to see what a year would do to this.

For hop lovers I'd drink it fresh as the hops do play into the beer very well. I can see this monster letting the malt take over rather soon though.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2012 05:46:51 | More by jtierney89