Brett Barleywine
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant

Brett BarleywineBrett Barleywine
Beer Geek Stats
From:
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
 
United States
Style:
American Barleywine
ABV:
11.5%
Score:
Needs more ratings
Avg:
4.5 | pDev: 2.89%
Reviews:
2
Ratings:
2
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 24, 2009
Added:
Jul 15, 2007
Wants:
  7
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
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Recent ratings and reviews.
Ratings by bros:

  None found.

Photo of akorsak
Reviewed by akorsak from Pennsylvania

4.37/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
A corked and caged 750 mL bottle from one of IH's bottled events (taste and then purchase, excellent idea if I may say so). Shared with ksak.

A: The cork was wedged in pretty tight. Using a corkscrew, the bottle emitted a loud pop. That loud pop was followed by a four finger head in my glass, thick and billowy foam that left little lace. The ale itself iis a dark chutney color that is barely opaque.

S: The brett brings a lot to the table, adding a unique funkiness that is mildly tart. Sour elements are at a minimum. The brett also brings out the sweetness of the barleywine malt base, drawing dark fruits that are further accentuated by the tartness.

T: The ale is a melding of two distinct brewing traditions, with English and Belgian notes running through it. The barleywine is sweet, malty with strong dark fruit flavor. Hops don't get in the way, leading me to view this as more English than American. The brett is just as interesting as in the nose. The funk hasn't completely taken over the ale. Instead, it's tartness accentuates the lush barleywine malts. The interplay creates a candied flavor that is rarely seen in a beer. Sweet apple and cherry flavors also result from the unabated collision of the two disparate elements. The finish is caramel and darker malts, again minus the hops.

M: The mouthfeel is drop dead gorgeous, with the intersection of barleywine and brettanomyces working beyond my wildest imagination.

D: At nearly 12%, the barleywine is pretty hefty. Luckily there is no evidence of the intensity as I get through my glass. Cheers to Iron Hill for pushing envelopes again.
May 24, 2009
More User Ratings:
Photo of mikesgroove
Reviewed by mikesgroove from South Carolina

4.63/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
Grabbed this one I don't know how long ago in a trade and it has been sitting in the cellar for probably six months waiting for me to open it. Mammoth 750ml bottle was served at cellar temperature and poured into an over sized wine glass. Consumed on 08/16/2008.

The appearance was perfect. Rich dark amber with a ton of cloudiness making it nearly opaque while a head of at least three inches rose up quickly from the bottom and stayed forever depositing copious amounts of side glass lace in the process. Lots of carbonation was visible as well.

The aroma was highly charged with Brett. Deep farmhouse funk coming through and overpowering everything in site. Letting it warm let some of the caramel and lightly sweet malts break though. Hints of candied sugar, a light touch of hops, crisp and clean aroma with Brett all the way. The flavor was awesome, simply very well done with a rich coating of funk immediately coming across the tongue. Light to medium body with a highly carbonated profile. The 11% ABV was so well hidden that I would have thought it was in the 8 range. Remarkably well blended here. Light floral flavors mixed in well with the overall domination of yeast.

Overall I thought this was more of a Belgian farmhouse on steroids. It was huge, but not immediately noticeably huge. Still though and interesting experiment that I think turned out very well.
Aug 17, 2008
Brett Barleywine from Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant
Beer rating: 4.5 out of 5 with 2 ratings