Heavy Seas Cabernet Barrel Aged Below Decks - Heavy Seas Beer

marvin213

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Another especially dark barleywine for me, I appreciate the frothy head. Head with lasting power and beautiful legs that spread with a swirl, it looks oh-so-appealing.

I like the nose. I reach for more of a Cabernet influence, but something tempers that English-style toffee that predominates most barleywines of this style. I like that.

It's neat. There's more oaky dryness than is typical, and I attribute that to the wine barrels. In fact, I think it balances the barleywine perfectly. Many of us love beer so much because of the seemingly infinite ingredients, and I must say that the wine barrel-aging evidences that beers are the alcoholic cream of the crop! Can you imagine aging a wine in a beer barrel? It's its adaptability that makes a good beer go great. Again, it's the oaky dry touch tampering that sweetness that makes this one spot-on. A well done, mutiny style beer to which I'm likely to return--for me, the flagship of the Heavy Seas Fleet.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 19:36:09 | More by marvin213

mozim

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%

05-13-2013 23:29:33 | More by mozim

whallgren

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%

05-12-2013 19:02:38 | More by whallgren

MCDub

North Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -17.1%

05-10-2013 14:36:31 | More by MCDub

Vonerichs

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Murky brown with a reddish tinge. The head is fizzy and subsides in a hurry.

Interesting smell of concord grape juice, brown sugar, and prunes. The cabernet barrels add a nice touch.

The cabernet barrel contributes a nice touch of grapes but I wanted more of a tannic quality and it turns out more sweet. Anyway, it's still a nice touch. The finish is a brown sugar with a slightly dirty sweet potato-ish flavor. Slightly boozy, but not to shabby for 10%.

Mouthfeel is heavy bodied and has ample carbonation.

I liked this beer. From what I read in reviews of the base beer, that one's not that impressive. I thought the cabernet barrels added a nice touch to the barleywine and would be curious to see what it'd do with an acclaimed base.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 01:43:21 | More by Vonerichs

jbaker67

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%

04-28-2013 12:25:35 | More by jbaker67

crewfan16

Minnesota

3.6/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

2012 vintage. poured from a 22 oz bomber. thanks again to runner440 for some successful trading. been looking to crack this for a while now but no one wanted to share so i said to hell with it and decided to try it by myself. i have high expectations seeing as I think red wine barrels would work nicely with barleywine flavors.

a- pours a very dark black/ruby with a thin layer or off-white head that doesnt last very long. really dark for a barleywine, almost looks like a stout or porter

s- stone fruit, maybe like a cherry or plum, chocolate, oak, molasses, a bit of hop presense. not much cabernet character, maybe the slightest hint of some tanic grape quality

t- there is some wine quality. a slight stone fruit tartness, followed by a bit of hops, more molasses and brown sugar sweetness, oak, finishes with some cherry and a bit of chocolate. as it warms a bit more oaky wine-type flavors emerge, but nothing strong at all. a complex barleywine, but still strikes me as a bit strange for some reason that i cant quite pin down.

m- for how sweet this is, it doesnt have that sticky thick quality that some barleywines have. it actually seems a bit on the thin side. for 10% abv it is not noticeable. very drinkable barrel aged barleywine

overall, i have mixed feelings about this beer. the barrel characteristics are not heavy handed and are not terribly noticeable. Having had the base beer, i cant exactly say that the cabernet barrels improved it. a tasty beer, but as far as barrel aged barleywines go, there are others out there that I can get much easier. im glad to have some more to age a bit, but overall, it didnt meet my expecations.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 03:50:01 | More by crewfan16

Duff27

Illinois

4/5  rDev +2%

04-15-2013 03:11:11 | More by Duff27

Zuidman

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%

04-15-2013 02:56:04 | More by Zuidman

egrace84

Illinois

4/5  rDev +2%

04-14-2013 02:20:40 | More by egrace84

Mongrel

District of Columbia

4.1/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Not at all what I was expecting with this one...

Upon pouring, it seems to be somewhat thin in body, as there is little head or lace. But it has body - the mouthfeel is soft but pretty heavy. Pours a very dark brown, almost purple.

The nose was a bit odd and nutty at first, but like most good barleywines, this one grows in complexity as it warms and opens up. Further along, the it smells very much of dark fruit.

Not much wine comes through per se, but it's very sweet and fruity. Although my first impression was straight caramel. Caramel, strawberry, dark fruits and hazelnut - sums this one up nicely. Very decadent. Hides it booze better than the bourbon barrel aged version, but you'll feel the warmth from the abv rather quickly.

A very nice surprise, overall. Great for dessert or sipping by a fire.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 23:39:30 | More by Mongrel

watsonmd

Georgia

3.35/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

served @ 55 F, bottle into snifter.

A: Dark, red brown, little head, no lacing.

S: Oak, brown sugar, not overpowering. Fruit, molasses?

T: Cabernet is very forward. Dark fruits, boozy, full on the tongue. Loose the barley wine characters in the barreling.

M: Dry, sides of the tongue, bitter lingering aftertaste. Much oak tannin lingers from the wine.

O: Different. Nice varietal, but not a go-to BW style wine. Will serve to my wine/cross over craft beer friends...

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 00:46:37 | More by watsonmd

shep8821

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -10.7%

03-21-2013 13:35:49 | More by shep8821

sixerofelixir

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%

02-28-2013 01:44:25 | More by sixerofelixir

Colosdog

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%

02-15-2013 07:38:36 | More by Colosdog

HarryHood

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%

02-09-2013 00:59:06 | More by HarryHood

PEIhop

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%

02-08-2013 01:35:34 | More by PEIhop

bsuedekum

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%

01-30-2013 03:22:42 | More by bsuedekum

fatlabrats

North Carolina

2.75/5  rDev -29.8%

01-29-2013 20:00:53 | More by fatlabrats

Gosox8787

New Hampshire

3.56/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: 22 oz. bomber bottle chilled and poured into my Kate the Great tulip. Enjoyed on a cold, snowy night.

Appearance: Dark mahogany brown in color with some nice ruby highlights. Pours a one finger, medium brown head that sticks pretty well to the glass. Interestingly enough, this is slightly darker than most barleywines.

Aroma: Caramel, figs and more dark fruit. The red wine barrel character is pretty assertive and lends a really interesting red wne, grape quality. Some toasted bread and strong molasses character as well. Definitely some alcohol as well between the red adn the base beer but it isn't too heavy at all. Really interesting.

Taste: My first sip was almost completely cabernet. Tasted so much like wine that I almost had to do a double take. There is absolutely no mistaking the type of barrels used for this as they are front and center. The red wine gives off some fruitiness, a little heat and a bit of a dry finish. As this warms, the base beer becomes clearer and starts to come into view. Some nice caramel and dark fruit. Surprisingly light and drinkable. I don't think this base beer has quite enough flavor to hold up to the assertive barrel. A really interesting beer that is tasty, but it also has quite a few glaring flaws.

Mouthfeel: Lighter bodied than i would expect for a barleywine. The red wine from the barrels seems to give this a drier finish than normal for the style.

Overall, a really interesting beer with a strong barrel presence. The red wine notes dominate this at times and the base beer isn't quite strong enough to hold up to the wine barrels. Not a bad beer at all, but sometimes the wine is so strong, it takes over.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 02:05:12 | More by Gosox8787

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%

01-23-2013 00:54:02 | More by yourefragile

Brew33

Ohio

4/5  rDev +2%

01-22-2013 19:17:02 | More by Brew33

tdm168

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - dark brownish amber with a thin white head

S - candy sugar, bread, dark fruit

T - caramel, dark fruit, candy sugar

M - smooth, full bodied, sticky, a bit dry

This is a very nice English-style Barleywine. It's exceptionally malty with a big though not cloying sugary present. The dark fruits come through as well. I couldn't put my finger on it, but raisins and figs and possibly dates all made their presence known. I do love a good Barleywine, and this one had it all: balance, hidden ABV, drinkability, maltiness, full flavor, and full body. This is definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 20:09:26 | More by tdm168

nwatson

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -17.1%

01-17-2013 06:53:41 | More by nwatson

BeerThursdays

Delaware

3/5  rDev -23.5%

01-15-2013 04:15:12 | More by BeerThursdays