REVIEW: Revolution 3rd Year Beer

Here we are, at the end of my little barleywine week. But we're going out with a bang. The first two barleywines I looked at this week were a little bit similar, both very hop forward. This one breaks the mold. 3rd Year Beer from Revolution Brewing is a rum barrel aged wheat barleywine. Honestly, how could I walk past this beer and leave it on the shelf? It came in a box and everything! I've been excited to get to this beer from the instant I bought it so let's not waste any more time. To the beer!

REVIEW: 21st Amendment Lower De Boom

Barleywine week continues. It got off to a great start with Great Divide's Old Ruffian on Monday and today, we move on to a brewery that has been really impressing me over the last few months, 21st Amendment. Recently I have enjoyed the hell out of their Sneak Attack Saison and their Marooned on Hog Island oyster stout was absolutely terrific. Today I'm taking a look at their newest, Lower De Boom, a 92 IBU, 11.5% ABV beast. This is one big beer in one little can. That's probably a good thing though. Speaking of the can, I dig the minimalist style on this one. 21st Amendment has really endeared themselves to me with their detailed, quirky can art, but the simplicity of this one, the gold brick look, makes it stand out quite a bit. Enough about the can, let's get to what's inside it. To the beer!

REVIEW: Great Divide Old Ruffian

So, ever since I wrapped things up with all of the Christmas beers I've been making it a point to check out a lot of big, hearty beers. And I've really wanted to get to some barleywines. They're a style that I enjoy, but that I don't drink too much. For one thing, they're almost always big strong beers. I checked out the page on Beer Advocate listing some of the most popular barleywines in the world, not one of them checked in below 9% ABV and many of them pushing on up to around 14 - 15%. Also, there are very few brewers that release a barleywine year round. So that is all a very long, circuitous way of saying that barleywines are not a style of beer that you could really drink all year, even if you wanted to, which you likely wouldn't. But right now, as the first signs of spring are starting to show, but the nights are still awfully cold, this is the perfect time for a barleywine. And I have been able to snag three! So here we go, barleywine week! First of we're taking a look at Od Ruffian from Great Divide, a 90 IBU, 10.2% beast. Let's get into it. To the beer!

REVIEW: Stone Old Guardian Barleywine

The first time I had a barleywine I really didn't like it. It was at a beer tasting in Madison, Indiana when I was a junior at Hanover College. I don't even remember exactly which beer it was, just that I didn't care for it. It was weird. It didn't taste like a beer to me. Needless to say, in the intervening years my palate has become more refined and my tastes have changed. Barleywines are still far from my favorite beer style but I'm always excited to give them a shot. They're always big, complex, interesting beers. I also attribute my coming around on barleywines to some of the more hop forward varieties that I've had. Beers Like Avery's Hog Heaven and the recent Cincinnati Beer Week Barleywine are both great beers for folks looking to get into barleywines but who are more familiar with more of an IPA flavor profile. They are both big malty complex beers but the big hop presence sort of leads the way. Both are great beers and good gateways to the style. But enough about those, I'm not drinking either of those beers today. Today's barleywine comes from Stone, one of the greatest breweries in the world. At least if you ask me. Stone is known for huge beers. Beers that are big, assertive, highly flavorful, and complex. I'm excited to see what they have to say about the barleywine. To the beer!