Jul
04
2008
Session #17: Heavy Seas Below Decks barley wine
Posted on 18:21, July 4th, 2008 by Al E.
This edition of The Session is sponsored by Rob at Pfiff!.
Session #17 - Going Against the Grain Bill: Solstice Edition
The subject for July’s Session could be summed up thusly: Drinking anti-seasonally. Think of this as the unorthodox cousin of such topics as “beer and food” and “beer and music”. Beer and weather, perhaps? More like beer despite the weather, I guess. Cracking open a Guinness on the beach, finishing a day of yardwork with a Speedway Stout, or whatever else you do that raises an eyebrow (again, beer-related, please), do us all a favor an dtake a few moments to share your non-conformist tale (again, you kangaroos and lemurs down there, your take on this could be even more peculiar, so do chime in, please).
I had mixed feelings about this edition of the The Session. I was anticipating starting off this Fourth of July holiday by cutting my grass. With a very steep hill in the back it’s hot and thirsty work. The idea of spending an hour straining in the hot sun and coming inside to have something dark and heavy was, well, concerning me. It appears, though, that a rainy day has saved me from that fate. (It has also ruined any chance for fireworks, which is disappointing itself.)
On the other hand, I’m just starting to experiment with cellaring beer. I have some of Clipper City’s Heavy Seas Below Decks Barley Wine in storage. This is the 2007 “vintage”. I had one last year in December, and I am curious as to how it has aged. I was going to wait until December–or at least the Fall–to try the next one, but now seems like a perfect time.
From the label:
Our nod to classic English Barleywine-style ales, Below Decks is deep copper in color with a luxurious malt character. Have some now…and cellar some for later! Very limited release. 10% Alc./Vol.
Deep copper color. Decent-sized head with small bubbles. Very malty aroma with an almost bourbon-like scent. Not much aroma from the hops. Thick in the body, with some heat from the alcohol. More of that essence of bourbon, including a tingle on my lips. Finish is surprisingly light.
That’s good. I’m enjoying it. A great beer to have on a cold and rainy day like today. I’m looking forward to the next one at the end of the year.
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Jon posted the wrap-up for Session #12.
36 bloggers, 38 entries, over 61 beers, and three non-beer-specific posts
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This edition of The Session is sponsored by Jon at The Brew Site.
Whether you spell it “barley wine” (conventional) or “barleywine” (my preference), this is definitely the season for it. It’s a style with a wide range of interpretations and possibilities, so I want to leave this Session open for the same: whether it’s a tasting review, or a food pairing, or an experience, or a (homebrew) recipe—it’s wide open, and I can’t wait to see what people come up with.
One of the first barleywines I ever tasted was Weyerbacher’s Blithering Idiot. I bought it because of the name (it was a put-down I used quite often). This was probably ten years ago.
I didn’t like it.
Not its fault, of course. I just really didn’t have the palate for “heavier” beers like that.
So, while at my favorite retailer looking for a beer for this episode of The Session, I knew as soon as I spotted it that I would need to try it again with my more mature tastebuds.
Here’s what the brewer has to say about it:
At Weyerbacher, we prefer to brew things true to European style guidelines. Consequently our barley wine is on the malty side, yet not overly sweet. Notes of date or perhaps fig on the palate follow a pleasurably malty aroma to your taste buds. The finish is warm and fruity, and begs for the next sip.
A beer that begs? Well, that sounds interesting. They also suggest enjoying it “in front of the fire, or accompanying a literary classic.” Well, I don’t have a fireplace, but I’m in a comfortable chair and my oldest child is on the sofa readying one of the Harry Potter books, so I’ll call that close enough.
At 11.1% ABV, this is certainly something to enjoy slowly. It’s not as dark as I expected. It’s a nice deep golden color with red highlights. The head, off-white, isn’t very big and doesn’t stay around long. I get a bit of alcohol in the aroma, and some grassiness from the hops. As it warms it gets a bit more aromatic.
Its body is pretty robust. Not syrupy, as I was expecting. Not as much fruit as I expected from their description, but it does finish warmly. And you know what? It’s good. Good enough that I’m kicking myself that I have avoided barleywines for all these years.
See also: Ron’s Session entry: Talon Barley Wine from Mendocino
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This edition of The Session is sponsored by The Brew Site.
Session #12 is titled Barleywine- Whether you spell it “barley wine” (conventional) or “barleywine” (my preference), this is definitely the season for it. It’s a style with a wide range of interpretations and possibilities, so I want to leave this Session open for the same: whether it’s a tasting review, or a food pairing, or an experience, or a (homebrew) recipe—it’s wide open, and I can’t wait to see what people come up with.
Barley Wine is a strong drink, to be sipped and enjoyed. I picked Mendicino’s Talon True Style Barley Wine Ale for this Session because it is brewed locally in Saratoga Springs, New York.
I picked up my bottle directly from the brewer because I have had quality control issues with this brewery before and I wanted to get the best possible sample. Each time I try something from Mendicino, it is hit or miss, even within the same product line.
A barley wine is only called a “wine” because the alcoholic strength is at comparables levels that of a wine. But, a barley wine is all beer because it is made from barley, a grain, not a fruit. Barley wines are also often aged due to the high amounts of hops and malt to blend the flavors over time usually , much like a wine, but they don’t have to be.
The Mendicino Talon pours a nice deep amber color with a taupe head. The hop bitterness and malt sweetness were both present and strong. There was little alcohol warming which surprised me. I tasted a wood like flavor along with some, but not much, cloying fruity (raisin?) notes.
Out of curiosity, I headed over to Beer Advocate to see what others were saying about this barley wine. Wow, they are all over the place. Reviews said everything from too much hops, to no hop flavor at all. Some said alcoholic burn, to no alcohol heat whatsoever. Other saw it cloudy while others saw it clear. Many said it was syrupy, over-sweet and too strong, which I did not find at all, certainly nothing like Stone’s Double Arrogant Bastard Ale.
Overall I really liked this barley wine, a style that is not typical for me. But, I should note that I was more impressed by the surprise that it wasn’t terrible, which doesn’t speak well for my overall experience with Mendicino. I’m wondering now if no one over there ever wrote down the recipe and procedure…
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Just a quick reminder that February’s Session is this Friday, February 1.
The Brew Site: Announcing the Session #12: Barleywine
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