Victory Old Horizontal Review

Name: Victory Old Horizontal

Style: Barleywine

ABV: 11%

It's been a couple of years since I've dabbled in anything from Victory Brewing Company, but that's all going to change tonight with my review of their Old Horizontal, which is their annual barleywine release. On the top label, there is some small text that says "2013", which gives us the idea that this was brewed in 2013. I bring this up because I didn't start seeing this on shelves until about 2 months ago, which I find odd because either I missed this when it first came out or it wasn't put on shelves until fairly recently.

Old Horizontal pours a hazy dark crimson color with foamy head that settles into thin filmy form and the lacing is quite abundant and sticky.

In the nose, I'm picking up a ton of dark fruit notes with some caramel malts and some fairly strong citrus hoppiness. 

The best way I can describe the flavor is powerful. Not powerful in the boozy sense, but more like "in-your-face" strong. Otherwise it's very much the same as the nose with some dark fruit/plum notes, caramelized malts and strong citrus hops. The only key difference here is that there is more of a pine/resiny flavor kick than in the nose, which is most noticeable in the aftertaste.

The palate is quite hefty with a very thick body and some moderate carbonation. It's one of those barleywines that you really have to take your time with.

Old Horizontal is a pretty good barleywine style ale but the sheer strength of flavor (again, not boozy) may be off-putting to some. I think with some aging this could be an absolutely fantastic beer; I know I'm cellaring one for myself. With that said, even in it's current state, I still think that Old Horizontal warrants your attention if you're looking for something a bit on the stronger side.

Victory Old Horizontal - 8.25/10

Alaskan Pilot Series Barleywine Review

Name: Alaskan Pilot Series Barleywine
Style: Barleywine
ABV: 10.7%

For this review, I've got a little something that I have been sitting on for a couple months now and that's Alaskan Brewing's Barleywine, which is part of their Pilot Series: The brewery's lineup of seasonal beers which come in bombers. I've had a couple Pilot Series beers before but both times they have been the Smoked Porter, which is quite good if you haven't tried it out yet!

The beer pours a hazy crimson color with a semi-foamy head. The visible carbonation is mild and the lacing is pretty good.

The aroma starts out with a rather piney hop scent with notes of grapefruit and orange peel. On the backend is a nice malty backbone which consists of caramel malts and toffee.

On the flipside, the flavor starts out quite malty with notes of caramel, toffee and dark fruit notes before settling to a piney & citrus hop finish. The overall flavor is surprisingly smooth and mellow, yet at the same time, not subdued.

The palate has a moderately weighted body and some very mild carbonation. It is quite easy to drink in my opinion and allows one to enjoy the flavors.

It's vibrant and flavorful, yet at the same time, not overwhelming. The flavor isn't subdued but mellow and enjoyable. In short, it's a very balanced barleywine that will please anyone who tries it out and definitely worth your time!

Alaskan Pilot Series Barleywine - 9/10

Lake Superior Old Man Winter Warmer Review

Name: Lake Superior Old Man Winter Warmer
Style: Barleywine
ABV: 10.3%

Today I received word that we are on track to have the coldest winter on record here in Duluth, as it is already the 2nd coldest on record at the time of writing this. I certainly picked a good year to move here, as my co-workers have told me and I have to agree with them. Oh, and schools around the state have been closed for the second consecutive day in a row. I think school has been closed more times this year then I had during the entire time I was in K-12 schools.

To honor this occasion of cold temperatures that Siberia would consider "too much", I've decided to review a local seasonal beer from Lake Superior Brewing called Old Man Winter Warmer, which is their Barleywine style ale, which clocks in at a healthy 10.3%.

Old Man Winter Warmer pours a black color which gives off a nice crimson hue when held up to a light.  The head retention is decent and the lacing also has some mild retention to it as well.

The nose has a nice aroma of caramel, licorice, vanilla and chocolate. There is an encompassing oak-like characteristic which gives it an almost "bourbon barrel" like quality to it.

The flavor has surprisingly smoky quality to it, which was not present in the nose. Along with that are notes of licorice, chocolate, oak, hops, roasted barley and vanilla. The oak/bourbon characteristic is still pretty much here and it's a very nice touch. The aftertaste is a very chocolate & vanilla finish.

The palate is surprisingly lightweight and the carbonation is also very mild as well. The overall feel of the palate works tremendously with the flavor.

I have to hand to Lake Superior Brewing, this is a very smooth (and not overpowering) tasting barleywine. The best part? It's very affordable and priced about as much as the other selections from Lake Superior. It won't be around for too much longer so pick this up while you can!


Lake Superior Old Man Winter Warmer - 9/10

Anchor Old Foghorn Review

Name: Anchor Old Foghorn
Style: Barleywine
ABV 8.8%

Anchor Brewing is most well known for their Anchor Steam Beer to most beer drinkers out there but many people seem to forget that they make other beers besides just Steam. Last year, Anchor Brewing announced they were going to bring back Old Foghorn, their barleywine, after an extended absence. Up until recently finding it has been somewhat of a chore, but here it is!

Old Foghorn pours a clear crimson color with some high carbonation and a filmy head. There's no lacing here so it finishes clean.

The nose starts things off with caramel malts, plum, and dark fruity notes along with some mild citrus hops. It's got an almost ”Dubbel” like quality to it.

The flavor is pretty malt forward with strong caramel malts, plums,light spice and mild citrus hop notes. The aftertaste is a sweet caramel and grapefruit taste. The Dubbel-like quality is present here as well.

The body is fairly light in weight and carbonation is moderate, so it gives some character to the flavor.

For a barleywine, it's rather tame considering it's flavor and ABV. However it's still a great beer and an approachable one at that. Anyone curious about the style should definitely check this one out!

Anchor Old Foghorn - 8.5/10

Brau Brothers Rye Wyne Review

Name: Brau Brothers Rye Wyne
Style: Barleywine
ABV: 11%


So this'll be my last rye beer for probably the rest of the year, because while the style has certainly grown on me, I'm getting tired of Rye Beers as a whole. Never fear for I will wait until I can confront my old nemesis, Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA, once again. Victory will not be so easily obtained for you this time Ruthless Rye!

Anyways...... Brau Brothers is the only (major) craft brewery located in Southwestern Minnesota and are in the process of expanding which includes moving from Lucan, MN to the larger city of Marshall, MN. They are known primarily for their Moo Joos and Bancreagie ales, though once a year they release a limited edition beer. Last year they released a Quad-Style ale, which was quite good and aged in Templeton Rye Whiskey Barrels. Well this year, it's their Rye Wyne which were also aged in the exact same barrels as the Quad Ale. If the label is to be believed, this has been conditioning since 2011.

Rye Wyne pours a dark brown color with a creamy khaki colored head. As far as carbonation goes, there really isn't anything visible here.

The nose starts out with a fairly prominent caramel and chocolate scent; Followed by roasted barley, hops, rye, malts and spices. Oddly enough, the rye isn't as strong in the aroma as I had expected.

The flavor reveals a different and arguably more complex offering. The front of the flavor starts out with some strong fairly strong vanilla, chocolate and rye notes. Then in changes it up by having some smoked malts, oak, caramel, and light hoppiness. The rye is much more pronounced here than in the aroma, which helps add to it's complexity in addition to the other flavors. Kind of disappointed that I'm not getting any Quad hints in the flavor though, but hey at least there's no booziness!

The body is pretty light for a barleywine and thanks to the low carbonation, gives it a very smooth and creamy feel.

Even though I'm taking a self-imposed break from rye beers, this was extremely good! If you like Rye Beers or if you're looking for a different take on the Barleywine style, this is definitely worth checking out.

Brau Brothers Rye Wine - 9.25/10

Leinenkugel's Big Eddy Ryewine Ale Review

Up until I believe a couple years ago, the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company or Leinenkugel's (or Leinie's as it's known around here) was only really known for their Summer Shandy, Sunset Wheat and Original Lager. Last year I started noticing a special line of beers from Leinenkugel's called the "Big Eddy" series. It's a line-up of stronger ales meant to target the craft beer crowd; It's sort of ironic considering Leinenkugel's isn't even a craft brewer since they are owned by Miller Brewing and therefore don't qualify as a craft brewer.

I've had both the Big Eddy Wee Heavy Scotch Ale & Imperial IPA and while the Wee Heavy wasn't really anything to write home about and a bit boozy, the Imperial IPA was surprisingly good, very hoppy and pairs very well with a Spicy Jalapeno Pepperjack Cheeseburger.

This is the Big Eddy Ryewine Ale, it's a barleywine style ale with an ABV of 9.5%. As the name suggests, it's brewed with rye. Something which I wasn't a big fan of after my bad experience with Sierra Nevada's Ruthless Rye but it has since started to grow on me once again.

It pours a clear crimson color with a khaki-colored head and carbonation along the sides of the glass, The lacing along the sides of the glass are spotty here and there but there is some here.

The nose has a strong rye & citrus hop scent upfront and some caramel malts and yeasts. It's starting to remind me of Ruthless Rye IPA, I'm having flashbacks already from last year about one of the few drain pours I had to do because I couldn't handle it. I remember that cold February evening, trying it out for the first time in my kitchen. But alas, the rye was too much for me to handle and the hop balance was all wrong for me. I did a drain pour; I had to do it, it was the only way I could get rid of it. Why Sierra Nevada, why?! What did I do to you......?

Never again...................*sigh*..............

Anyway.....The flavor has a spicy rye and caramelized malts upfront followed by citrus hops, yeasts, ginger spices, and barley. The rye is a bit stronger here but flavor is very well balanced as a whole. The body is rather heavy in weight but with only some mild carbonation, so it allows you to enjoy the flavor.

Rye is still growing on me as a whole, but I found this to be quite tasty and well balanced. It doesn't blow me away by any means, but the other flavors help keep the rye in check which creates just the right amount of flavor variety, much like Surly SeVIIn. I'd say definitely give this a chance; It's not going to be for everyone but anyone looking for a different take on the Barleywine style that is done right should try this one out.

Leinenkugel's Big Eddy Ryewine Ale - 8.5/10

Lakefront My Turn - Chad Barleywine

Lakefront Brewing has been doing a lineup of beers called the "My Turn" series. It's where the various brewers employed by Lakefront take turns releasing their own take on beer styles for release. The beers themselves have the namesake of the brewer on the bottle as well as their description of the beer itself. The series is supposed to have 3 releases a year, what I have here is #4 as shown on the label. So it's safe to assume this has been going on for a while and I'll have to keep my eyes open for the other My Turns out there.

What I have here today is Barleywine Style Ale (Or Chad Barleywine) made by Chad Sheridan, the lead cellerman employed by Lakefront. It's an organic barleywine and it has a fairly hefty ABV of 12.5%; Something which I don't see fairly often with the barleywines I usually drink.

Chad Barleywine what looks like a dark Brown/Black color but it turns into a mildly hazy Crimson color when held up to a light, The head has a filmy slightly brown appearance that has average retention.

The nose mainly consists of toffee, caramelized malts, mild citrus hops, rye and some booziness. The aroma in particular lets you know that what you have is a stronger caliber barleywine and says to you that it isn't messing around.

That is, however, until you actually start drinking it. The flavor has some nice caramel, butterscotch, toffee, citrus hops and malts. The booziness that was present in the nose is nowhere near as strong here, I would even go as far as to say it's quite mild and almost blends in to the rest of the flavor.

The body is surprisingly smooth and creamy thanks it's moderate thick body and mild carbonation. It may be a strong barleywine but it goes down fairly easy.

It's a bit rough around the edges but at the same time it's surprisingly smooth and flavorful. Even more surprising was that it tasted nowhere near as boozy as I had expected, so points for that as well. If you hate barleywine, this isn't the beer for you. Anyone who loves the barleywine style, however, should check this out.

Lakefront Chad Barleywine - 8.25/10

Cucapá Green Card Barleywine Review

A couple of weeks ago as I was grabbing some Miller Lite for a bonfire, I walked by the clearance section which contained primarily wine, a couple of spirits and a mix of winter seasonal & offbeat beers. As my eyes scanned the table, I noticed a few rows of bombers of beer from Cucapá Brewery in Mexico and the one that caught my eye was Green Card Barleywine for only $4.99. Since it was sitting next to the discounted Winter Warlock Barleywine, I deduced that it must've been around for a while and thus allowed to age, so I grabbed a bomber along with the Miller and headed on my merry way.

After sitting on it for a couple of weeks, I finally decided to try out my first ever Mexican Barleywine. I'll admit I was a bit excited and interested to see how a brewery from a country known primarily for Corona would handle this.

To start out, it pours an almost pitch black color that turns dark red when held up to a light. Head is rather soapy and only retains for about a minute before fading away.

The nose is very strong caramelized malts but the hop profile is extremely mild; The maltiness almost smells and feels artificial. There's also some plum and fruity notes in the aroma as well.

The flavor is very much like the nose, with strong caramelized malts, mild hops, fruity notes and mild spices. There is a very strong boozy presence in the flavor and the maltiness tastes artificial, almost like someone poured syrupy Malta Goya into the beer.

The body is fairly light and the carbonation is moderate, so in terms of drinkability, this one is pretty easy to drink; which is probably the only redeeming quality that this has to offer

Barleywines are one of my favorite styles of beer so what I'm about say are words that I never thought I would say: I hated this Barleywine. Up until having this, the "worst" barleywine I had ever had was New Glarus Thumbprint Barleywine, but it was at least decent and tolerable. This tastes like they took Malta Goya & a High Gravity Malt Liquor and mixed them together. Don't be tempted by the low price, avoid this at all costs

Cucapá Green Card Barleywine - 2/10

Schell's Barleywine Review

Had a long week at work, and today is technically the start of my weekend. To start things off, I have one more on my list of Barleywines and it comes from another Minnesota Brewer: August Schell Brewing Company or Schell's.

Schell's is known for producing Grain Belt and their other lineup consists of the usual styles ranging from Vienna Lager to Amber Ale, which aren't too interesting but they do have some pretty sweet seasonal beers. Recently they started releasing their Stag Series, which is their limited release series. So far, they have released a Rauchbier, Pilsener, Dark Ale, Altbier, Farmhouse/Saison, Burton, and their lastest release: Barleywine.

While it's incredibly awesome to see them trying out new styles, Barleywine is one of the last styles I would expect from Schell's. I mean, they are the same company that makes Grain Belt after all.

Stag Series Barleywine pours a clear amber color with a fairly brownish head and a high amount of carbonation. The lacing it leaves behind is moderate in volume.

The nose has some nice and sweet caramel, toffee, fruity and floral hops; None of which are particularly strong but each scent is pleasant in their own right. The flavor has a moderate citrus hop profile, along with caramelized malts, barley, toffee, and grapefruit. The flavor is rather moderate and controlled, but at the same time, well balanced.

The body has some moderate weight to it and the carbonation is quite mild despite my earlier observations of the high carbonation; So it's surprisingly easy to drink!

I can't say that I'm surprised that this Barleywine wasn't the strongest based on my expectations. Anyone looking for a Barleywine that'll knock you on your behind should look elsewhere. However, if you're new to the Barleywine style of beer and want to get into it, this is an excellent beer to start out with as it's not too strong and very well balanced in terms of flavor.


Schell's Stag Series Barleywine - 8.25/10

Flat Earth Winter Warlock Review

Finally, my last review of a winter seasonal until next winter, which will be in about 5 months if the weather here in Minnesota holds up the way it is. I decided after letting this age for 6 months, it was finally time to crack it open. I give you Winter Warlock from Flat Earth Brewing, which is an English Barleywine.

This is my first time aging a Barleywine and an English one at that. From what I gathered, English Barleywines tend to be maltier in character and sweeter, whereas American Barleywines tend to be more focused on the hops.

Winter Warlock pours a dark and mildly hazy orange color with a filmy head that has a surprisingly long lived retention rate. The carbonation activity inside the glass is also pretty high as well and I have never seen this in a Barleywine quite like this, whether it's due to the aging or not I do not know.

It has a rich & strong citrus hop, caramelized malt and grapefruit/fruity aroma, which reminds me of having a glass of Rosé wine.

The flavor is pretty consistant with the nose, with strong citrus hops, caramel, toffee, malts, barley and grapefruits. The aftertaste is fairly resiny and somewhat hoppy. Best of all, no booziness!

Despite the rather strong looking carbonation, in reality it's actually quite mild and smooth. The body is also moderate in weight and you're left with a surprisingly easy-to-drink Barleywine.

Winter Warlock is an excellent example as to how to do Barleywine correct and I can tell by the flavor it ages very well! The flavor is great and it's pretty smooth and easy on the palate. It also goes well with a good cheeseburger, not the McDonalds kind but a really good homemade one! Pick this up and age it for a few months, you won't be disappointed!

Flat Earth Winter Warlock - 9.25/10

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale Review

Sierra Nevada is one of the first craft breweries I had ever heard of, along with Summit Brewing. I even recall running with my dad to the liquor store to pick up some of the aforementioned beer when I was only 8 years old. Now here I am drinking the same stuff my old man and his co-workers drank 18 years later.

I wanted to make my first Sierra Nevada review special, so I've decided to review their seasonal Barleywine: Bigfoot Ale. They classify it as a Winter Seasonal, but I usually don't start seeing these until the Spring time.

Speaking of Bigfoot when my cousin was around 12-13 years old, he claims that he saw Bigfoot while out snowmobiling near his farm in Northern Minnesota. According to him, he saw a Bigfoot about 8-9 feet tall with jet black hair and a human-like strut running across a snowfield into the woods near an abandoned farmhouse; and this all happened around 5 PM. Since digital cameras and cell phones were quite rare in the early 1990's, he had no proof to back up his claim and therefore no evidence to convince us otherwise. Today he's married with 3 kids, lives in the same area, and still swears that he saw Sasquatch that cold December evening.

Whether or not he's telling the truth remains to be seen, but it does add a dimension of intrigue and mystery to our world. There is one Bigfoot that we all know does exist, and that's this Barleywine.

To start, it pours a deep ruby red color with a mildly hazy appearance. The head is not large by any means but it does have some great lacing retention.

The aroma gives off a very rich scent of Citrus Hops. Caramel Malts, Spices, and Toffee. In terms of smell, this one has a nice balance between being hoppy and sweet.

When it comes to the flavor, you have the Citrus Hops, Malts, Toffee, and Figs. All of which are all good albeit a bit subdued compared to the aroma. However it also has a slight booziness to the overall flavor. It's minor but noticeable nonetheless.

It's light bodied and the carbonation is fairly mild so it feels quite creamy and smooth when it hits the palate. As usual with most barleywine styles, you'll want to take your time with this.

In terms of Barleywine styles, It's got a great aroma, a good flavor with some minor booziness, and a creamy body that makes it very easy to drink but I still enjoyed this quite a bit. If you see it on the shelf, pick it up and see what you think because you really can't go wrong with it. As for the existance of Bigfoot itself, the jury is still out on that one.

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale - 8.5/10

Brooklyn Monster Ale Review

**Update they have since decided to discontinue making Monster**

I've gotten into the habit of aging certain beers which I have acquired. Call it an experiment if you want, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it out.

Tonight I've decided to finally crack open a Barleywine that I've been saving for the past 3 months by letting it age. This of course is none other than the Brooklyn Monster Ale, a Seasonal Barleywine named after the cat which resided at the brewery until he died of kidney failure last year. Thankfully they've decided to keep making this beer in honor of Monster

Before I start, I will admit that I had a bottle of this last year and found it to be quite good, so I've decided to review this again; And it gives me an excuse to buy it all over again, not that I really needed one to begin with.

To start, it's got a nice hazy ruby color with just a couple of bubbles climbing up the sides. The head is fairly thin and disappears into a film immediately after the pour. It finishes clean so there's no real lacing along the sides.

Nose has a strong caramelized malt sweetness and potent citrus hop profile. It's also got a pretty strong yeasty scent too.

The flavor consists of sweet caramelized malts, strong citrus hops, and yeasts with just a hint of toffee. Each flavor is surprisingly robust and the alcohol is very well hidden.

The overall palate is creamy and light, making it very easy to drink.......almost too easy. But hey, I'd rather have it be easy to drink as opposed to impossible.

Monster Ale is a very accessible Barley-wine style ale, thanks to it's easy drinkability and awesome flavor. If you're not a fan of the style then this isn't going to change your mind. If you're a Barleywine fanatic, like myself, you'll love it!

Brooklyn Monster Ale - 9/10