Sierra Nevada XXX Jack & Ken’s Ale (Black Barleywine - 30th Anniversary)

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Location: Chico, CA
Style: Barleywine
Brewery Website
Rating: A

Today’s tasting is a Black Barleywine from Sierra Nevada that was brewed for their 30th anniversary. The Black Barleywine pours up an opaque ruby-black with a thick, dark-tan head. The nose is malty with notes of caramel and sherry.

On the palate there is a nice bitter malty/chocolate kick. Wine notes are present, along with sherry and caramel. There is an herbal/grassy hops note, but it is just an undertone to the malt. Hops bitterness starts at a moderate level and builds from there. The beer is pretty dry for a barleywine. The 30th Anniversary Black Barleywine is medium-bodied, and while it seems a bit light for a barleywine, it is full enough for this beer. The finish has cocoa and espresso notes paired with grassy and herbal hops.

The Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Black Barleywine is a unique take on the barleywine style. Much like a Black IPA, the roasted malt adds a unique layer of complexity that works well with the barleywine style. The cocoa and coffee notes add a nice spin on the typical barleywine style. If you can still find this in your area, it is well worth hunting down and stashing in your cellar.

Dogfish Head Olde School 2010 Vintage

Brewery: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Location: Milton, DE
Style: Barleywine
Brewery Website
Rating: A-

For today's tasting I reached into the cellar to have my first crack at Dogfish Head's 2010 release of their Olde School barleywine. The beer poured up a deep amber with gold highlights and a very short, off-white head. The nose at first reminded me a bit of a highland scotch whisky. There are sweet malt notes, some banana esters as well as some winy notes.

The palate finds rich maltiness. There are fruity notes along with a quick squirt of citrus acidity. Some apricot notes are here from the hops as well. The yeast lends notes of banana and circus peanut. Malt contributions include bagel and pretzel notes. The Olde School has a full body. There is still some nice carbonation left after over a year in the bottle. Alcohol is potent and warming, although quite smooth. The finish sees fruity notes, malt syrup and rich doughy malt notes continuing to ride out.

Dogfish Head has another great beer on their hands with the Olde School. This is a really nice barleywine. There are some nice yeast notes, just enough residual sugar without being cloying and a nice combination of juiciness and fruitiness that compliment each other well. There is also a nice scotch note on the nose that I love. the best thing is that this beer will continue to age well for at least 3-5 more years, if not longer. My only issue is how long to wait before i crack into the next one.

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2010 Vintage

Please bear with me as the posts may be slow to roll for a while due to the birth of my son. Hope to get back up to speed here in the next few weeks.  -E

Brewery: Sierra Nevada
Location: Chico, CA
Style: Barleywine
Brewery Website
Rating: B+

On the tasting block today is Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot barleywine. I am tasting a bottle from this year's (2010) bottling. The Bigfoot pours a deep amber brown color with a thick, light-tan head. The nose has aromas of citrus, caramel, honey and oatmeal.

On the palate there is a distinct wininess along with a mild acidic note. The malt has a pretzel-like flavor. There is a notable bitter hops bite that is powerful without seeming out of balance. At 9.6% ABV, there is an obvious alcohol presence. Minor flavor notes of raisins, toast and mineral water sit in the background along with a slight residual sweetness. The finish has a lingering bitter hop bite. The Bigfoot has a full body without being too heavy.

I have been a big fan of Bigfoot since the first time I tried it. While every year's brewing has produced good results, some years are "A" quality right from day one. This year's brew seems to be a little rough around the edges to me. Notably, the bitter hops notes seem to clash a bit to me. I'm holding high hopes that the 2010 Bigfoot will age well (as most Bigfoot vintages do). I think there is some great promise for this one after a couple of years in the cellar smooths out the rough edges a bit. Good to drink now, but will likely be great to drink in 2-3 years.