Mostly because after drinking (and enjoying) the first of the Small Batch Series recently, I had to find out if I liked any of the other ones better.  Just by reading the labels the Third Voyage is probably the most straight forward style-wise, so I expected interesting and unique with the others if nothing else.  Why not start with an “Oaked Blonde Barleywine Ale?”

Continuing on . . .

Brewery: Boston Beer Company (Boston, MA)

Name: Griffin’s Bow

Style: American Barleywine (though probably more accurately a Specialty Beer)

ABV: 11.50% (on bottle)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in an oversized wine glass.  Batch No. 1

Aroma: Light and sweet aroma with subtle notes of fruit.  Like some tropical fruit with some sugar and honey tossed in.  More subtle and less intense than I would have expected from a barleywine going in. – 7.5/12

Appearance: Deep coppery color.  One finger cream color head that is creamy and frothy, holds well, and leaves a nice trail and lacing on the glass.  Very clear with rising bubbles visible. – 3/3

Flavor: Tons of sugary, toffee-like malty sweetness with some notes of vanilla coming through in the middle.  Maybe a slight bitterness (though very little).  A fairly smooth finish with maybe a slight astringent bitterness and some lingering sweetness. – 12.5/20

Mouthfeel: Medium in body with a moderate too low level of carbonation. Very smooth on the palate with a bit of warmth noticed at the finish. – 4/5

Overall Impressions: Really was not sure what to expect from a “Blonde Barleywine.”  The sweetness does dominate the balance.  Nothing that bad about it, but fairly uninteresting without the depth of flavor that I usually enjoy in a barleywine.  Better a bit warmer (as it should be), pretty smooth, and easy drinking with the vanilla becoming more prominent as it warms up some.  – 6/10

Overall: B- (33/50)

Samuel Adams - Griffin's Bow

Part of the puzzle has been solved as far as getting myself to drink through some of the beer stash I have at home.  Most of it comes down simply to refrigeration.  Once a beer ends up in the fridge the chance of me pouring it into a glass goes up significantly.  Usually I am buying beer that is on shelves and not already cold, but last weekend I ended up with some that was already cold so it went straight into the refrigerator when it arrived home.  Since then I have opened a few of those (including the one for today) before even giving the stash upstairs another look.  It is probably a good thing that I do not have a second refrigerator in the house.

Leading into a long weekend (for some of us) . . .

Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Company (Lakewood, NY)

Name: Back Burner

Style: American Barleywine

ABV: 9.60% (on bottle)

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and pulled early to warm a bit before serving in a snifter.

Aroma: Rich, dark caramelly sweetness with strong notes of dried fruit (cherry, date, etc.).  Full overall and pretty nice with maybe some warmth in there as well.  – 9/12

Appearance: Very deep amber to garnet in color.  Slight crème brûlée color head that holds pretty well (not great) with very little trail left along glass.  Quite clear with rising bubbles visible. – 2/3

Flavor: Deeply sweet maltiness initially that transitions quickly to an even bitterness that is not too strong.  Dark caramelly flavor with a toasted character to it.  Pretty nicely balanced overall and finishes with some lingering sweetness and a hit of dryness.  – 16/20

Mouthfeel: Medium body (maybe toward full) with a moderate level of carbonation.  Smooth on the palate and almost creamy without a harsh finish.  Light warmth in there as well. – 4/5

Overall Impressions: Quite smooth and drinkable as barelywines go as the warmth is nicely balanced with the sweetness of the beer.  I was tentative in pulling a bomber of barleywine from the fridge, but it turned out very well as I did not mind working my way through that volume over time.  It does open up as it warms some, but is better with just a it of chill on it.  The Wife says it was good, but was not in the mood for it at the time.  – 8/10

Overall: B+ (39/50)

Southern Tier Brewing Co. - Back Burner

Light reading is a good way to go on a Saturday here and that provides me a chance to finally post another B Note after far too long of a break from them. I specifically headed back to Redlight on a night off just for this beer. Since I was pouring when the Jewbelations were all on draft at the book signing, I did not get a chance to really enjoy this one. Fortunately the arrival of Chanukah meant another shot at it.

On we go . . .

Brewery: Shmaltz Brewing Company (San Francisco, CA & Saratoga Springs, NY)

Name: Jewbelation Fourteen

Style: American Barleywine (?)

ABV: 14.00%

Location: Redlight Redlight – Teege and Richard behind the bar.

Tasting Notes:

• Dark, dark, dark . . . opaque though ruby highlights noticed around the edges.
• Light coffee color head that holds well.
• Rich, malty, sweet aroma with good notes of dark fruit.
• Full malty flavor right up front with notes of coffee and chocolate and dark fruit-like sweetness. Just enough bitterness in there to balance things out some.
• Certainly noticeable warmth, but works well within the whole . . . surprising for such high ABV.
• An enjoyable slow sipper that makes me long for more of the Vertical!

Shmaltz Brewing - Jewbelation Fourteen

Cheers!

Much of this intro is the same as last Friday when I said (basically) that I found a few beer reviews that were for 2009 releases and I figured it would be best to share them before the 2010 releases become available.  I will need to do a flip through the binder to make sure that this is the only other one I need to do before switching back to my normal methods of operation.

This was a freebie beer for me as a gift from (as he will be referred to today) World Travelling Ken along with some Black Chocolate Stout that I still have for a rainy day in the future.  Many thanks to him and I will have to find something interesting to return the favor with as my home brews just don’t measure up to those quite yet!

On we go . . .

Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery (Brooklyn, NY)

Name: Monster Ale (2009)

Style: English Barleywine

ABV: 11.8%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge (allowed to warm some) and served in an oversized wine glass.

Aroma: Sweet, malty, light caramel-like aroma with some mild hop notes and a hint of alcohol.  Almost a slight port of sherry-like aroma minus the fruity nose.

Appearance: Deep amber color that seems to have some reddish highlights to it.  Slight, off-white head with some retention and good trail (and legs).  Clear with tiny rising bubbles visible.

Flavor: Deep toasted (almost roasted) malty flavor with some good hop bitterness coming through and amplifying from middle to finish.  The maltiness is not as sweet as it is in the aroma and the balance overall goes to the hoppy bitterness.  Pretty dry at the finish (lingers some).

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation (that is volatile when agitated/swirled in glass).  Slightly creamy with warmth coming through at (and after) finish.

Overall Impressions: Really wanted a bit more of the malty sweetness to help balance out the overall.  The bitterness and warmth do build on your palate as the glass empties (not really in a good way).  Good, but it seems that my palate does favor the American Barleywines.  The Wife gave it a C to C- as the bitterness in the style is not her thing.

Grade: B(ish)

Brooklyn Brewery - Monster Ale (2009)

A bit closer now.

This was the first beer that I wrote an evaluation for, so it will now become the first review I post.

Brewery: Great Divide Brewing Co. (Denver, CO)

Name: Old Ruffian (Barley Wine Style Ale)

Style: American Barleywine

ABV: 10.2%

Tasting Notes: Stored in wine fridge and served in a snifter

Aroma: Prominent hop nose with a slight hint of caramelly malt.  A bit of dark fruit aroma present (prune, raisin, etc).  Some noticeable alcohol.

Appearance: Copper to brown in color with a slight hint of red.  Solid, off-white head with fairly quick dissipation.  Good clarity – bubbles can be seen rising.

Flavor: Fairly strong and lingering bitterness.  The alcohol is not quite as strong as aroma implies.  Tiny bit of malt (caramel) flavor.  Long, but pleasant finish with good hoppy bitterness.  The higher alcohol content is well balanced with the hop flavor(s).

Mouthfeel: Smooth and velvety on the palate.  Alcohol warmth is present, but not excessive.

Overall Impressions: This is the first barleywine that I can recall having.  Really a very enjoyable drinking experience that gets even better as the beer warms towards room temperature.  The good hop bitterness is typical of the American Barleywine style (from what I have read).  I would certainly (buy and) drink again.

Grade: B+

Great Divide - Old Ruffian