rcd@opus.UUCP (Dick Dunn) (01/23/86)
Are there barleywines available out there that other folks know about?
I've only found a couple in recent years; I'd like to find more but I don't
know where to look.
I was fortunate enough to get some Old Foghorn (Anchor) when they did it
for the 50th anniv of repeal of Article 18. I've heard that it's been
available sporadically since then in CA--any truth to this? We get Steam,
Porter, Liberty, the Christmas ales and the recent Wheat beer, but no hint
of OF.
Sierra Nevada brought a little Bigfoot Barleywine to the Great American
Beer Festival in Denver last summer, but we didn't see it when it came out
in the winter. There were rumors that they would be doing it this winter,
starting right after they finished their celebration ale (matter of limited
brewing or fermenting capacity), but I haven't heard any more about it.
Can anyone out Chico way (?!) help with info? (Even a decent rumor would
be appreciated!)
Any other reasonable barleywines floating around? Labeling laws being what
they are, it's likely that some will be disguised under other names.
We've finally seemed to shake the silly springtime weather; we might even
get some snow again soon; I'd like to find a new by-the-fireplace sipping
beer. I would particularly like to find one with a little bit of black
malt or roasted barley in it--we brewed one like this once and found that
the roasted taste was a nice third emphasis beside the extreme malt and
substantial hops. (I'll make another sometime, but in the meantime I'm
lazy--and thirsty.)
--
Dick Dunn {hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd (303)444-5710 x3086
...I'm not cynical - just experienced.john@cisden.UUCP (John Woolley) (01/28/86)
In article <342@opus.UUCP> rcd@opus.UUCP (Dick Dunn) writes: >Are there barleywines available out there that other folks know about? > >Any other reasonable barleywines floating around? Labeling laws being what >they are, it's likely that some will be disguised under other names. Yeah, there's at least one good one, and you're right about the label. It's marketed around here as "Stingo Dark Ale", but it's a real barley wine, made by the same people who make Watney's Red Barrel (yuck!). Stingo is absolutely lovely -- black, sweet, *very* strong, a fine brew. I've only seen it in 12-ounce bottles, but an English buddy tells me it's sold in 6- or 7-ounce bottles in the U.K. -- Peace and Good!, Fr. John Woolley "Compared to what I have seen, all that I have written is straw." -- St. Thomas
alan@mtxinu.UUCP (Alan Tobey) (01/29/86)
> > I was fortunate enough to get some Old Foghorn (Anchor) when they did it > for the 50th anniv of repeal of Article 18. I've heard that it's been > available sporadically since then in CA--any truth to this? > Old Foghorn will be brewed sporadically by Anchor, not just for special events. The most recent batch (mid-85) can still be found here and there in the Bay Area. If you do get your hands on some, AGE IT! Any cool dark place will do, several years is appropriate. Out here we're still nursing along our last case of the first batch of Old Foghorn, brewed ain 1974 and bottled in 1975! Still full of astonishing flavors, not "fresh" anymore but complex in the way a fine old brandy is. The latest batch doesn't seem as intense but will certainly improve over five years. Anchor's annual Christmas Ale also ages well. A recent vertical tasting showed the 78 still alive, the 79 and 80 going flat, the 81 and 82 still young, the 83 [first change to the current Brown Ale style] dull and caramelly, the 84 wonderfully rich and hoppy, and the 85 still completely unintegrated. Experience shows that 2 years of age works wonders. At the same tasting, Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale didn't show the same consistent aging potential. The 1982 (first year, I think) is still monstrously hoppy, potentially in balance but needing time; 83 fairly bland; 84 balanced and nearly ready; and 85 like a younger 84. Bottom line advice: treat barleywines like WINE, not beer. Give them time to develop a complexity that's much more interesting than the initial potency and raw punch.