Central Waters BBA Barleywine Ale

Central Waters Brewing Co.   Amherst, WI

Notes:

Bourbon Barrel Aged Barley Wine

12oz Bottle

11.5% ABV

Appearance:  Pours a lovely deep, dense mahogany…little head to speak of, but when I swirl it around, it livens a bit and the thinnest light khaki layer forms…but doesn’t last…the color and look are fantastic, but there could be a bit more head…(3.5/5)

Smell:  Definitely bourbon barrel aged, that’s the first thing that hits me…there’s a dark cherry candy sweetness that follows close behind, diluting a bit of that alcohol punch…oak, vanilla, caramel, cola, creamy sweetness round it off…it’s bourbon barrel alcohol heavy, but delicate enough to allow other flavors to come through…(4.25/5)

Taste:  Yum, tons of flavor…oak and bourbon alcohol heat right off the bat, though quickly sweetened bringing in the traditional barley wine flavors…candy sweet and tons of caramel malts, mild earthy tones…it’s flushed with a boozy quality that comes in and out, not overly done, but certainly not letting me forget that it’s bourbon barrel aged…it’s easy to say that the flavor is overly boozy, because it is strong, but for me it’s just right…intentionally powerful, one sip lasts three minutes…(4.5/5)

Mouthfeel:  Light to medium body, medium carbonation…fluffs up beautifully, bring tons of candy sweetness to the palate…when it fades, bourbon alcohol takes over and tingles the outside of my tongue and heats the back of my throat…rich, smooth, chewy, lively, boozy, sweet…fades sweet with tons of boozy heat…fantastic…(4.5/5)

Overall:  This is a fantastic brew…a pure sipper, I’m sitting here watching the Oscars and it’s perfect…it makes me want to start a fire in the fireplace…the straight barley wine flavor playing the support role here would outshine most other brews by itself, but the addition of the bourbon barrel aging gives it a sophistication deserving of a snifter glass…boozy, straight forward, intoxicating, this brew is worthy of its allusiveness…I was lucky to snatch it up when I did and thankful I have a couple more to share, it’s no surprise this is one of Central Waters highest rated beers…a top shelf brew that’s well worth the price, if you get the chance to taste this, take it…I’d love to see this on tap somewhere just to see what a little more carbonation and head would do to the overall package…fantastic! (4.5/5)

Score:

(4.33/5)