Over the weekend I tried and discussed a number of big (8%+ abv) beers. It's been a growing trend for a while to brew massive beers and sometimes age them in bourbon or some other sort of barrel. There are some fine world class big beers, like Westvleteren 12 and Russian River's Pliny the Younger, but I take issue with a lot of these brews because whether or not they taste good, they're often too damn thick to actually enjoy. Finish a bomber of some and sure, you'll be drunk, but you'll also feel like you just finished a turkey dinner.
From my homebrewing experience, I know that the more ingredients you throw at a beer and the more sugar you leave in (this sweetens and thickens), the easier it is to make a tasty beer. Drinkability be damned. Who needs a sessionable beer when beer geeks respond to sludge? Twenty-one of BeerAdvocate's top 25 beers are at least 8% abv, after all. Yeah there are some great beers on that list, most just wouldn't make it into my person top 25 brews.
Ranting aside, there's a right way and wrong way to make strong beers. Here's a recent barleywine I thought nailed the style, and a couple local Pennsylvania ales that succumbed to the trend toward being unnecessarily thick and strong.
Landmark Barleywine
Landmark Beer Company
English Barleywine | 9.00% ABV
A- / 4.05
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4
On-tap at Clarks Ale House in Syracuse for $6/pint. The light is a little low in here, but it appears a clear orange-red with with a short off-white head leaving lacing. For 9&, as the bartender tells me, this is a very drinkable barleywine - I like that. So many strong beer are too thick and sweet to really enjoy beyond a small pour. The aroma has a sweet caramel candy apple character.The flavor and feel are very smooth with chocolate biscuit and cookie malt undertones behind bittersweet orange peel hops. I'm reminded of a Terry's Chocolate Orange for the delicate mix of hops and mild grains. After some time to ponder the beer, I'm also finding toffee, grapefruit, and dried cherry notes. This is my favorite Landmark beer I've had, a real winner. Cheers to Kiernan!
Hop'solutely
Allentown Brew Works
American Double / Imperial IPA | 11.50% ABV
B / 3.65
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | drink: 3.5
Split a 750ml bottle with friends at the Steelgaarden. Like most 11%+ IPAs, there's a lot of malty sweetness that takes away from the hops and makes it thicker than it needs to be. It drinks a bit like DFH 90 Minute in relation to the sticky sweetness. The hops are still pretty tasty with the chinook and centennial hops standing out at first with bitter grapefruit and pine, smooth flowery hops kick in and the finish is a mix of light caramel and citrus rind.
Blasphemy
Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Quadrupel (Quad) | 11.80% ABV
C+ / 3.25
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | drink: 3.5
Picked up a single in a mixed case from the brewery.
Whoa, put this one back, it ain't ready yet. I'm not saying it's a bad beer, but it feels like it needs some time. The nose has some great vanilla and oak notes, but they're overwhelmed by alcohol there and in the flavor. There's a background sweetness in the taste, but again the booze prevails. I recommend this beer because it seems like there's some great stuff going on, but let it sit for at least 6 months before consuming.
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