Barley Wines
Warm up with a heavily hopped drink.
By Daniel Schumacher
Grab a snifter, curl up by the fire with a good book and savor a barley wine style ale. Not quite a beer and certainly not a wine, these are a high-alcohol seasonal treat brewers use to showcase their finesse and mastery. Thick and syrupy, the variety swings from bittersweet to a super sweet fruit bomb and pours a light hazy orange to deep red.
Barley wines are easiest to find in establishments with a deep beer menu. The golden brown Flying Dog Horn Dog Barley Wine Style Ale (10.2 percent alcohol by volume) is aged for a few months in Maryland, is moderately hopped and tastes of chocolate, vanilla, and anise. Heading west to Wisconsin, Sprecher’s barley wine (9.7 percent ABV) pours a light, headless orange with strong flavors of candied orange, toffee and port.
For a third, cross the Atlantic for a Geisha (12 percent ABV) from Birra Troll. Through its deep, dark red smokey haze, you will find a beautiful cherry aroma. At $20 per bottle, please sip this one slowly.
All of the above beers are available at the J. Clyde. Flying Dog Horn Dog is available at V. Richard’s for $9.99 per four-pack, and Sprecher is sold at V. Richard’s at $8.49 for a 16-ounce bottle.
