Anniversary Ale
Whitewall Brewing, Marysville
Style: Barrel-aged Barleywine
Stats: 12.5 percent ABV
Available: 750-ml bottles and on tap at the brewery
My thoughts: As a home brewer, Whitewall co-owner Aaron Wight made a barrel-aged barleywine that he really liked. So, when Whitewall was celebrating its first anniversary last year, Wight and his fellow owner Sean Wallner decided to make a barleywine for the occasion. They aged it in cabernet sauvignon barrels and it turned out so well they decided to make it a tradition.
This year they one-upped themselves, brewing the same English-style barleywine in November and aging it for four months in Jim Beam bourbon barrels. The finished product is a deep, resonant beer that is smooth and sippable.
I recently stopped by the brewery and tried a small sample of the beer, which they unveiled a few months ago and bottled April 17. I’m not a huge barleywine fan. It’s a beer you have to be in a certain mood for, and truthfully, I’m rarely in that mood when I’m at a brewery.
That said, Whitewall’s barleywine is great. The beer is comparable to sipping a snifter of bourbon. (At 12.5 percent, it’s nearly as strong.) The strong essence of vanilla, wood and bourbon shine through and give the beer a warm, deep mouthfeel.
“It turned out really good,” Wallner said. “It’s like a liquor. We recommend you pour it and sip on it like you would a Scotch.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself. Hopefully they haven’t sold out of the bottles. If they have, hurry into the brewery and try it on tap. You won’t be disappointed.
From the brewery: This English-style barleywine was aged for nearly four months in bourbon barrels from Jim Beam.
— Aaron Swaney
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