Heady bourbon piquancy positively affects affluent Cassis-styled blackberry-curdled oak-casked barleywine. Dank cellar waft picks up port, burgundy, and Merlot illusions that settle at frantic cherry-soured prune-raisin-fig peak. Red wine aficionados may enjoy its sharply tannic red, purple, and black grape tartness.

Luxurious bottled version is veritable godsend for wintry evening, 2010. Pureed black cherry fascination drapes rich fig-raisin-prune dried fruiting and sweet-Scotched sherry-burgundy-bourbon alcohol whir. Chewy brown-sugared honey-sapped molasses coating secures gooey medicinal cherry-candied stickiness, mild hazelnut-macadamia smidgen, and piney hop sop. Bruised banana, rum raisin, and caramel apple come along for the ride.

Richly fruited limited edition ’09 barleywine deviates from typical brutish stylistic rampage. Instead of a veritable meal in a bottle, it’s a well-integrated strong ale with lagered champagne yeast perfect for dessert. Honeyed cereal grains sweeten French oak-aged Sauvegnon Blanc grape juicing and gorgeous floral bouquet. Creamy butterscotch midst secures green, red and purple grape illusions as well as lustrous peach-tangerine-pineapple-nectarine exotica. Pronounced cherry uprising, buttery Chardonnay subsidy, and tertiary raisin-date-fig dryness add further depth while peppery herbal hop zip…

Easy-sipping whiskey-barreled Scottish barleywine with hearty 12% alcohol projectile needs a smidgen more up-front character for ‘big beer’ connoisseurs. Ripe black cherry overtones relinquished by candied apple, bruised orange, pear syrup, and spiced fig illusions gliding through chewy brown-sugared caramel malt creaminess and slim bourbon-sherry drift. Toasted marshmallow, fruitcake and vanilla nuances find tertiary solace.

Glorious slow sipping 11% alcohol-fueled dessert treasure (limited ’09 release) dazzles the senses with well-balanced nature and fascinating complexity. Ripe cherry, bruised orange, and brown banana illusions enliven chewy brown chocolate-y molasses creaminess rising above cotton-candied dark-spiced floral-hopped midst. Medicinal cognac-bourbon warmth brings finish to fruition.

Closer to a fruity IPA (or Troegs Nugget Nectar Red Ale) than its barleywine style indicates. Sturdy 9.3% alcohol surge has calming affect on nerves as ‘candi-sugared hops’ blend into bright peach-pear-apple tang and spiced raisin-date conflux. At midst, piney grapefruit rind bitterness counterbalances sweet melon-cantaloupe-mango melange, chewy rum-soaked caramel-toasted molasses malting, and syrupy spruce sash.

Advertised as ‘Ridge Runner’s Big Brother,’ sharp spice-hopped brown-sugared caramel-malted barleywine betters lighter-bodied sibling. Viscously malted and heavily dry-hopped, its piney resin buildup overwhelms well-disguised cherry-raisin-orange latency.

Handmade auburn-hued San Franciscan hits frontal lobe quickly with honeyed fruit prevalence, succulent whiskey sweetness, and spice-hopped codicil. Roasted malt foundation anchors zesty overripe cherry surge and red grape-apricot-raisin dip. Flush barleywine finish provokes comparison to bolder French-Belgian ales with higher aspirations.

Bright berry waft amplifies sharp floral-spiced tropical fruit profile enlivening spruce-maple contour. Creamy chocolate raisin sweetness counters bitterly resinous piney hops at bold finish. Only minor astringency keeps this from sheer perfection.

Revelatory ale with bruised orange frontage and caramelized Scotch malt warmth leaves thick tan lace along glass sides. Beautiful floral hops sweetened by honey nut and cereal grain continuance, forging graham cracker profile. Yet there’s still room for overripe cherry-tangerine-raisin thicket.

Mild clear ruby-amber barleywine with unassuming 10% alcohol volume places tongue-snagging cherry, tangerine, and grape sweetness above dry earthen hop bittering, settling to candied red apple luster. Creamy chocolate-cocoa malting centers stimulating fruited assemblage as sugarplum, vanilla, and maple illusions vie for tertiary position.

9.1% alcohol thrust boosts doubled malt-hop complexity, bruised orange souring, and port-like dryness to full-bodied hearty warmth. Fruitcake, malt liqueur, and dark rum illusions crowd cherry-pineapple center. At finish, honeyed nuttiness drapes slow sipping dessert treat.