Thoroughly expressive barrel-aged barleywine takes dry-fruited pomegranate, fig, date and Concord grape adjuncts on an illustrious trip through sweet red-wined brandy-bourbon concourse and creamy Scotch malted chocolate liqueur (or Kahlua) promenade to smoky hop-roasted bittering. Simply divine.

Eccentric Extra Special Bitter-like deviation forgoes stylistic sweet barleywine fruiting for subtly smoked black-green tea bittering and ample fig-dried sugaring. Mild earthen hop toasting and Band-Aid-scented beechwood motif contrast glazed caramel malting of smooth departure. Tertiary tobacco, peat, and resin affinities further catapult unique Boston Tea Party reenactment.

Exquisite amber-glowed ‘2011 Odd Year Release’ bakes almond-pasted marzipan, chestnut, and butterscotch sweetness into juicy peach-canteloupe-melon-banana tropicalia. Floral tangerine-orange tang stays beneath spice-hopped bittering. Chewy caramel malting thickens viscosity and warming 12% alcohol volume never interferes with rich flavor profile. But Belgian yeast influence seems suspect.

Outstandingly celebratory 15^th anniversary ale contrasts creamy caramel malting with red-wined brandy, cognac, and rosé nuances atop clean-watered juicy-fruited plain. Stewed prune, candied apple, bruised orange, pureed raisin and medicinal cherry envelop chewy butterscotch-toffee follow-through. Syrupy whiskey kick and buttered rum caking add to the dewy sweetness of ambitious ruby-browned delight.

Quaint bourbon-barreled elixir needs thicker molasses-sapped malting. Creamy brown chocolate thrust fades fast as brown-sugared toffee, marzipan, and almondine illusions contrast alkaloid oak tannins and phenol hop bittering. Cherry, fig, and date spread across subsidiary vanilla spicing. Pleasant, but ultimately uninteresting.

On tap, velvety soft-tongued ‘strong ale’ doesn’t try to knock guzzler over the head with covert 9% alcohol whir. Instead, brisk India Pale Ale-like floral fruiting and sugary caramel-crystal malting overtake relegated spice-hopped bittering. Sweet-buttered peach, pear, and orange tang gains luster over syrupy molasses sapping.

On tap, sinister wintry aged barleywine emits creamy molasses-honeyed brown-sugared sweetness and massive IPA-like fruit tang above acetous wood-dried alcohol-burnt juniper bittering. Scotch-malted cherry, blueberry, peach, nectarine, and apricot engage raisin-breaded vanilla-caked Graham Cracker spine. Resinous hop-oiled pine needling bleeds into caramelized rye glaze.

An avalanche of fourteen malts and fourteen hops plus brash 14% alcohol strength reinforce labyrinthine 14^th anniversary barleywine celebrator. Heavy whiskey malting thickens lactic creaminess. Chocolate cake, Bacardi rum cake, and vanilla truffle decadence ensues. Sticky anise gets all over cocoa-buttered cookie dough center, cherry-pureed stewed prune swoon, and maple-oatmeal cereal graining. Wood-burnt hop roast embitters chewy mocha panorama.

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. On tap 2011, months of aging changed the profile, complexion, and complexity of this wonderfully vintaged ‘big beer.’ Tasting like a Mai Tai with its coconut-pineapple conflux, the newfound caramelized whiskey malting and candied apple sash truly sweetened the deal.

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 enlivens modest spicing.