Incredible 15% alcohol wallop, sweet sticky Scotch malt kick, and peach brandy warmth provide unmistakable complexity for fig-fermented barleywine. Cereal grains enhance lingered caramel-butterscotch permanence as seductively juicy mandarin orange, red grape, black cherry, and mango medley overlay earthy evergreen dryness and roasted nut bottom. On tap, tangy grapefruit bitterness and candied sugar splendor detected.

Limited edition 11% alcohol ruffian with dense rust hue perfectly matches Scotch-malted cognac sweetness to oncoming port succulent. Sticky prune thickness goes way beyond grain-defined “harvest” barleywine tag. Busy moonshine finish elevates creamy butterscotch, chocolate, and brown sugar influence.

Not-so ‘vigorously-hopped’ limited edition ’07 barleywine hides 9.8% alcohol thrust behind pleasing sweet Scotch frontage, IPA-like hop-embittered quince-apricot-cherry center, and syrupy malt usurpation. Candy apple glaze secures imminent floral-citric tang. Though thin-bodied, very approachable for lighter thirsts.

Rich yeast-sinewed 10% alcohol monster gathering dark-spiced prune, raisin, and bruised cherry ripeness for warming cognac-burgundy finish. Sweet whiskey resolve deepens over time.

Unbeatable barleywine-styled eisbock injects boisterous 11% alcohol swoon into chewy molasses malting, creamy butterscotch sideswipe, orange-bruised stewed prune ripeness, dark rum whir and endless fruited compote adjuncts. A virtual godsend for hard-core drinkers, its hefty port-sherry influence, chocolate-covered cherry quip and hard-candied medicinal spell receive desirous Cognac warmth. There’s even a hint of Southern Comfort. Truly phenomenal.

Stubborn 11.5% alcohol invades 9.3-ounce bottle of marvelous reddish amber Calvados cask barleywine. Deep whiskey malt thickness and succinct bruised orange follow-up provide creamy cognac assertion to candied medicinal finish.

Weak barleywine-styled celebrator needs better dimension, resonance, warmth, and bourbon-burgundy boozing to compete favorably in exulted class. Tangy cherry, quince, apricot, and pear murk overlays brown chocolate malting, but red-fruited nature dries up prematurely.

Thickly syrupy alcohol-soaked ruby brown barleywine scatters prune-fig-raisin thicket atop deep molasses bottom, picking up milk chocolate and dry cocoa notes to rum-spiced finish. Tangy black cherry, grape, and melon core usurps burnt sugar center as toasted hop bittering surges.

Uncompromising 11.5% alcohol-laden aged barleywine retains luscious creamy richness and chewy butterscotch center culminating sweet bourbon warmth. Thickest syrupy Scotch malting coats floral honeysuckle-dandelion dalliance and candy-sugared medicinal nuance bracing bruised cherry, ripe raisin, curacao orange, and purple grape illusions, gaining fulsome aggressive prominence to everlasting liqueur finish. Luxuriant slow sipping masterpiece provides awesome buzz.

Acrid ruby-hued, chestnut-highlighted British barleywine replete with dewy peat dankness, earthen minerality and leafy hops differs substantially from fruitier American versions. Chocolate-nosed cereal graining and resinous pine bittering drop off precipitously to off-dry cherry-grapefruit-orange souring. Inconspicuous light-bodied nature lessens effectiveness. More complete 2012 version retained milder seduction as pliable walnut-pecan husk seeped deeper into subsidiary apple-fig-grape desiccation.

Prominent black cherry frontage shelters bittersweet black chocolate surge of delectable full-bodied barleywine. Dry port midst recedes to acetous burgundy finish. Delicate mineral water current never impedes robustness.