Tag Archives: dark fruit

Cannon Fodder Barley Wine – Fort Garry Brewing Co

by Mike

From Winnipeg, Manitoba’s Fort Garry Brewing Co comes their “Cannon Fodder Barley Wine” brewed with smoked malt.  The beer pours a deep reddish colour with a brown head.  The aroma consists of mild smoke, roasted malts, caramel and dark fruits.  The flavour is of smoked malts, brown sugar, roasted malts, dark fruits, resin, bitterness, caramel and Belgian yeast.  The alcohol content comes in at 11% with an IBU of 60.  I am not a fan of smoked malts usually but this light smoke is great in this Barley Wine and if you can find it make sure to pick up a few bottles.

Commercial Description:  At a whopping 11% abv, cannon fodder barley wine is best enjoyed one sip at a time. Intense caramel sweetness and the use of smoked malt make for a nicely balanced strong ale. Fermented with Belgian yeast, there is a uniqueness and complexity not often found in traditional barley wines.

A.E. Cross Barley Wine Barrel Aged – Last Best Brewing & Distilling

by Mike

From Last Best Brewing & Distilling in Calgary Alberta comes their second ever bottled beer the “A.E. Cross Barley Wine Barrel Aged” the second of their Lineage Series.  This is a 2016 Vintage and has been cellared by the brewery itself until 2018.  The beer pours a deep orange brown colour with an off white head.  For the second release they split the beer into two versions one unoaked and then this one that was barrel aged for 10 Months in Alberta Rye Whiskey Barrels.  The aroma consists of mild oak, dark fruits, stone fruit, brown sugar, caramel, toffee and rye.  The flavour is of oak, dark fruits, cherry, toffee, caramel, grapefruit rind, honey, resin, rye spice, rye whiskey, bitterness and alcohol.  The alcohol content comes in at 11.8% with an IBU of 45.  This is a borderline American Barelywine and really enjoyable.  I hope they make more of this in the future.

Commercial Description:  With our 2nd lineage release, we pay homage to a prairie legend with our riff on a classic style. The Alfred Ernest Goss Barley Wine uses locally sourced barley wheat, and rye as a fitting tribute to the founder of Calgary Brewing & Malting and the embodiment of the Last Best West.  We split this release into two: one unoaked and one aged for 10 months in 100% Alberta rye whiskey barrels Layered with subtle, integrated oak and a developing rye spiciness, this beer is characterized by its sweet caramel and barley malt base alcohol warmth, hints of dark fruit and a touch of light malted wheat Serve it at cellar temperature and age for years to come.

Barrel Aged American Style Barley Wine – Main Street Brewing

by Mike

From Main Street Brewing in Vancouver comes their “Barrel Aged American Style Barley Wine” a Winter 2017 Vintage.  The beer pours a very murky brown colour with a white head.  The aroma consists of dark fruits, toffee, resin, sweetness and a floral finish.  The flavour is of roasted malts, caramel, toffee, chocolate, dark fruits, resin, earth, oak and bitterness.  The alcohol content comes in at 10.5% with an IBU of 80.  This Barely Wine seemed to be a bit of a hybrid style as the bitterness was to low to be an American Barley Wine.  It was not really what I was expecting but I did quite enjoy it none the less.

Legend Extra Old Ale – Bench Creek Brewing

by Mike

From Bench Creek Brewing out of very rural Alberta (Yellowhead Country) near Edson comes their “Legend Extra Old Ale”.  The beer stated to Enjoy after Dec 24, 2017.  The beer pours a reddish orange colour with an off white head.  The aroma consists of The aroma consists of dark fruits, toffee, caramel, floral hops and sweetness.  The flavour is of dark fruits, tropical fruits, vanilla, candy sugar, toffee, caramel, sweetness, bitterness with some minor alcohol notes.  The alcohol content comes in at 11.8% with an IBU of 45.  This is a tasty Old Ale and well made.  If you can find a bottle of this in Alberta make sure to pick it up!

Commercial Description:  It was believed a town like Legend, AB, would be around forever — until its sudden yet inevitable demise early last century. The last grain elevators came down decades later, nearly wiping out any and all remnants of the place. Visitors to the ghost town only rarely ask about the townspeople. Did they die with the town? The truth is lost to time but most choose to believe they packed up and left, attempting to preserve the best traits of the place, to savour the legacy, and moved on to bigger, and dare we say, better things.

Barley Wine (2017 Vintage) – Longwood Brewery

by Mike

From Nanaimo’s Longwood Brewery comes their “Barley Wine” a barrel aged beer from the 2017 Vintage.  The beer pours a deep chestnut colour with a brown head.  The aroma consists of roasted malts, dark fruits, brown sugar, vanilla and sweetness.  The flavour is of dark fruits, roasted malts, treacle, syrupy, brown sugar, sweetness, earth and some bitterness with some alcohol in the finish.  The alcohol content comes in at 11.5% with an IBU of 45.  This was an interesting English Barley Wine and I look forward to trying it again sooner than later.

Commercial Description:  Steeped in lore and tradition, this special annual brew can be enjoyed now or cellared to futher mature.  Mahogany brown with a vast shattering attack of malt, hints of raisin, vanilla and a bitter sweet chocolate finish.  This well aged ale (8 months in oak) is a great finish to any dining experience or simply by itself.  Best enjoyed at cellar temperature.