It might be a little late in the season for a barley wine. Barley wines invoke images of cold evenings curled up next to a crackling fire while reading Chaucer. In my demented world, barley wines are enjoyed while feeling the warmth of an overclocked GPU while playing online video games. Does pwning some person named Chaucerdude232 count? I digress. Last year this was my favourite beer. How could you not enjoy a pre-aged barley wine for only $7?

Legacy Ale = 8/10


I found this years version a little hot and syrupy. It was still quite nice, but it had big expectations placed upon it. The alcohol warmth and apricot sweetness became apparent as soon as I removed the cap. Sweetness was a major flavour of this barley wine; lots of peaches, apricots and marshmallow. The booziness and mild earthy hops tried their best to temper the syrup. Still, it was a tasty barley wine that is ready to drink now. I'm looking forward to seeing if the alcohol calms down in about six months.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 10.3%
Value +1
Appearance +1

Glassware: Chalice or tulip

Food Pairings: The dish would have to be big, rich and fatty. How about duck pate?  Desert might be nice. I'm thinking apricot upside down cake. As for a cheese, a blue would be bold enough to stand up to this warming beer. It might pair well with a quality feta; the salty feta would be a good contrast to this sweet beer.

Cellar: Might be worth the effort. The malts are pretty thin, but if the alcohol fades....

I feel that I have not given a local brewpub it's deserved share of attention. They have released, and collaborated on, a fair number of beers this year. Very few have been reviewed on this blog; time for some catch up.

Year One Red Wheat Wine = 9/10


As the name describes it, a wheat wine is a strong brew made with wheat malts. As a barley wine is a strong brew made with barley malts. Clay and crew went one step further and used three yeast strains to ferment on yellow birch. This brew is surprisingly drinkable for a double digit ABV fluid. The alcohol is warming but not hot. All over the mouth are tastes of dried fruit, pears, tannins, white grapes and pineapple. All this on a creamy blanket of wheat. My getting a growler fill of this beer was not one of my brightest accomplishments. Get a bottle or share the growler with friends. I have no friends, so the pleasure and privilege is mine.

Glassware: Choose a -small- tulip for this sample. I went for the stemmed tulip branded by Urthel. The only reason for this is that I really like this glass.

Food Pairings: Some sort of fatty white fish would be in order. Loads of alcohol to lift that fat right off the tongue. Perhaps poached red snapper with cranberry sauce would be in order. This beer could go nicely with Camembert.

Cellar: Nope. Lacks striking complexity for suitable maturation. Drink it fresh.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 Somewhere in the double digits
Value +1
Appearance +1 (Growlers of wheat wine are awesome - for only $16)

This was the first cask to be tapped at GCBF 2013 and was performed by none other than myself. Thank you Sara at the Parting Glass Blog for capturing this moment. I think Clay is whispering, "don't screw this up, everyone is watching." Luckily I did not; not bad for a first timer.


Berliner Heist =7/10

This is an arbitrary number based on a vague memory. I had mixed feelings about this beer. One side was impressed be the fresh tartness and surprising amount of flavour in a low ABV brew. The other felt cheated that we did not get a true all brett soured beer. The Heist was served correctly with a variety of sweetening syrups to counter the tart and sour flavours. But, dang it, the beer drinkers of Victoria were ready for a truly sessionable sour beer. Perhaps it was only this drinker that was ready. Regardless, I got a growler full and enjoyed every minute of it.
In the near future, Moon Under Water will be serving another obscure low ABV beer: the kvass. I was on hand to see lots of dark rye bread being tossed into the mash tun. The small batch sample was very tasty. Look for this one in the near future.

Dean, the head brewer at Lighthouse, once told me he would never brew a barley wine. Why would he say such a thing? Perhaps historically, the barley wine was a special release reserved for only close friends of the brewery. It also was the demonstration of a brewer's skill; a testament to brewing ability. Call it a brewers signature. It is not that the Lighthouse team, doesn't possess mad brewing skills. Perhaps it is that Dean is a perfectionist. If you don't believe me: check out his carbon fiber, single gear, bike with the beer growler holder. Anyways I am getting off topic and indulgent. Perhaps this is due to my previous review of Joe's insider beer guide to BC beers. This writer also has insider stuff.. Actually, I don't. This is due mainly to my laziness and reclusive behaviour. Whatever, I have a bottle of southern hemisphere barley wine and 1/2 bottle of Chimay 2011 Grande Reserve in me. Let the opinions fly.

NumbSkull Imperial IPA (Lighthouse) = 9/10



Honestly I drank most of this beer while doing my previous post, so I have nothing left to draw from. So let's review this beer as the fictitious Australian barley wine style. The aroma was all south of the equator. Rakau and Galaxy hops are demonstrative of this style. Addition of citra hops blended in well. These gave a striking tropical fruit and citrus nose. Yes, there are malts. These are simple with syrupy, bready, sherry and Mackintosh Toffee hints. The linger was long with equal part hop/malt intermingle. This was a surprisingly easy to drink barley wine, despite the 9.1% ABV disclaimer. Does it hit barley wine status, yup it does according to BJCP.  Watch for official release later this week. I scored my pre-release bottle from Hillside Liquor store. Thanks again.

Oh crap the Cicerones will need their info too.

Food Pairings: Braised tofu with a caramelized onion and miso reduction. Cheese options are aged Gouda or old cheddar. Wild game or duck poutine are other options for Captain Poutine aka. Noah's Ark palate.  Other options would be dishes with spiciness or savory sweetness. Think Indian, Jamaican or Ethiopian cuisine. You could also end with a creme brulee or a fruit flan with signigiant spicy fruit toppings. 

Glassware options: Choose a wide brimmed glass like a tulip or chalice. A tulip would be a wise choice as the aromas are pronounced yet head retention in slight. If not available, look for a modified tulip. OMG that sounded beer geek pompous. Scratch that: craft beer appreciation is serious business.

Cellar Potential: Not really. There was no dominate flavours that needed to mellow. Enjoy promptly.

Taste +4
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 9.1% ABV
Value +1 Buy it
Appearance +1 a reasonable description of beer flavour would be nice. But the local artwork is fun, despite the Comic Sans font on the label.

Andrew at Swan's was a little late this year with his barley wine release. It was with good reason; the Legacy Ale was aging in a tank for eight months. Patience pays off.

Legacy Ale (Swan's) = 10/10

Barley wines in Victoria range from painful to bland; this one falls perfectly in the middle. There is enough sherry, sweet raisins, dark fruits and earthy hops to make your nose happy. The body is assertive, yet sippable and creamy without being overly warming. Each sip is complex enough to appeal to everyone. The first time barley wine drinker will enjoy the warming alcohol attack with dark fruits, raisins and hints of chocolate. The beer geek will love oxidation gone right with sherry notes and challenging earthy and herbal hops. Everyone's palate will be pleased by the long finish of syrupy raisins and warm sherry. There is enough complexity that cellaring will improve flavours. Do not delay, this is a very limited release.

Taste +5
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 9.5%
Value +1
Appearance +1 (Just bonus points to get up to 10 points)

So I made it my mission to try every Victoria release this year. This was not an easy task; it was a great year for Victoria's beer geeks. Some releases I never bothered blogging, most of them I tweeted or Untappd. This is the case with Phillips Instigator 2012, not worth mentioning. The only thing worse you can spend $8 on is a parking ticket.
Now we come to the Trainwreck. I remember the days when a pre-2010 Phillips barley wine was something to look forward to. The same can be said for the Instigator and the Double Dragon. What I wouldn't give for a 2008 Double Dragon! 2011 was the year I started skipping Phillips regular seasonals. Even the freeze distilled 2011 barley wine (Mass Extinction) was tasteless. This years edition was aged in bourbon barrels. So what does the #yyj beer geek think.

Trainwreck Barrel Aged Barley Wine 2012 = 7/10

I can already hear the shouts of "WTF are you talking about?" Hear me out. This is a very approachable barley wine. The nose is calm with sweet vanilla and caramel. Maybe there is a bit of cheap Alberta vodka and nailpolish in the nose - but we are not going to mention that. People will be drinking this cold. The body is not insinuatingly bold nor painful to ingest. Perhaps I am alluding to another local barley wine that is not for the faint of heart. Every sip exhibits a nice barrel aged blot. Sweet vanilla, bourbon, rum and wood chips is what you will get. This ravels nicely with the caramel malts and earthy hops. Yes, it is a tad thin and overly boozy (especially at room temperature). Not everyone has the patience to sit on a bottle of barley wine for a year until it is ready to drink. This facts becomes painfully apparent as I stare at a bottle of Mill St. barley wine and ponder, "When?" It reminds me of an Innis and Gunn turned up to 11; or else with a depth charge of Grey Goose. Cellarable? Not likely, the alcohols are not fusel and all ethyl. In some communities you must build. Perhaps after tasting this barley wine; people next year will branch out and try others. I think the only ones who buy OCD are myself and my beer prick friends. You always find old vintages of OCD mysterious appearing at cold beer and wine stores. 

Perhaps this review was influenced by recent events; last week I interviewed Matt Phillips. Albeit was for only 3 minutes and 12 seconds. But the man I met was passionate about craft beer and knowledgeable about flavour and taste sensations. I was very furtive and never mentioned who I was. We chatted and I asked stupid, opened ended questions. He gave vague but intelligent answers.  It changed by perception of Phillips. It makes me wonder if the vision in his mind hits the bottles on the shelf. Who knows? Whenever I see a bottle of Analogue 78 on the shelf, I must remind myself: people are drinking local, craft beer. 

Taste +3
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1
Value +1
Appearance +1 Lots of big people love the label also.

Blasts from the past:
OCD 2009
Old Fat Cat Barley Wine 2009
2010 Battle of Victoria's Barley Wines

Old Boardhead = 8/10
Ratebeer 3.8 99th  percentile
Beer Advocate 87%

This glass emitted a fear inducing odour of alcohol soaked cherries, earth and wood. These scents can either be from a fresh grave or a barley wine; luckily it was the latter. Thin alcoholic malts gave more warmth than expected. The real shock came from copious amounts of caramel, brandy, minerals and earthly, resinous hops. Flavours still resonated long after the glass was empty.


Taste +4
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 9%
Value +1
Appearance 0

Other barley wine reviews
GreenFlash Barley Wine
Old Bad Cat (Fat Cat)
Battle of the Victoria Barley Wines 2010

This is an ice barley wine. I have never heard of this style of beer. There are ice bocks (ie. eisbocks) and yours truly once brewed an eisdunkle. Everyone's favourite Hermannator is an eisbock. To brew an eis-anything you take the finished beer, freeze it and use the unfrozen liquid. The fancy term is called freeze distillation. When you freeze the beer, only the water forms into ice. The remaining liquid is higher in alcohol - and usually - higher in flavour.
I have a few reservations about this beer. The first is that it is only 12%ABV. A barley wine runs about 10-12 ABV% already. Old Cellar Dweller is 12% ABV and Phillips Trainwreck is 10% ABV. If it was freeze distilled three times - as the label claims - where is the big jump in ABV? Everyone's favourite gimmicky brewers - BrewDog -have done frozen beers before. The Tactical Nuclear Penguin was frozen twice? and it hit 32% ABV. Sink the Bismark was frozen four times and it hit 41%ABV. So why did a thrice frozen beer increase so little in ABV?
The second reservation is a minor one. It comes in a twist off bottle? Not very suitable for aging.


Mass Extinction (Phillips) = 3/10

Admittedly I started drinking this beer a little too cold. It smelled faint of jet fuel, dark fruit and rum. The sip started off with an alcohol and bitter hop burn. This then morphed into an overtly sweet mix of caramel, fruit rum pot and Nin Jiom cough syrup. It reminded me of a watered down Swedish bitters. Yes, I used a wee dram of Swedish bitter for comparison. At the end of the sip you were left with a long burning of alcohol, rum sweetness and herbal hop bitterness. It was very hard to discern any distinguishable flavours. The flavours changed once the beer warmed up and vented off some of the alcohol vapours. More tastes of caramel, citrus, herbs and molasses could be noticed. Would I recommend this beer to a casual-beer drinking friend - no. I might suggest it to the beer geek who has tried everything

Taste +0
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 12%
Value 0
Appearance +1 (fun label and good description of the beer)

Other frozen beer reviews

Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock (Dang this beer is good)
Yankee Jim Ice Bock (I hope Yankee Jim gets hit by a bus)
Hermannator (A local and Canadian favourite)

Every year Victoria beer lovers await the yearly arrival of the barley wines. This year Phillips released "Trainwreck" aka "Burley" aka "Deadhead"; Driftwood always calls their release the "Old Cellar Dweller". There are two recognized styles of barley wines: American and English. They are very similar but American styles are more hop forward and favour PNW hop varieties.

Trainwreck 2010 = 5/10

Ratebeer
Beer Advocate A

This was the first one sampled. The nose was as expected: fruity with light caramel and sherry tones. Ouch! This brew was full of the booze; it burned at the start and went all the way to my navel. Along the way caramel, figs, cherries and pineapple tastes were deposited all over. The flavours didn't last long, it faded into a sherry-like alcohol snap at the end. There was maybe a small splatter of earthy hops, but not much. This might be considered an English Style? It just seemed a little milder in flavour than last year.

Taste +2
Aftertaste +1
Alcohol Content +1 10%
Value 0
Appearance +1 (nice artwork on label)

Driftwood Old Cellar Dweller = 11/10

Ratebeer 3.9 96th percentile
Beer Advocate A-


We opened this one at the half way point of the Trainwreck; we are thankful to have sampled this one second. The nose was massive with hops: sweet citrus, pineapple and tangerines. Malt aroma was not diminished at all; lots of licorice, caramel, figs and everything! Ouch! Every sip was hop smack (tangerines, pomelo and pineapple) with collateral malt damage (licorice, sherry and toffee). At the end a long warming of sherry will surely draw a smile on every beer geeks face. Oddly the massive alcohol content was only tingling and not burning.

Taste +6/5 (whatever it's my blog)
Aftertaste +2
Alcohol Content +1 11.8% (ya right, wink wink)
Value +1
Appearance +1 (the label is a little creepy, but this can be overlooked)

The clear winner is the Cellar Dweller. The Trainwreck just seemed thin and tired in comparison. Looking forward to see how the Dweller will age in my beer cellar.

The nice man from Deschutes came and spoke to the local CAMRA group. He was nice and spoke very well, but most of us were there for the beer.

Taste +4

The nose was oddly faint, but the taste made up for it. It was very vineous with dark fruits. The mouthfeel was acidic and slightly astringent, but oddly smooth and silky. Alcohol prominence gave warmth and not a burn. There was a bit of earthy and herbal hops.

Aftertaste +2

The mouth puckering and slight astringency only made you crave more. The long lingering herbal hops and alcohol warmth only compounded the problem.

Alcohol ? +1

It was strong but I do not know how strong. The regular bottles are 6.7%

Value +1

Sigh, casks are great until you realize that this beer with never be the same again.

Ingame Enhancement +1

It doesn't get much better than this: good friends, good beer and free beer.

Overall 9/10

It only makes me want to try the bottled Jubelale

Big Foot Ale 2010

I have heard good things about this big ale. Most of it mentions successes with aging.

Ratebeer 3.89 99th percentile
Beer Advocate A-

Taste +3

The nose was light with citrus but mostly a wallop of pine and resinous hops. A touch of fruitiness and alcohol could also be noted. The mouthfeel was medium to full with low carbonation and a pronounced alcohol tingle/burn. Throughout your sip was the unrelenting hops, similar to the nose. Some light fruits (peaches and apricots) managed to sneak through. It is quite a bitter brew.

Aftertaste +2

This could easily be a -2 if your palate is not favourable to big, bitter beers. It was long, dry and astringent. The dominant flavours were resinous hops and alcohol.

Alcohol Content +1 9.6%

There was no hiding it anywhere.

Value 0

I can see this beer benefiting from ageing. It was a little harsh when fresh.

Ingame Enhancement 0

Still in Seattle, I wish I had bought 2 bottles. The other could have been saved for aging.

Overall 6/10

If you like a strong, hoppy and boozy brew grab one of these. If you have the patience, but a couple aside for a few years.

Legacy Ale (Swans)

Old Cellar Dweller
Green Flash Barleywine

Phillips Dead Head Barley Wine 2009

Ratebeer 3.8/5 4 ratings

Taste +3

The nose is very malty with raisins, plums and alcohol. The taste is no different. It is tart and gives a vicious coating of dark fruit, demerara sugar with an alcohol burn. That pretty much was it.

Aftertaste +2

The glycerin-like coating with composting fruit and bruised prunes lasted well in the night.

Alcohol Content +1 10%

Yup, its presence is everywhere.

Value 0

Luckily this was gift. It was nice, but I could think of other better, local barley wines.

Ingame Enhancement 0

Just had some friends over for drinks. My buddy Gord bought me the 'Rate that beer' sheets from Knock Knock. They are pretty cool.

Overall 5/10

It is a barley wine for sure. Lots of alcohol, fruity malts and thick flavours. This one just seemed a little average.

Old Cellar Dwellar 2008
Green Flash Barley Wine
Legacy Ale (Swan's)

Old Fat Cat Barley Wine
Fat Cat Brewery Nanaimo

Ratebeer 3.66 93rd percentile
Beer Advocate A-

Taste +3

The nose was very boozy with light sherry hints, vanilla and lots of caramel malt. It has an oddly smooth taste for a big beer. Lots of caramel malt, apricot brandy and vanilla filled all the spaces between my teeth. But there was still more; resinous/piney hops and raisins.

Aftertaste +2

The afterkick was long and syrupy sweet with an apricot tartness.

Alcohol Content +1 11.5%

Oddly not present in the taste.

Value 0

It was not but not worth a repeat purchase. I might get next years edition.

Ingame Enhancement +1

After a bomber of this there is no pain. It does not do well for your score though.

Overall 7/10

It was nice to get a big barley wine that had a bit of hops to it.

Old Cellar Dweller Barley
Green Flash Barley Wine
Legacy Ale

Legacy Ale (Swan's)

Ratebeer 3.57 79th percentile
Beer Advocate A-
Taste +4

The nose is very slight for a brew of this alcohol strength, maybe it was a little too cold. Just the slightest of fermented prunes, raisins and caramel escaped the tulip glass. Oddly it had a medium mouthfeel, but oh the flavours. Everywhere were tart alcohol soaked raisins, dark fruits, caramel and that wonderful alcohol warmth. The tastes only intensified as the fluid temperature increased. After warming up, additional aroma of vanilla and wood appeared.

Aftertaste +2

There was quite a long mouth coating of alcohol soaked fruits.

Alcohol Content +1 10%

I'm sure glad this come in a 330ml bottle and not a bomber.
Value +1

This was a limited edition, I wish it was available everyday.

Ingame Enhancement +1

After sampling a great beer, even folding laundry feels like fun.
Overall 9/10 BOOM SHIFTY HEADHSOT

This is a great beer and a great tribute to Michael Williams. Michael Williams was a Victoria businessman and heritage developer, who is remembered for his revitalizing various areas of downtown Victoria. Mr Williams passed away in November 2000 and donated his properties, house and vast art collection to the University of Victoria.

Old Cellar Dweller Barley Wine
Phillips Burley Wine

Green Flash Barleywine

Ratebeer 3.7 94th percentile
Beer Advocate B+

Taste +4

This brew pours with the deepest ruby and a thin head the colour of a latte. Even before your nose gets close, you can pick out citrus hops, caramel/toffee and alcohol. It was very sweet on the toffee, fruit and caramel side, which is expected for a barley wine. The unexpected side was the huge hop bitterness and tartness at the end.

Aftertaste +2

After all the surprises were over, the palate was left with a full mouth creamy pine and grapefruit hop resin. This combined with the heavy visceral sweetness makes one unique brew.

Alcohol Content +1 10%

Yup, after one things are freakin wonderful.

Value +1

I will certainly get this one again.

Ingame Enhancement +1

Nothing is better than a night of L4D with Shifty from the Shire. We let him go first and hold the propane tank.
Overall 9/10

Good brew, enough said. If you like'm strong, sweet and tart this is the one.

Meterman: So it nearing our 100th beer review, do you have anything special planed?
Flavius: Yes, we plan to drink the three cheapest beers in the BC Liquor store.
M: Lovely. Do I have to attend?
F: You might want to; as a reward I bought a bottle of Ola Dubh 16 yr.
M: Merciful lover of the palate; beer aged in Highland Park 16yr Whiskey Casks. I will be there!
F: Great I got a top secret zombie movie for the occasion; it has a love scene.
M: Groan. Can I have the Ola Dubh before the movie?
F: Nope, after.

Old Cellar Dweller Barley Wine (Driftwood)

Ratebeer 4.2 not enough votes for percentile
Beer Advocate B+

Taste +3

Ouch this beer will undoubtedly punish the liver; the nose is alcoholic and phenolic. The first swig fills the mouth with a full fruit spiciness. It tastes a little like mulled wine, but with added malt.

Aftertaste +2

You cannot shake the full mouth flavours of mulled wine, cloves and the alcohol sting.

Alcohol Content +1 12%

I think this is a new record for alcohol content.

Value 0

This malt beverage was not cheap; about $11 for a 650ml bomber. I would most likely get two difference bombers for the same price next time.

Ingame Enhancement +1

I know L4D was played this night; but the memories are a little foggy. There is a clear recollection about Nightware yelling at me to watch my friendly fire. I think he swore too.

Overall 7/10

This was an interesting beer. If you like'em strong and fruity; this is the one for you. Get them before they sell out.