Olde Hickory Brewery
Irish Walker Barley-Wine Style Ale (2014)
English Barleywine
North Carolina
10.0%
22oz, Single
$8.29
Half a finger of solid brown foam, lots of larger bubbles interspersed which probably hurts retention some, lacing is nonexistent. Murky brown color with a yellow aura, a few tiny bubbles, looks like a very slow moving river. The nose is muscular without seeking to overpower, German chocolate cake, butterscotch, caramel, rum raisin ice cream, spiced oranges, scone, there's a smokiness to it which evokes charcoal or tar, plum and date fruit as well, overall it's more heady than boozy, no burn to it. Full-bodied while trim for its size, perhaps it has lost soft baby fat over the years. Caramelized brown sugar, toffee and toasted coconut introduce the fig, golden raisin, maraschino cherry fruit flavors, really not anywhere near cloyingly sweet. Scone and breakfast danish breadiness. The cocoa has enough roast to tease out coffee notes. Carbonation is weak, however, does not feel sluggish. That earthy, charcoal things appears mostly as aftertaste, lingering the most. Very good balance and complexity, hard to say how much of this was present on release. Eminently drinkable at a swift rate which is not always the case with these sorts of beers.
5 out of 5