Due to the pandemic, my shop is no longer doing draft beer to go except for occasional pre-fills from kegs we already have. In clearing out our stock, we came across some pretty vintage beers which impressed even I: a sixtel (15.5gal) of Goose Island's 2014 Bourbon County stout; and two kegs of Dogfish Head's "Olde School" barleywines...one from 2009 and the other from the year 2000. Yes, Y2K. Twenty-one years ago.
These are the last of the kegs, and after these are gone, we're taking out the draft system. So only one thing to do - fire up our Gruber growler filler, load in some fresh jugs, and release the beer made when Bill Clinton was president.
I'm not going to review all three, but will spotlight the 2000-vintage: Pours lazily from the growler, with absolutely no head or carbonation, even when agitated.
Look at that deep, subtle, beautiful color. The tasteful hue.
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| "Oh my God, it even has a watermark." |
I'm really surprised. This is probably the best we could have hoped for - a malt bomb, thick as a cookie, all while still retaining some of the original flavors. It's definitely past its prime, make no mistake, but the win here is that it's not skunked or sour or stale. The alcohol sweetness that come with most barleywines are still present, yet muted, and the "core" barleywine flavors have rounded out to a smooth, soft, boozy brew. The texture is a bit off since there's no carbonation, but it's still recognizable as a barleywine. Very neat.
The rule typically is don't age beers, even the ones you're supposed to, beyond 5 years. We're just really lucky this one wasn't gunky, sour trash.
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