Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. - "Jack & Ken's Sierra Thirtieth Anniversary" black barleywine ale

Today's beer is something truly special - a 2010-vintage black barleywine ale that I've been cellaring for four years. It's Sierra Nevada's 30th anniversary black barleywine. Originally weighing in at 10.2% ABV, this beer is probably closer to 13% now, having cellared and fermented for four years.

This beer was brewed in 2010 to celebrate Sierra Nevada's 30th anniversary. According to the label, it's brewed in collaboration with Jack McAuliffe and New Albion Brewery, based in Sonoma, CA. It's a barleywine, which as noted last May, is a kind of ale originating in England and possessing a higher-than-usual gravity. Today's beer is a "black barleywine," which like a black lager, just means that the beer is darker (but not necessarily heavier) and takes some bitterness from hops, not burnt or toasted malts.

The beer is a deep brown, almost black, with a root beer-colored pour. The nose is of chocolate and roasted malts, but with an edge of sweetness.

The taste was surprising - very smooth and sweet, close to Uinta's "Baba" black lager - but much stronger. The beer has a faint chocolate taste, coupled with warm, deep malts and strong hops flavors. It's very milky with no carbonation tastes at all and no suggestion of its higher-than-usual alcohol content. The finish is one of strong toffee and wheat flavors, capped by a smooth and deep aftertaste that lingers. Throughout the entire experience, this beer has been milky smooth with no hint of bitterness or any objectionable flavors. It's pure and perfect from start to finish.

I suspect this beer has mellowed significantly in the four years I've had it. My brother Dan, with whom I sampled today's beer, totally agrees. He bought one in California when it had just been released, and remarks that the taste of today's beer is much mellower than when he tried it new in 2010.

So the aging time has certainly polished the flavors and made the beer smooth and deep, and definitely a pleasure to drink. Buying beer such as this and laying it down to age for some time can pay dividends, for sure - in this case, it's turned a delicious beer into an amazing, milky masterpiece. Unfortunately, you'll likely never find this beer, given that it was only brewed once in 2010. A specialty beer shop, such as Seattle's Bottlewerks, may have such a beer, but I suspect it would cost you double or triple what I paid for it. As for me, I'm glad I saved it until now. It was great!