Uinta Brewing Co. - "Anniversary" barleywine

I spotted this beer recently in a 4-pack at Irving Wines and Spirits and had to try it. As you know, I'm a big barleywine hound so I couldn't pass this up. Meet Salt Lake City's own "Anniversary" barleywine from Uinta Brewing Co., a company which makes the delicious "Baba" black lager as well as the "Biere de Mars" and "Ready Set Gose." Uinta's long been a favorite of mine and I was pleased see they made a barleywine, too.

It pours a deep brown, but appears in the glass a hazy brownish-red, capped with a clingy bone-colored head. So far so good!

It had a sharp aroma of malts and spices, which was great. The taste is actually different than I was expecting. It's less brassy and more coppery. Initially sweet, as the flavor develops it becomes darker and maltier, like a deep and strong red ale. This is in contrast to Stone's Old Guardian, which has that very brassy, tangy taste. However, in the end, there's a sweetness there, definitely reminiscent of the style.

But this is a great example of the scope and variety of barleywines on the market. I was curious as to how this might age; a call to Uinta proved helpful! They urged me to drink it fresh, as they had another barleywine which was bourbon-barrel aged and much more suitable for cellaring.