Bell's Brewery - 2018 "Third Coast" barleywine

Avid readers will recall my various barleywine reviews over the years: offerings from Uinta, Southern Tier, numerous Stone variants. of course Sierra Nevada, and even local Atlas Brewing Co. have all been investigated. For those unfamiliar, barleywine (also spelled 'barley wine') is a type of strong ale originating in England that generally weighs in at 8% to 12% ABV. Barleywine is called such as it has close to the ABV of wine yet is made with grains like barley. There are two main kinds of barleywine: American and English. American barleywines are hoppier, more bitter, and lighter. English style is sweeter and darker. Both, I find, are rather delicious and generally have higher alcohol content than ordinary beers.

I want to say that the style is going strong, but it isn't. I've been seeing fewer and fewer barleywines on the market today, in part due to the death of the 22oz bottle format. There are a few, to be sure, but not like their used to be. So of course whenever I see one, I'm game to try. Today's is one of the only barleywines I've ever seen sold in 12oz six-packs; and is a 10.20% ABV "old ale" made by Comstock, MI-based Bell's Brewery. This one was made in 2018, and as you may recall, barleywine ages well, so now's a good time to see how it's progressing. 

It pours slowly, and generates a generous, uniquely-barleywine aroma...sort of a mix of booze, crackers, and caramel. It's medium-full bodied, with nice oak, and some apricot. The bitterness has melted away somewhat, quickly actually for a barleywine (in my experience, it usually takes 5+ years for the character to dissolve into a more malty, murky state.) 

Lovely and a good example of a barleywine that's prime for drinking. I constantly make the mistake of letting this age too long, so I think now's the time to finish this. Apropos of nothing - Each Peach Market in Mt. Pleasant has started carrying this, and I was able to snag a 2020 variant there as well.