If you didn’t know it already, a barleywine isn’t a wine at all. Instead of being a grape-fermented drink, barleywine is a strong ale that is made from barley. They’re usually fairly high in alcohol (between 6%-12%) and loaded with malty sweetness, dried fruit flavors, caramel, and gentle spices. Not only are they great warming beers for the winter months, but they also cellar well for year-round sipping.
There are two mainstream types of barleywines these days — English and American. The English style is maltier and sweeter and is the originator of the style. It was called “barley wine” in that the alcohol content was often as high as wine but made with grains, so a beer. The American style (like with many of our craft beers) is known for its higher hop content for the most part. The latter is the style of barleywine we’re focusing on below.
It’s time to find some to drink. Keep scrolling to see eight of our favorite American barleywines ranked on overall seasonal aroma and flavor.
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8) Tampa Bay Moose Killer
ABV: 10%
Average Price: $13 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
You’re not likely to find any moose in Tampa Bay (or anywhere near there unless it’s at a zoo), but you can find a barleywine called Moose Killer. First brewed back in 1995, this winter classic is known for its mix of sweet malts and bold bright hops.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll find a ton of vanilla, toffee, dried fruits, and candied orange peel. The palate is centered around raisins, caramel candy, freshly baked bread, light spices, and a ton of floral piney hops. The finish is a nice mix of boozy sweetness and gentle bitterness.
Bottom Line:
This is a great barleywine for drinkers who prefer a little extra oomph when it comes to hops in their dark beers.
7) Sierra Nevada Bigfoot
ABV: 9.6%
Average Price: $15 for a six-pack
The Beer:
There are few American-made barleywines more well-known than Sierra Nevada Bigfoot. Available January through April, this iconic beer is brewed with Caramelized and Two-Row pale malt as well as ale yeast. It gets its classic hop presence from the addition of Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook hops.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is all raisins, dried cherries, candied orange peels, caramel, and pine needles. Sipping it reveals a complex palate of bready malts, sticky toffee pudding, orange peels, raisins, light spices, and piney, floral hops. The finish is lightly bitter, warming, and pleasantly boozy.
Bottom Line:
There’s a reason Sierra Nevada Bigfoot is so beloved, it’s a masterful barleywine and one you can get (almost) everywhere.
6) Real Ale Sisyphus
ABV: 10.5%
Average Price: $7 for a 22-ounce bottle
The Beer:
In Greek mythology, Sisyphus is doomed to push a rock up a hill only to have it fall back down for eternity. The beer made in his honor is quite a bit less tiresome. It gets its name thanks to how much work was put into its creation.
Tasting Notes:
Aromas of sweet caramel, candied orange peels, dried fruits, and light spices fill your nostrils before your first sip. The palate is filled with notes of toffee, licorice, orange peels, plum, vanilla, and gentle floral, piney hops. The finish is boozy, warming, and memorable.
Bottom Line:
This is a great take on the American barleywine style. It has a nice balance of sweetness and bitterness.
5) AleSmith Old Numbskull
ABV: 11%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
San Diego’s Alesmith is well-known for its IPA prowess. It should come as no surprise that it brewed a “West Coast Style” barleywine. While it carries the usual sweet caramel malt profile, this memorable brew is tempered by the addition of plenty of hop aroma and flavor.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a ton of bready malts, caramel, dried fruits, and a burst of pine needles on the nose. The interesting flavors continue on the palate where orchard fruits, caramel, vanilla, raisins, and pine take center stage.
Bottom Line:
While American barleywines are known for their hop presence, this is one for the true hop heads. If you enjoy IPAs and want to try a barleywine, make it this one.
4) Pure Project Forgotten Brilliance
ABV: 12.3%
Average Price: $15 for a 500ml bottle
The Beer:
This popular beer was crafted to bridge the gap between classic English-style barleywines and hoppy American barleywines. It’s brewed with Maris Otter and English Crystal malts as well as Cascade and Stra hops.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. There are aromas of candied orange peel, light herbal notes, almonds, caramel, dried fruits, and light pine. The palate continues this trend. There are flavors of almond cookies, orange zest, pepper, toffee candy, fresh bread, and dank pine. The finish is boozy, warming, and pleasantly bitter.
Bottom Line:
If you’re a fan of English-style barleywines and you want to give the American version a try, this is a great gateway beer.
3) 3 Floyds Pillar of the Beasts
ABV: 13.7%
Average Price: $16 for a four-pack
The Beer:
This isn’t your average barleywine. But 3 Floyds doesn’t do anything “average”. Pillar of the Beasts is a barrel-aged barleywine with a twist. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels for more than a year and flavored with in-house-made salted caramel.
Tasting Notes:
Breathing in the nose, you’ll be treated to aromas of sweet bourbon, oaky wood, vanilla beans, toffee, raisins, and lightly piney hops. Drinking it reveals notes of raisins, dried cherries, salted caramel, molasses, biscuit malts, oak, and floral, piney hops, The finish is lightly hoppy and ends with boozy warming whiskey.
Bottom Line:
This is one for the whiskey fans. It has everything American barleywine fans love, but it’s turned up to 11 by aging in bourbon barrels.
2) East End Gratitude
ABV: 11.5%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
This limited-edition barleywine from the folks at Pittsburgh’s East End Brewing Company is released each year to celebrate the brewery’s anniversary. It’s bottle-conditioned, making the beer in the can or bottle slightly different each year.
Tasting Notes:
Orange peels, toffee, raisins, caramel, vanilla, figs, and herbal, earthy hops abound on the nose. The palate is a symphony of butterscotch, raisins, candied orange peel, wintry spices, figs, and light piney hops. The finish is a nice combination of hop bitterness and malt sweetness.
Bottom Line:
As balanced flavors go, it’s difficult to beat the appeal of East End Gratitude. Everything is where it should be. We can see why this is an annual treat for brewery fans.
1) Fair State Zoomie Catcher
ABV: 10.2%
Average Price: $15 for a four-pack
The Beer:
When Fair State set out to make this beer, they wanted to pay tribute to the popular Pacific Northwest-made American barleywines by crafting a balanced beer that had all the sweet caramel malt flavor from its English cousins and the piney floral hops from the American version. They did just that.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is a decadent mix of vanilla, caramel candy, dried fruits, and floral hops. The palate continues this with a flavor profile of Werther’s original, brown sugar, gentle baking spices, raisins, dried cherries, vanilla beans, and a nice kick of floral, herbal hops at the very finish.
Bottom Line:
This is a sublimely balanced beer. You’ll have a hard time finding a better interpretation of the American barleywine style than Fair State’s Zoomie Catcher.
