Dogfish Head Craft Brewery: Olde School Barleywine (2017)

ABV: 15%

IBU: 85

Availability: Part of their “rarities” release series

@untappd says: 4.03/5

We’re going olde school on the Windowsill today!

Ever wonder just what exactly a barleywine is? Contrary to its name, it’s not a wine. Wine is made with fermented juice. Barleywine is made with fermented grain—typically barley—which makes it a beer…a very strong beer. They are typically anywhere from 8% to 12% ABV, although they can be more, as you’ll find out in a minute. It’s that high-alcohol content, which is similar to wine, that earned this ale its name. The style has been around in name since Ancient Greece (although with a different recipe), but today’s version of the style uses hops as a preservative. @anchorbrewing is credited with introducing the style to American audiences, which they did with their Old Foghorn in 1976. Drink it a little warmer than your typical beer to get all that good flavor!

The Olde School is a pretty unique barleywine from Delaware’s Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. It’s fermented using figs and dates. The recipe came from a an old English cellarman’s manual Dogfish’s founder Sam Calagione found that suggested adding dates and figs to casks to re-carbonate them. Calagione recommends aging this beer, to let the hops recede a bit and push those fruity flavors forward. I found this brew to be pretty delicious. Very sweet. Very fruity. Very strong! I just wish I’d bought more than one so I could age a bottle.

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