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I have absolutely loved the idea behind the 30th Anniversary series from Sierra Nevada.  Taking pioneers in the craft beer industry and having them collaborate on special brews is just awesome.  Especially coming from such a large scale craft brewery like Sierra Nevada.

Today I review the last in the 3 collaboration brews.  This is the black barley wine done with Jack McAuliffe.  He is considered on of the first micro brewers in the country by opening New Albion Brewery1976.  His drive was to make ales that were not commonly found here in the states and that is exactly what he did.  This was also the idea behind this particular brew for the collaboration.

So I popped the cork on this sucker and poured it into my Dogfish Head snifter glass.  It lays in the glass a pitch black color with a good sized tan head that sticks around for a good time.

I was surprised that the smell was not overly strong at all for a barley wine.  I get notes of roasted malts and caramel.

The taste provides even more roasted malts and sweet caramel.  There is very subtle hop flavor to give it some balance.  The alcohol can be warming as the beer itself warms up.

I was completely surprised by this beer.  It was a hop bomb like American style barley wines and wasn’t super malty like the English styles.  Instead it had a very nice roasted aroma and taste to it.  It made it taste sort of like a stout but the body was definitely that of a barley wine.

So far this has been my favorite of the series.  I’m definitely getting another bottle to lay down for a little while.  You absolutely must try this beer if you haven’t yet.

Grade - A

Appearance – Poured a reddish brown color with a nice sized white head that did leave some good lacing.

Smell – Quite malty with hints of caramel and dark fruit.  You get a bit of oak and a slight alcohol burn in the nose as well.

Taste – Malty nirvana.  So very sweet but in a malty sense.  You get some oak in the taste and the alcohol is present and just gets bigger as it warms up.

I had this one before and really enjoyed it but I didn’t get to review.  So I had to get another bottle so that I could review it.  I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this is my favorite barleywine out there right now.  I’m much more a fan of the English style with less emphasis on the hops than the American style so this is right up my alley.  And I imagine if I drank enough of this it would make me clinically insane.

Overall Grade – A

Appearance – Pours a very dark red color with a nice white head that leaves some lacing on the glass.

Smell – Dark fruit and malts with a bit of a boozey nose.

Taste – Dark fruit, sweet malts, caramel.  There is a slight bitterness from the hops but not a bomb like American Barley Wines.  The alcohol has a warming feeling to it and isn’t overboard.

I love the English style of Barley Wines.  Sweet malts and dark fruit flavors are just so delicious.  Most American style ones I feel like I’m just drinking straight up hops and barley.  This was a really good one and I enjoyed every bit of it.  I’m glad I still have another bottle.  Maybe I’ll save it for the future.

Overall Grade – A-