Today I’m at Illinois Brewing Company here in Bloomington, IL. They let our homebrew club come in and brew a beer on their system for our club’s barrel project. I actually put together our Russian Imperial Stout recipe to brew on their system, so we can age it in a Buffalo Trace bourbon barrel. We had a great time brewing, despite a few hiccups, and went upstairs for a bit during the boil to grab a beer. Since it’s Sunday, they had discounted drafts, so I went for the barley wine.
Location: On tap and served in a regular pint glass at Illinois Brewing Company in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 8% ABV, Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It’s fairly clear and a rusty, dark copper color with a big, soapy, two-finger thick head with good retention and lacing. The aroma is a nice caramel maltiness with some hints of breadiness.
Taste & Feel: The body was medium – much lighter than I was expecting for a barleywine – and the mouthfeel was smooth, almost watery. The flavor up front was bready with sweet caramel maltiness dominating. The sweet caramel maltiness picked up its intensity a bit in the middle, followed by a slight bit of earthy bitterness in the finish. Although the bitterness was there, it was still overpowered by the malty sweetness. The finish was pretty clean and the caramel flavor lasted for a little bit in the aftertaste.
Food Pairing: This is a sweet, caramel malty beer, that I think would go nicely with a flavorful meal. I’d pair it with a thick, juicy brat, or a mushroom and swiss burger with caramelized onions, as I think the maltiness would go nicely with both.
Overall Impression: I liked the appearance and aroma of this beer, but was surprised at the lighter body when I took my first drink. Based on the body and sweetness of this beer (and what I saw at the brewery), I’m guessing it was fermented at a low temperature. Because of that, it was extremely lighter and drinkable, with a decent amount of residual sweetness, and no trace of alcohol fusals or warmth. Overall, it was a good malty beer, but it reminded me more of a strong Oktoberfest than a barleywine.
My Rating: 
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