I tried to find out who this “Old Bart” really was, but the only thing I could find was that he was “a free spirit who bent elbows with the best of ’em”, which is pretty cool, to be sure, but not quite informative enough. There feels like a story here, and one that is not related to Saint Bartholemew (who has his own fair share of wacky stories). Nevertheless, what we’ve got here is a by-the-books English barleywine:
Yards Olde Bartholomew – Pours a very striking, clear orange amber color with a finger of white head that leaves a bit of lacing as I drink (the clarity is surprising since the older blurbs about this beer indicate that it’s unfiltered, but this is so clear that this fact must have changed when the switched their bottling line to 750s). The aroma feels very English, lots of Euro hops, earthy, herbal, very spicy hops, with some malt sweetness peeking out too. Taste is very sweet, with those earthy, herbal, spicy hops providing the bulk of flavor, and some malt character peeking through with a clear bit of booze lasting through the finish too. Mouthfeel is tightly carbonated, smooth, heavy, a bit boozy. Overall, this is a solid beer, but it’s a bit simplistic for a a big, full 750. B
Beer Nerd Details: 10.3% ABV bottled (750 ml capped). Drank out of a snifter on 11/15/13.
Yards continues to be one of the local breweries I take for granted, but they do put out a fair amount of interesting stuff, so stay tuned. Maybe I’ll luck into a Barrel Aged version of this, which I feel could be a big improvement…
750 mL now? Wish they would have stuck with 12 oz. for this one! Also, I agree, a Barrel Aged version could make it a bit more interesting
I know, right? This is perhaps a rant best saved for another time, but I don’t get why breweries insist on putting their biggest, most alcoholic brews in only large bottles. Large formats are great for sharing and they look pretty, but when you get to big styles like barleywines, 12 oz (or 375 ml or even 500 ml) is plenty.
I think Lagunitas sucks will only be available in 32 oz bottles this year, or some such. Now, that’s not massive (7.8% or something like that), but at 32 ounces… jeeze!