In the world of craft beer, Barley’s Brewing is a through line that runs from the present day all the way back to the days when you could count the number of Ohio craft breweries on your fingers. This coming Friday (November 8, 2024) they celebrate 32 years in the business with one of my favorite events of the year, the Barley’s Christmas Ale tapping, In addition to the much anticipated tapping of their Christmas Ale, this year’s festivities will feature music from local legends Funky Brewster and the release of a special barleywine to celebrate 2500 batches of beer brewed at the venerable downtown brewpub.
The Barley’s Christmas Ale is one of the progenitors of the Midwest Winter Warmer style (click here if you are interested in my attempt to track down the origins of this ubiquitous style), and unlike its better-known Cleveland counterpart it’s still a small batch beer at Barley’s. If you want to go even deeper on seasonal Christmas beers you can head over to Episode 23 of the All Things Beer podcast when Barley’s brewmaster Angelo Signorino joined us to talk about the origins of the Barley’s Christmas Ale.
While I always look forward to a few pints of the Christmas ale, my excitement level shifts into high gear at the chance to try the Batch #2500 Barleywine. I know from past experience that Angelo cooks up an excellent barleywine, and I’m sure this special batch will be up to the task of taking the chill off of the cold winter nights that are presumably going to come at some point. Angelo shared these details of the beer with me.
A depth of ruby brown color from floor malted British Maris Otter, Dark Crystal, and Dutch Biscuit malts foretells rich, complex, toast, toffee, and dried fruit flavors. A bounty of British East Kent Golding and Fuggle hops, with a judicious supplement of New Zealand Pacifica hops compliment the malts to give perfumy aromas of dates, prunes, floral tea, and a hint of marmalade. This warming 9.1% ABV Barleywine is meant to be enjoyed in moderation.
To get in the mood for the malt decadence of a barleywine, I would recommend another new beer that is pouring down at Barley’s right now, the Necataron New Zealand ESB. This beer marries the classic malt profile of an English Strong Bitter (think toasty bread drizzled with caramel from the use of floor malted Maris Otter and amber crystal malts) with the tropical juiciness of New Zealand hops. Nectaron hops are a newish Southern Hemisphere hop that radiate intense juicy tropical flavors that lean toward pineapple and passionfruit, with accents of peach and grapefruit in the background. Last year I was fortunate enough to spend 10 days traveling around New Zealand’s south island and during that time I ran into a few beers like this that married old and new traditions. When everything comes together they are a delicious hybrid not to be missed. Yet another reason to make a pilgrimage down to Barley’s this coming Friday.
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