Robin Shepard
Delta Beer Lab will celebrate its first anniversary this coming weekend with three days of special releases. A bold, strong barrel-aged barleywine shows how far Delta has come.
What is it? Barleywine BW.01 from Delta Beer Lab of Madison.
Style: Barleywines are full-bodied beers with copper to deep bronze color. They often border on having wine-like strength and top 10% ABV. English versions of the style emphasize malty sweetness, while American versions are usually hoppier. Delta Beer Lab’s take on the style with its BW.01 falls more to the English side of the style, mainly because it’s only modestly bittered with Nugget hops, and its flavor focuses on a huge malt bill.
Background: This rich and very strong dark ale is not only Delta’s first barleywine, it is also the brewery’s first true barrel-aged beer. Delta started experimenting with oak-slatted squarrels last summer and from there it soon ventured into full-fledged barrel aging. This barleywine was aged in J. Henry and Sons oak barrels for five months. Brewery owner Tim “Pio” Piotrowski and his brewer Barrett Lione-Seaton went to the distillery and personally selected the barrels that were still wet with bourbon.
Delta’s barleywine also heralds more barrel-aged products from the brewery. Also on tap right now is a bourbon barrel-aged double IPA brewed last April, then re-fermented using champagne yeast to push its ABV up to 15 percent. It’s available in the taproom alongside the same base beer that wasn’t barrel-aged. Pio also hints that his barrel aging program will in the future include sours. “Barrels are a way to emphasize different styles and add character,” he says. “It shows skill in recipe development and managing the process of brewing.”
Delta’s first take on a barleywine is big, even among barleywines. It finishes at 15 percent ABV and is full of alcohol warmth. It’s made with a double mashing process that takes the most concentrated wort from two separate brews. Nearly 3,000 pounds of malt went into just 150 gallons of beer, two to three times the amount of malt used in many dark ales. By design this barleywine showcases intense malt complexity and high alcohol.
Barleywines have been a fascination for Pio throughout his brewing career. His take on the style was inspired by one he made while working at the Freehouse in Minneapolis which won a silver medal at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival.
Delta’s barleywine sells for $8/10-ounce glass, and in two-packs of 16-ounce cans for $20. It goes on tap beginning Friday as Delta’s anniversary weekend runs through Sunday. Delta is selling advance tickets to the event which will include two beers and a souvenir glass.
Tasting notes:
- Aroma: Spicy sweet maltiness and a hint of barrel oakiness. There are also notes of dark fruits with accents of plums, raspberries and raisins.
- Appearance: Brilliant bronze body with ruby highlights. A bubbly tan head.
- Texture: Full-bodied and very warm from start to finish. There is some heat from the alcohol.
- Taste: A very warm and complex maltiness with assertive caramel sweetness. There’s strong alcohol character that adds to the spicy warmth of the bourbon and oak. The dark fruity sweetness blends nicely, adding to the depth of flavors.
- Finish/Aftertaste: Rich, warm, earthy maltiness, with a slight roastedness. The alcohol warmth and notes of bourbon linger.
Glassware: Delta Beer Lab serves this beer in a snifter, which is ideal for appreciating its malt and oak complexity.
Pairs well with: It’s great all on its own.
The Verdict: This is a big barleywine, its strength clear from the first sip.
Let it warm in the glass, to soften some of its sharp spicy qualities. Swirl it slowly to allow it to lose its head and some of its carbonation and softer notes of oak and sweet dark fruits emerge. This could be too intense for some drinkers, yet it will tempt those who love the style and especially those who look for bold, strong beers. I like that it has a complexity and warmth reminiscent of red wine or sherry.
