Beer of the Weekend #187: Old Foghorn Barleywine Style Ale
The nightcap tonight is Old Foghorn Barleywine Style Ale, brewed by the Anchor Brewing Company of San Francisco, California.
Old Foghorn was one of the sample beers I drank at the Anchor brewery in San Francisco. I was a barley wine virgin and approached the eight-ounce offering with curious caution. (Wow. There is some bad symbolism going on in that sentence.) Though skeptical at first, I was very impressed by Old Foghorn and have often thought about giving it a proper tasting. Tonight is that night.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. The bottling code of “O9Q” on the back label was decrypted with information from the Anchor website: September 17, 2010.
Appearance: Straight pour into a becker glass. The presentation is beautiful. The color is a deep amber and three fingers of thick, off-white head developed and dissipated slowly, leaving foam stuck to the glass, a spotted lacing, and a ring around the edge.
Smell: The aroma makes it seem like there are two styles dueling for dominance. On one hand there are sweet caramel malts with hints of cocoa and toffee, and on the other hand there is the grapefruit citrus and pine of hops. It is about an even split between the two, but the malts gain a slight edge as the pint warms.
Taste: The mouthfeel is surprisingly thick and creamy, but the flavor is not as strong as the aroma. Caramel (both sweet and toasted) and toffee provide a nice malt backbone for pine spice and citrus bitterness. As the pint warms, hints of fruit esters start to emerge; I could not pin them down, but I suspected apple or banana. The alcohol is noticeable, but it in no way overpowers the other flavors.
Drinkability: A nice, tasty brew. Very good drinking.
Fun facts about Old Foghorn:
-Style: BA classifies it as an English Barleywine:
-Price: $2.99/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 50-55ºF.
-Alcohol content: Anchor gives an ABV range of 8-10 percent, and BA pegs the percentage at 8.8.
-Food pairings: BA recommends sharp cheeses (Blue, Cheddar), pungent cheeses (Gorgonzola, Limburger), and general “digestive.”
-Old Foghorn was first brewed in 1975 and first bottled in 1976. The first 12-ounce bottling was done in 2005.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
Old Foghorn was one of the sample beers I drank at the Anchor brewery in San Francisco. I was a barley wine virgin and approached the eight-ounce offering with curious caution. (Wow. There is some bad symbolism going on in that sentence.) Though skeptical at first, I was very impressed by Old Foghorn and have often thought about giving it a proper tasting. Tonight is that night.
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. The bottling code of “O9Q” on the back label was decrypted with information from the Anchor website: September 17, 2010.
Appearance: Straight pour into a becker glass. The presentation is beautiful. The color is a deep amber and three fingers of thick, off-white head developed and dissipated slowly, leaving foam stuck to the glass, a spotted lacing, and a ring around the edge.
Smell: The aroma makes it seem like there are two styles dueling for dominance. On one hand there are sweet caramel malts with hints of cocoa and toffee, and on the other hand there is the grapefruit citrus and pine of hops. It is about an even split between the two, but the malts gain a slight edge as the pint warms.
Taste: The mouthfeel is surprisingly thick and creamy, but the flavor is not as strong as the aroma. Caramel (both sweet and toasted) and toffee provide a nice malt backbone for pine spice and citrus bitterness. As the pint warms, hints of fruit esters start to emerge; I could not pin them down, but I suspected apple or banana. The alcohol is noticeable, but it in no way overpowers the other flavors.
Drinkability: A nice, tasty brew. Very good drinking.
Fun facts about Old Foghorn:
-Style: BA classifies it as an English Barleywine:
Despite its name, a Barleywine (or Barley Wine) is very much a beer, albeit a very strong and often intense beer! In fact, it's one of the strongest of the beer styles. Lively and fruity, sometimes sweet, sometimes bittersweet, but always alcoholic. A brew of this strength and complexity can be a challenge to the palate. Expect anything from an amber to dark brown colored beer, with aromas ranging from intense fruits to intense hops. Body is typically thick, alcohol will definitely be perceived, and flavors can range from dominant fruits to palate smacking, resiny hops.
English varieties are quite different from the American efforts, what sets them apart is usually the American versions are insanely hopped to make for a more bitter and hop flavored brew, typically using American high alpha oil hops. English version tend to be more rounded and balanced between malt and hops, with a slightly lower alcohol content, though this is not always the case.
Most Barleywines can be cellared for years and typically age like wine.
-Price: $2.99/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 50-55ºF.
-Alcohol content: Anchor gives an ABV range of 8-10 percent, and BA pegs the percentage at 8.8.
-Food pairings: BA recommends sharp cheeses (Blue, Cheddar), pungent cheeses (Gorgonzola, Limburger), and general “digestive.”
-Old Foghorn was first brewed in 1975 and first bottled in 1976. The first 12-ounce bottling was done in 2005.
The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.
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