This year we changed the format for our Barleywine show to focus on a vertical of a classic beer. It is primarily a video edition, but we have extracted the audio for our podcast feed.
The Brit was able to source 4 variants of the classic J. W. Lee’s Harvest Ale from one of his favorite watering holes, Broken Brix Fermentation Emporium in St. Charles, IL. To share in the tasting he invited his co-hosts and some guest brewers to sample them, both at the Pub and in their breweries.
All of these beers are matured in a variety of casks – sherry, calvados, port, and Lagavulin whisky. On hand to help The Brit are co-host Ken McMullen, head brewer at Hopvine Brewing, Steve Newman and Sam Altaner from Brother Chimp Brewing, and co-host Chuck Fort, and head brewer Sean Gregor from Church Street Brewing. Oh, and a cameo from Mike Seaman of Broken Brix, and the Brother Chimp guys insisted we taste and compare their barrel-aged version of Samson barleywine, so they snuck in that ‘bonus’ beer!
What are the panel’s opinions on the brews? Do the beer they stand up to the ‘historical’ hype? Are they ‘treat’ beers that are worth seeking out? Tune in and find out!
Beers Sampled:
- J. W. Lees Brewers, Harvest Ale, Barleywine, 11.5% ABV
- Harvest Ale – 2017 – Matured in Sherry Casks
- Harvest Ale – 2017 – Matured in Calvados Casks
- Harvest Ale – 2015 – Matured in Lagavulin Whisky Casks
- Harvest Ale – 2017 – Matured in Port Casks
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