Locobeer American Barleywine is a 9.5% barleywine from Locobeer, based in Chiba. It was first released in 2013 as part of their first year anniversary in a limited batch of 234 bottles. Why 234? We’re yet to get an answer on that one. It has an IBU of 100+ and was aged for eight months in the tank before being aged for two months in the bottle for a total of ten months in aging. It is sold in bottles only though they are 750ml wine bottles so be sure to share this with someone. Or drink it by yourself if you’re greedy.
10% but doesn’t take anything close to it.
Locobeer American Barleywine Aroma and Taste
It was a drunken Christmas day that I decided to open this with Joe as I felt (slightly) guilty about drinking this barleywine in one sitting, no matter how good I heard Locobeer American Barleywine was. I was surprised that the bottle number I had got was so low, but at ¥2,571 a bottle, the price was pretty daunting.
The first thing I noticed about Locobeer American Barleywine was the lack of pungent booziness as some barleywines are known to have. There was a definite sweetness of plums, figs, and a rich caramel maltiness to it, but damnit, I wanted to smell the 10% alcohol and I wanted it to hit my olfactory senses. It poured out a deep orange-brown colour with no head whatsoever, but none was expected, as it’s a barleywine. Even when it had warmed up from the depths of the BeerTengoku beer cellar, the alcohol did become ever so slightly stronger but nowhere as potent as I would have thought.
The body of Locobeer American Barleywine was also softer than I thought it would be too for an American barleywine. I was hoping for brazen boldness with flavours destroying my taste buds but alas, while the plums, raisins, caramel flavours did come through, they were more soothing than taste-bud destroying. After a few glasses of this, I wasn’t expecting anything more besides those flavours and nothing came. The aftertaste was sweet with rich fruits and spice.
Locobeer American Barleywine One Line Review
I have to admit, I was disappointed with Locobeer American Barleywine. It may have been aged for ten months, but what happened to the flavours?
Where to Buy Locobeer American Barleywine
Locobeer American Barleywine can only be bought online at the Locobeer Webstore here.
