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| This year's OMG from the BeerBazaar Brewery is a Barrel-Aged Barley Wine, sweet with flavors of caramel, vanilla, dried fruits, wood and whisky. |
On one end of the beer spectrum – the intense and strong end – stands Barley Wine. This is one of the most extreme beer styles. Its name probably comes from the fact that the alcohol levels reach those of wine, 8%-13%.
Every winter for the past seven, the BeerBazaar Brewery in Kiryat Gat has been issuing a new OMG. Each one has been a different style of barrel-aged beer. Past OMGs have included Baltic Porter, Imperial Stout, Doublebock and English Strong Ale. This year it was Barley Wine.
As is my wont, let's look at a little history first. Barley wine originated in England in the 19th century, but around a century later, American brewers introduced their own version of this powerful style. Whereas English barley wines tend to be malt forward with very little hop flavors, the American versions are heavily hopped, giving them all sorts of fruity and spicy flavors, and increased bitterness.
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| The 2023 OMG Barrel-Aged Barley Wine from the BeerBazaar Brewery in Kiryat Gat: Bottles and sets can be ordered from the online store on the BeerBazaar website (Hebrew only). |
The OMG 2023 Barley Wine is more in the English tradition. It was even aged in barrels which held Scotch whisky from Islay island – although barrel-aging is not a requirement for barley wine.
I tasted it (from bottle number 468 of 1,000, signed by BeerBazaar Head Brewer Dan Taub) with fellow IBAV Tasters Oded, Bat Sheva and Manny.
It pours out a semi-hazy light amber color, with a sweet aroma from the malted barley, plus scents of toffee, whisky and yeast. The flavors are complex and wrapped in a sweet blanket: Caramel, vanilla, dried fruits, wood and whisky.
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| Barley wines are one of the strongest ale styles, bringing rich and complex aromas and flavors from the malts, hops and yeast. |
off that it resembles a fine wine, while Bat Sheva pronounced that it was very balanced, "starting out sweet, and then you get the wood."
Oded found two layers: "First the rich tastes of toffee, caramel and whisky – among the richest I've ever had in a beer – and then the 'Oh My Goodness' hits you with the aftertaste."
The mouthfeel brings a full body and a nice dose of alcoholic warmth from the 10% ABV.
About food pairings, we say beware. Like most barley wines, this OMG easily overpowers most dishes. Perhaps some rich desserts and aged cheeses would stand up well. Ideally, OMG Barley Wine is best enjoyed being sipped slowly by itself -- or, as Oded concluded, "It would go well with salty snacks to break up the sweetness and the alcohol."
OMG Barley Wine is an intense and flavorful example of this style, and well worth a try by all beer lovers.