Bring out the big guns: Barrel Aged Barley Wine

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O’Hara’s excellent barrel aged series continues with Number Three, a Barley Wine Aged in Irish Whiskey Barrels. A barley wine is really just another name for a strong English style ale. Aging it in barrels doesn’t decrease that already pretty hefty alcohol content. In keeping with it’s name I would suggest that you drink it in the same way you would a fine wine, that is, slowly!
This is a drink that has more layers than an onion. First you get that plummy, cakey fruitiness, then there is some mellow biscuitiness (sic) and lastly you get a similar warmth that you get with a good Irish whiskey. I decided to go a bit mad and break out the blue cheese.

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Cashel make great blue cheese and I reckon it was a good match for the barley wine. Two great Irish products forming a fantastic union. There are only 1700 bottles of this edition available so don’t waste time seeking it out.

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0 Responses to Bring out the big guns: Barrel Aged Barley Wine

  1. hopsenbarley says:

    Sounds good. Nice touch with the wine glass!

  2. terryhickey says:

    Blue Cheese and Barleywine, such an unusual yet wonderful combo. Blue Stilton also makes for a good pairing. How did you find that the Irish Whiskey barrels added to it versus a standard non barrel aged version? I have only had Innus and Ginn aged in an Irish Whiskey barrel before, as their St Paddy’s Day beer, and I thought it added an interesting sweetness similar to and Irish whiskey flavour (hard to describe it)

    • As you say it’s a bit hard to describe but I’d say that it makes the barley wine warmer, richer and adds depth of flavour. That said, I don’t think you can get O’Hara’s barley wine that hasn’t been barrel aged so it makes comparison difficult! 🙂

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