Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine

Barleywine is nothing to mess around with. Although beers such as the recently launched "Tactical Nuclear Penguin" from Brewdog in the UK set records for highest ABV (this one at 32%), topping even Sam Adams' Utopias, generally barleywines have the highest ABV of the different types of beer. They start at around 8% but usually reach near or into the teens. This explains the name, barleywine; "wine" because the ABV is in the same range as wine, however, it's still considered beer because it's made from grain rather than grapes.

I've had a handful of barleywines: Bigfoot Ale by Sierra Nevada, Blithering Idiot by Weyerbacher, and Old Crustacean by Rogue to name a few. Dogfish Head's Olde School has the highest ABV of them and of most barleywines in general, as explained by Sam Calagione in the video below. That high ABV definitely comes out in the taste, which is fiery sweet. It's definitely a slow-sipper, good for dessert and you probably don't want more than one at a time.

The high ABV makes this beer great for aging. In fact, the label includes an interesting little idea if you want to do just that:

"Directions: Open bottle, pour contents into two snifters. Enjoy. OR: Walk hand-in-neck into the middle of the woods. Use a shovel to dig a 2 x 2 hole three feet deep. Seal the bottle in a plastic bag. Place in hole and pack with dirt. Memorize location & leave. Return exactly one year later. Dig up bottle, open and enjoy."

I know that people actually do this. I've heard stories of people doing this with entire sixtels or even 1/4 kegs of other aging beers. Personally I didn't bury mine out in the woods, but I did save it for over a year. I've actually never seen this in any store; the bottle I consumed was a gift. So bottom line: if you see this in stores, pick it up.

Now here's Sam to explain the beer better than me: