Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Black Barleywine Ale

Hello fellow snobs!

We come to you today with a nice barleywine from a collaboration between New Albion Brewery in Sonoma California and Sierra Nevada. Don found this gem at Beverage World in Ft. Oglethorpe, GA. This bottle is about 25 oz with a nice champagne cork contraption on the top – FANCY.

This ale pours an almost black with about a quarter inch of cream-colored head. To the nose, you get some chocolate tones, caramel, raisins, and maybe some nut.  On the tongue you can definitely taste the barley and the alcohol note is strong (10.2% ABV). While there are chocolate scents, it’s not there in the taste. There is a fruity sweetness to this beer and there is a bitterness to this ale that is very present in the aftertaste.

Final snobs: This is a great collaborative project between these two breweries. The alcohol nose was a bit strong and perhaps in competition with the flavors in the beer. Still, a great brew and props to these guys on a project well done.