Funky Buddha's Iron & Barleywine has been teasing me for a while. I like the folk act Iron & Wine, so the name of this barleywine won me right of the top. The bottle says Drink Now, Or Age and I thought about cellaring this beer and opening it next winter instead of the start of this summer. Alas, good comments from others prompted me to pull this out and use it for a ZiggyZoggy staff review. I'm really glad I did. I hope Funky Buddha continues brewing this because they can count on me buying up bottles each year after release.
Put the cellar-temp bomber into the fridge to chill it closer to 50-55 degrees. The bottle recommends 55 degrees.
Pulled a glass out (the closest I have to a snifter right now) and popped open the bottle. Iron & Barleywine poured into my glass a reddish-copper color. A thin cap of a head formed during the pour but melted back to a ring a few minutes after I set the glass down on the counter. It is fairly clear and gives everything a pinkish hue when I look through the glass. There is a token effort for lacing to form and stick to the sides of the glass. It is weak but did try.
I am more familiar with American barleywines and how assertive hops can be. So, I did a bit of a double-take when I took a sniff of this. The malt stands out so much and I had to search for hop traits. Of course, I could smell the grapes but was intrigued by the depth of dark fruit smells, caramel, and how the hops were made known with a herbal tinge. The second day, the beer was much colder and it took quite a while of me warming the beer in my hands to get to where I got the same great aromas as the day before. Temperature is very important to get the most out of this beer.
The taste of Iron and Barleywine finds the dark fruits even more complex than indicated in the smell. I can taste the grape, plum, fig, red wine booziness, and a honey sweetness. I can't really taste any hops. This reminds me a great deal of some quadruples I've had, it is that fruity. I had it during a birthday party, so it was paired with vanilla and chocolate ice cream. They worked nicely together (especially the chocolate, IMO). But when I started munching on peanut butter M&Ms, I was really pleased. Yes, buy yourself a bomber of Iron & Barleywine with a big bag of peanut butter M&Ms.
This is a sipper. The rich taste certainly makes one inclined to do that with the 10.5% ABV. But along with that is how full-bodied this barleywine. Quite dense with a great ability to fully the coat the tongue on each drink I take from my glass. Not syrupy thick, but pretty close in feel, if not in taste.
