Baggywrinkle Barleywine

Label Blurb: Barleywine is a style of ale known for its rich, sweet, chewy character. It has a very high original gravity, which means that the concentration of malt sugar in the wort is very dense as the beer is brewed. It is meant to be enjoyed with a friend (preferably on a cold night by a warm fire as the wind blows off the ocean outside...) and is particularly appropriate when served as a dessert libation. Enjoy!

Tasting notes: As fun to drink as it is to say! This high-gravity ale has a malty-sweet palate, the perception of which is enhanced by its 9.8% alcohol by volume. Raisin and fig flavors predominate throughout the extremely full body. Fruity esthers fill the nose as one sips a Baggywrinkle, and an abundance of hops finish this monster out to balance the big malt flavors. This is a beer meant to be shared with good friends.

Randy's comment: "We use lots and lots and lots of English and domestic malts -- about a pound per bottle--and we hop it generously with Northern Brewer and Chinook hops. Like the lager this one takes eons to age, but also like the lager, it's totally worth the wait."

About the Name: As fun to say as it is to drink! Mainly I guess I just liked the alliteration: Baggywrinkle Barleywine, Baggywrinkle Barleywine, Baggywrinkle Barleywine, Baggyblah blah blah blah blah...

When I was growing up I was lucky enough to have grandparents on Cape Cod, so every summer we loaded up the station wagon with a sailboat, four bikes, a dog, etc.etc. and headed out for a visit. They were avid sailors, so my first visits to Nantucket were on their boat. In the evenings we would sit around the cockpit admiring the boats in the harbor and the beautiful town, and while the grownups had cocktails and the kids ate Triscuits, Granstan would quiz us on nautical terms. Thus I came to know that a "baggywrinkle" is a shaggy thing made of frayed hemp or rope that is attached part way up a stay (or is it a halyard? how quickly I forget!) to protect the sails from chafing when filled with wind.

I guess our barleywine could be said to have a similar protective function, smoothing the rough edges to prevent chafing on the journey... But that's going a bit too far, don't you think? Indubitably.

Serving Suggestion for an awesome afternoon:
We headed out to Smith's Point one September afternoon to celebrate the release of our barleywine.

This was the kind of day that only comes
along once in a blue moon but keeps
you dreaming about the next one...