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1. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Olde School Barley Wine Style Ale (Milton, Del.): 9 points. Highly out of character for a barleywine, but then, it wouldn't be Dogfish Head without something funny in the recipe. This one is brewed with figs and dates, with enough sugars to edge the alcohol level far beyond necessary ― but how sweet it is. First, there were almost no bubbles, though for a sipper like this it doesn't matter. We found the smell remarkable ― notably sour, with traces of fermented prunes and port. The taste, too, was sour and fruity, hot and spicy ― barely a barleywine, but we loved it anyway. (15% ABV. $5.99/12-oz bottle)
2. Alaskan Brewing Company Barley Wine Ale, 2009 Vintage (Juneau, Alaska): 7.5 points. A barleywine of classic characterwith the most potent aroma in the lineup: aggressive, billowing from the snifters, and loaded with caramel, hazelnut, butterscotch, and candy notes. One taster noted maple and walnut on the nose, another bourbon. The flavor was very agreeable, sweet, and chewy, flooded with dried fruit, caramel, malt, and coffee. (10.4% ABV. $6.99/22-oz bottle)
3. Anchor Old Foghorn Barleywine Style Ale (San Francisco): 6 points. A surprising disappointment. The original American barleywine and a classic among aficionados was unquestionably the most nondescript of the bunch. We noted a lack of aroma ― though some tasters mentioned oak, cherries, and citrus ― and light, very mild flavors of the same. Granted, this beer was conceived and created in another era. Pitted against the lineup's young guns, maybe it was destined to pale. (8.8% ABV, $2.79/12-oz bottle)
4. Shipyard Brewing Company Barley Wine Style Ale (Portland, Maine): 5.5 points. The lowest-rated beer of the session reminded the panel more of a porter or dark brown ale than a barleywine. The color was a shade less than black, with aromas tending toward coffee, chocolate, herbs, and things medicinal. Bitter, with persistent chocolate notes and an unexpected smokiness. This taster liked the hit of butterscotch on the finish, but the panel agreed that the mouthfeel here was almost annoyingly tannic. (8.5% ABV. $7.99/22-oz bottle)
