From the Alexander Brewery in Emek Hefer is Israel's first Barley Wine.
Born
in England and adopted and adapted by U.S. breweries, the barley wine style of
beer has an alcohol by volume (ABV) more commonly associated with wine than
with beer (8-12%). Also like wine,
barley wines can be aged, with expected changes in the complexity of aromas and
flavors. Barley malt and alcohol are
dominant in barley wines, with hops playing a distant third fiddle. The American versions of barley wine,
however, have stronger hop characters.
Alexander
owner and brewmaster Ori Sagy said that the Israeli public is continuing to
demand different beers of higher quality, and the decision to brew a barley wine "expands the
boundaries of experience for Israeli beer lovers."
"In
honor of our tenth anniversary, we decided the celebrate with barley wine, one
of the oldest styles of beer that dates back to the fifteenth century in
England, and is a kind of bridge between the world of beer and the world of
wine. We just brewed a limited edition
of about 2,230 bottles and each bottle is numbered."
My
bottle of Alexander Barley Wine was number 1469, and it poured a light copper
color with a thin white halo of foam. It
dispersed a rainbow of aromas. My
drinking partner Moshe and I detected caramel, malt, alcohol and honey
candy. The first sip also brought a
range of tastes as if they were all steeped in alcohol: caramel, toffee,
vanilla and spice – finishing dry and bitter.
Alcohol by volume is a powerful 11.2%.
For
Moshe, the tastes conjured up visions of "oatmeal with butter and brown
sugar."
There
is nothing skimpy or weak about Israel's first barley wine. It's a great beer to sip on a cold day
or night. If you must have it with food,
strong cheeses or rich, intense desserts are best. It easily overpowers most main dishes.

This
season's pouring brought back memories of winters past. A dark, reddish copper color, with aromas of
sweet malt, caramel, vanilla and some whisky.
The mouthfeel is creamy, full-bodied ("chewy"), with rich,
sweet tastes of alcohol, caramel toffee, cocoa and a little vanilla. The tastes stay with you for a long and sweet
finish.
As
in year's past, I didn’t get any real taste of bourbon, or wood for that
matter, but I must assume that those whisky-soaked chips added something to the
flavor background. However it works, it
succeeds.
I just enjoyed a bottle of Jack's Winter Ale with a Shabbat meal of a hearty cholent, a thick stew of barley, beans and potatoes. It would go swimmingly with any full and flavorful winter meal.
Jack's
Winter Ale continues to be a winner year after year; something Israeli beer drinkers
can look forward to as winter approaches.
I know I do.
That barley wine would have been just perfect for our TU b'Shvat Seder.
ReplyDeleteDon't you have to use regular grape wine to make it go from dark to light or vice versa?
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