Beer:30... 21st Amendment Lower DeBoom Barleywine.

Yesterday I took out my wife for her birthday lunch at our favorite restaurant in our little burg, Padrino (Check them out here. Not only is their food top notch, but their beer list is one of the best in the Cincinnati area. Anyway, once inside the restaurant, I glanced at the taps and spotted something that I had not seen before. Enter 21st Amendment's Lower DeBoom Barleywine:

If you remember, I first noticed 21st Amendment with their winter seasonal, Fireside Chat (Review here). Definitely a tasty brew, which got me interested in the brand. This beer, however, was completely off of my radar. Here is why:

This beer is part of their "Big Can" series, which basically is a keg only, three times a year or so release of a limited, small batch beer. Luckily, Padrino scored a keg of this monster, here are my thoughts...

The beer pours into your snifter like most barleywines, with a ruby hue, topped off with a decent sized, almost creamy head. Flavor wise, this barleywine delivers. Nice fruity flavors blend with malt goodness and hints of toffee, finishing with a nice bit of alcohol. Easier to drink than Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot, or Anchor Brewing's Old Foghorn. Not knocking those two beers, but this beer is special. The flavors blend so nicely, and more start to show themselves once your glass has warmed a bit. I found myself wanting a second glass, but since it was my wife's birthday lunch I had to refrain, luckily for me since this beer is around 10.5% ABV.

This has been a solid barleywine from 21st Amendment, and one of the best that I have had. This beer ranks up their with Great Divide's Old Ruffian for me when it comes to the style. I will be heading back to Padrino to have some more of this delight. Well done!

Cheers!