Semi Annual Weekly Blatant Filler Beer Review

It has been a fortnight since I have written and I apologize (to myself because I am the only one that reads this). I was inspired to write (or as it's known in the 21st century: blog) when I found a limited release Barley Wine at my local 7-11.

That's right, I said 7-11. Right next to the moldy bacon, just beyond the Chelada (Bud Light and Clamato), I found Lagunitas' Gnarly Wine.


Lagunitas made Gnarly Wine as their take on a Barley Wine style beer. Barley Wine is quickly becoming the wine for beer connoisseurs. It is not quite wine because it usually has a high alcohol content (8-11%) like wine, but made from grain and not fruit, so it is a beer!

So far I have not been wooed by barley wine, but I have not had too many of them. I can tell you that this one began working on me, it was pretty damn tasty. Barley wines I have had before, are very sweet, which was the case here. Gnarly Wine had a strong brown sugar taste to it, sweeter than I am used to, but I liked it. It has a much thicker feel to it than regular beer, and their is no getting around the fact that this guy is a strong 11% beer. Its effect on me was almost instant.

Barley wine connoisseurs go through great lengths to make it seem more like actual wine. They do this by aging bottles of it for many months or even years. And if I were more patient I would do this as well, but unfortunately if I buy a bottle of beer it won't last more than a couple nights, let alone a month or year. Not to say I haven't thought about trying it! Perhaps I'll leave that to the pros and just continue enjoying my beer rather than storing it for a later date.