Lervig Brewers Reserve Barley Wine Aged in Bourbon Barrels (13%)

Lervig Brewers Reserve Barley Wine Aged in Bourbon Barrels (13%)

This is our once a year brew of bourbon barrel aged barley wine. It’s aged in Jack Daniels barrels for a year to allow the beer to mellow out and mature. The oak provides a dimension of coconut, vanilla and even a touch of bourbon. Dark red, low carbonation and great depth, this is one of our most special beers.


Malts: Pale malt, Munich, Caramel and roasted malts.
Hops: Perle and Saaz.
Highly complex aroma of vanilla, caramel, molasses, bourbon, malts.

Food pairings: dark chocolate, blue/sharp cheeses.
4.1
228 reviews
Stavanger, Norway

Community reviews

4.5 Bottle, 330ml. Pours dark, cloudy reddish-brown with a thin sheen of light tan head. Patchy lacing. Oak and vanilla to the front immediately on the nose, underneath which we have some rich, dark, slightly bitter molasses, liquorice, dried fruits, candied pineapple, dark chocolate, dark rum, allspice, cinnamon, cognac, honey, speyside whisky, very slight smoke and roasted malt. Rich sweetness but avoiding being sickly so far; loads going on but incredibly well balanced on the nose, and with very little overt booze despite the 13% ABV. Taste is sweeeeeeeeeet! Somewhat lighter than I expected with plenty of honey, vanilla and fruit as opposed to darker molasses-esque notes. Fair bit of chocolate, nuts, cinnamon, and more rum, cognac, and speyside whisky-esque flavours cutting through as well. Leads into a long, softly bitter finish with some light oak and roasted malt. SO well balanced and again booze is remarkably well hidden and there’s no harsh burn, only subtle warmth. Not sickly at all despite sweetness. Body is full and texture is thick and sticky; little bit astringent but very pleasant drinking overall. Obviously no carb. This is some remarkable stuff and gets basically everything about being a barley wine right!
4.0 Keg at the Hop Locker. It pours a deep dark brown color with a small beige head. Aroma is rich sweet and complex. Notes of molasses vanilla and chocolate, light booze. Taste is also rich and complex with more molasses vanilla chocolate and bourbon. Medium to full bodied with good carbonation. Overall, very tasty
4.3 Intense, dark, toasted, caramel, dark molasses, bourbon barrel. Hazy, dark brown, small, creamy, beige head. Medium sweet. More dark, burnt molasses, bourbon barrel, rich, dark malts, soft carbonation, dark, dried fruits, cherries prunes, warming alcohol in the long, rich finish. Outstanding Barley Wine, immensely complex, rich, a feast for the taste buds. Keg at The Hop Locker, Waterloo.
4.4 Bottle 0,33. Kept it in my cellar for a year. Dark color, minimal head. Complex aroma: much of bourbon, caramel, toffee, vanilla. Taste: warming, heavy sweet, strong bourbon notes, also toffee, vanilla. Full body.
4.2 Pours dark brown, almost black, with small head disappearing fast. Aroma: vanilla, caramel, raisins, marzipan, wood, but also clear dark malt character. Taste: very complex taste of vanilla, caramel, chocolate, raisins, dark malt. Fantastic stuff. The ABV is pleasantly present in the palate, overall nicely hidden.
4.1 Couleur noire, bonne mousse beige. Super nez boisé chêne et vanillé, chocolaté, malt noir, fruité sur la figue sèche. Huummmmm .... super gout sur le fut de bourbon chêne et vanille onctueux et cremeux, intense, sucré, alcool, chocolaté,un peu moka, caramel et note fruitée noirs et secs. Corps rond et onctueux. fin superbe amere sur le fruité noir, fut de bourbo, intense avec toute ces saveurs...... une sacrée bombe, une tuerie.... a apprecier longuement!!! du village de la biere strasbourg
4.2 On tap. The head is tiny and light brown. The colour is dark brown with tons of red. Concernig the aromas, i smell chocolate, vanilla and of course pretty much bourbon and alcool. In mouth, it’s chocolate, vanilla, also wood and of course the alccolic side of the bourbon (thanks to it, it’s not too sweet for that style of beer). What stay in the palate is long and nice, very balanced.
4.3 Dark, hazy mahogany color with tan head. Aroma has sweet malt syrup and some dried fruits, mostly dates. Taste follows with dark fruits, more like dried figs, sweet malt and brown sugar. Finish is more bitter with some earthy hops. Medium sticky body with low carbonation. Overall it’s really nice but I would like to get more bourbon flavor.
3.8 CBC2015, Pours brown with a small head, aroma of vanilla, wood and bourbon, flavor of dried fruits, vanilla and bourbon, medium to full bodied, Great
4.7 Bottle 330 ml. 2014. Dark brown color, with noisy brown foam. Aroma: luxury tones of vanilla, barrels, chocolate liquor, dried fruits and port wine, dried apricot, alcohols, old bourbon. Taste: sweet, liqueur and vanilla, powerful, warming, well balanced malty symphony with port wine, dried apricots, raisins and bourbon, chocolate with a slightly toasted nuts. Bravo!
4.5 Bottle kindly shared by MisoW, many thanks. Hazy brown color small tan head. Peat, bourbon, dark malt. Taste, dark malt, chocolate, hazelnuts, coconuts, bourbon. Very tasty.
4.5 Can by my Euro Summer Santa 2016, gunnar, many thanks. Pours brown color, small beige head. Aroma of raisin, nuts, chocolate, coffee, vanilla, alcohol. Taste is sweet, raisin, vanilla, plums, nuts, chocolate, alcohol is present, bourbon, coconut. Great beer, GREAT :)
4.5 Bottle at a tasting. Lots of coconut, dried fruits, raisins, woody, toasted, light tobacco, explosion of wonderful aromas and flavours. Sweetness nicely balanced by alcohol warmth and woody notes. Easy drinking, relatively. Truly excellent.
4.4 Bottle from MisoW. Dark brown hazy color, minimum white head. Aroma is nutty, bourbony, malty, light roasty, dried fruits. Taste is sweet, malty, caramely, bourbony, nutty, dried fruits, berries. Very good one
4.3 Bottle courtesy of Holmen1. Thanks Jan! A rich dark brown colour with a caramel-coloured head. The aroma is extremely rich with flavours of coconut, vanilla, toffee, nuts and much more. The taste is massive. Wow! Bourbon, coconut, fudge, chocolate, vanilla, oak and leather all compete in this hugely complex and satisfying beer. Gigantic mouthfeel. This is one of the richest and and most interesting you can ever hope to taste. It hides it 13% ABV very well with no 'burn' from the alcohol. Just a huge, warm taste. Perfect as a digestif.
4.0 On tap at the Oedipus International Beer Festival 2016, Amsterdam - day#1 (02-Jul-2016). Dark brown/black colour with a small beige coloured head. Sweet aroma of bourbon, vanilla and caramel. Full body and soft/medium carbonation. On tasting you get the sweet bourbon upfront, with a rich malt biscuit and alcohol. A lovely balanced barley wine. Excellent.
4.0 Tap @ Mikkeller Aarhus. Aroma of sweet vanilla bourbon, caramel, malt. Very dark brown colour, off-white head, not lasting. Taste is moderate sweet and light+ bitter. Full body, oily smooth texture, light carb., bourbon vanilla finish.
4.3 Dark brown almost black clear with minimal head Aroma: chocolate, roasty, bread, raisin, licorice, woody, bourbon Palate: Taste: medium sweetness, lightly bitter, lightly sour, licorice, thin and oil with chocolate background. Finish: Long, roasty coffee bean and roasty bread crumble, lightly bitter and alcgolol. Overall: very rich, smotth barleywine, excillent
4.3 duft: dyb sirup sødme vanilje bær svesker brun sukker kokus smag: sød fyldig varm sød eftersmag. karamel sirup. vanilje fad. sprit sødme
3.7 Tap at Tallinn Craft Beer Weeken 2016, Tallinn. Colour is reddish dark brown with small white head. Aromas and flavours: Bourbon, roastiness, dark chocolate and malts.
3.8 Tap @ TCBW 16 Dark red/brown colour. Caramel, strong berries, softness, good one.
4.1 11.2oz bottle. Black color with a tan head and sediment. Sweet bourbon dark chocolate caramel aroma. Bourbon alcohol bitter malt choc coffee flavor. Heavy sticky body.
4.0 Pours dark brown with a beige head. N: Intense caramel, spicy oak and a hint of leather and some hops too. T: Spicy barley wine nose. Full flavoured! Lots of both caramel and roasted malts, heat from the abv, really good stuff. Medium to full mouthfeel. Dry bourbon oak, prunes and coffee in the aftertaste. Like this lots.
4.1 330 ml bottle from The Party Source, enjoyed at home in a Jackie O’s 10th Anniversary tulip. Pours a deep, dark, hazy, opaque chestnut brown with a small beige head that settles into a ring. Aroma of charred oak, burnt brown sugar, toffee, bourbon, dark and dried fruits - raisins, dates, figs - caramel and nuts. Flavor of charred oak, bourbon, fruitcake, the same fruits as in the aroma, chocolate, brown sugar, toasted nuts, and leaves. Medium-bodied, with a mouthfeel that doesn’t hold back on the boozy warmth but delivers enough malty, barrel, and fruity sweetness to balance. After seeing this one do so well in the ratings for a while, I was thrilled to see it on shelves here a few months back. Really complex, satisfying stuff.
4.2 Very black appearance with no head. Complex tastes of chocolate, cocoa, sweet hops, oak, vanilla and bourbon. Heavy body, great smooth carbonation and a lasting aftertaste of bittersweet chocolate. Really great barley wine
4.3 33cl bottle. Brown pour with a very thin tan head that disappears in a minute. Smells like bourbon, maple syrup, burnt caramel, vanilla, toasted coconut, caramelized cherries, chestnuts and alcohol. The taste is dominated by bourbon, with notes of milk chocolate, chestnuts, dried fruit, maple syrup and caramel, whiskey and cherries. Thick, smooth and silky texture with virtually no carbonation and a hot and caramel-sweet finish.
4.1 Pours a one-finger white head vanishes leaving no lace. Black color, no highlights. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied. Burnt toffee nose and bourbon, flavor is mostly bourbon, some caramel. Nice barleywine. High ABV is mostly hidden. $8.00 for a 330ml bottle from Tullys Beer & Wine.
4.8 dark brown almost black with a crown of cream foam. Initial Aroma Wood - bourbon, with hints of alcohol, caramel, vanilla, melted butter, some hints of coconut and dill. deep shades of malt, dark toast, cookies, candy, black fruit, brown sugar, soft cocoa and milk chocolate. I hop distant memory. The taste is sweet, but somewhat bitter and sour notes balanced with oak, roasted malt and hops, balanced. Round and velvety body. Low carbonation. beer aged in barrels in which bourbon Makers Mark was manufactured.
3.7 Thanks Matt for this brew! Ouf... Ouch! Ayoye! Pffffff.... Arrggghhhhh!!!! Je tente de me relever de cette série de jabs adroitement placés dont je peine à me remettre. Mon verre est à moitié fini et moi je le suis aux trois quarts. Une bière bien ténébreuse, presque noire et sans mousse. J’approche timidement mon nez de ce verre lourd (car oui, mon verre est particulièrement lourd) et je reçois en plein visage un tsunami de bourbon, de caramel, de dattes fraîches, de sucre de canne et d’un alcool brun. C’est puissant; à la fois grossier et raffiné. Un coup de poing sur la gueule qui me fait voir un firmament d’étoiles toutes différentes les unes des autres, chacune ponctuant à sa façon cette infinie voûte céleste devant laquelle je m’agenouille, sonné et contemplatif. Je reprends mes esprits et dirige cette fois mon verre à mes lèvres. Je suis à nouveau la victime d’un brutal assaut. Ce liquide huileux et collant me réchauffe tout le corps d’un seul trait. Les saveurs m’apparaissant moins complexes que les arômes sont dominées par le bourbon et le caramel. Je suis convaincu que la bière pourrait facilement passer pour un spiritueux suite à une gorgée à l’aveugle d’un verre laissé une heure sur le coin d’une table. Du raisin, encore de la datte et cet alcool... Longue en bouche et collante aux lèvres, cette bière commande qu’on la déguste lentement, très lentement...
3.7 Dark, muddy, brown. No head. No froth. Dark fruits, burnt caramel, vanilla and hints of whiskey in the aroma. Salty, creamy, caramelly first taste. Vanilla, raisins and hints of coffee in the middle. Alcoholy finish. Hints of whiskey and some sweetness in aftertaste. Heavy bodied, rather low carbonated, silky, but powerful baleywine. Nice structure. Interesting palate. However, quite alcoholy. Second tasting. Still silky structure. Low carbonated. But aroma and first taste are overwhelmingly sweet. For that reasob I have to lower the grade.