Olde Hickory Irish Walker 2010-

Irish Walker is brewed with six different malts and a blend of four classic hops. A long fermentation and cold aging makes Irish Walker a well rounded and complex Barley Wine. Irish Walker exhibits malty sweetness, fruity esters and malty balance. This ale will age well for years to come, or just enjoy now with good company. Cheers!

3.6

174 reviews

Hickory, United States

Community reviews

3.5 Tap @ Molen w dutch friends. Appearance: pours clear brown with ok off-whiter soapy head and lacing. aroma/taste: barley, bread, caramel, light coffee, light dried fruit, light wood and grassy notes. palette: strong malty aroma, average carbonation, medium to full body, medium to notable sweetness, somewhat balanced by a medium bitterness, average duration and an oily texture. Overall: smooth barley wine

3.7 Keg at borefts. Pours deep ruby, nose is caramel, meaty, berries taste is, similar, ashes. 8/4/7/3/15

3.7 Borefts 2019 - Almost black with thin head. Lots of malt body and sweetness. Full bodied and well rounded.

3.7 Sampled at Borefts 2019, Friday. A clear orange brown beer. Aroma of dark caramelized malt, nuts, pine. Taste of dark moderate sweet caramelized malt, nuts, red fruits, pine needles.

3.9 @Bbf’19, kastanje kleurtje, zoete zachte barley wine, caramel, zoet, rogge, klassieke barley wine.

3.4 Tap. Dark brown color with beige head. Aroma is a bit grainy, herbal, not too crazy. Taste is the same. Oily mouthfeel with medium carbonation. Alright.

3.0 Keg at the Borefts2019.. Deep brown.. Thin tan y.. Soft sweet caramel woody ark sugers.. Soft sweet caramel woody toffee fruit malt

3.5 From tap at BeerTemple, Amsterdam. Aroma is caramel malt with toffee, sugary barley malts, candy, some alcohol. Sweet with a decent bitterness, body is above medium. Good classic Barley Wine.

3.7 7 3 8 3 16 Draft at Brody’s, Den Haag. Brown with a small cream beige head. Aroma of caramel, dog biscuit, toffee, grass and light overripe dark fruits. Flavour is light heavy sweet and bitter. Full bodied with soft carbonation.

3.6 Tap. Dark amber color. Floral, caramelly butterscotch aroma and flavor. Sweet, toffee, slightly alcoholic. Grassy hops. Warming.

3.4 Sampled at Ace&Kees. Pours a amber/brown, tan head. Bready malts, caramel, oak.

3.7 Sampled at Ace & Kees. Bottle. Dark brown with light tan head. Sweet roasted malts, chestnuts, rye, coconut shells. Big sweet and moderate bitter. Full body and soft carbonation.

3.6 Sampled at Ace&Kees! festival. Clear reddish brown with beige head. Sweet malts, bready, alcohol, soft rye, cardboard, woody, milk chocolate. Over medium sweet and quite bitter. Over medium bodied with boozy finish.

3.7 Draught @ Beer Temple, small glass. Clear red brown color. Very dense beige head with good retention. Aroma's: sweetish (caramel), wood, light dusty, red fruit, umami. Retronasal: sweetish, red fruit, light wood. Flavor: moderate sweet, dark caramel, light bitter, light wood. Medium bodied. Finishes with some wood, moderate bitter.

3.6 65cl Bottle @ Beergium, Le Roeulx, Belgium. Dark brown colour with a thin tan head. Aroma is malt, caramel, dark fruits. Taste is malt, caramel, prunes, toffee. Medium to full body, soft carbonation.

3.8 Bottle. Pours muddy Brown with a tan head. Aroma of deep toffee, dried fruits, deep chewy caramel, slight dusty raisins, touch of green leaves, and touch choco. Taste is super sweet, loads of toffee, touch of bitternes, slight dust. Light body despite the abv. Decent

3.7 22oz bottle in a glass. Pours deep brown with a beige head. Aroma of sweet caramel malts with some light bitter hops and hints of dark fruits. Flavor the same. A standard barley wine, but nothing bad about this one.

3.9 A lean, strong barley wine without the syrupy body that I associate with the style. This thing drinks more like an American strong ale, and I appreciate that. It pours dark copper brown with very little foam. The aroma is caramel and hardwood and something that reminds me a little bit of cola. The flavor closes with the sweetness I associate with barley wine, but the body is thinner and the overall feel is crisper. This isn't typically what I want when I'm in the mood for this style. But this beer surprised me and I did enjoy it. I could have it again.

3.9 Botella. @Biercab, Barcelona 08/04/2018 Color cobrizo, aromas a caramelo seguido de notas dulces, sabor dulce, caramelo pura malta, final denso y sedoso.

3.7 Bottle from 2016. Dark chestnut brown with a small tan head with good regeneration. The aroma has brown sugar, whiskey, dark wood, tobacco and alcohol. The flavour has brown sugar, caramel, oxidised cardboard like notes, sherry, dark wood, vanilla, tobacco. Full body, oily texture, soft carbonation, medium to heavy sweet and bitter with warming alcohol. Old school but soft and tasty with the alcohol well hidden.

3.5 From notes. Enjoyed at the 3rd Annual Barleywine Tasting at Travis’s house on February 20. 22 oz bottle. 2012 vintage. The pour is a nice ruby infused brown color with a smaller tan head that falls off quickly leaving minimal lace. The aroma is interesting. I think it’s more oxidized than anything, but there are certain notes in there. It starts off with a decent caramel and dark fruit mixture with a touch of syrup and a little bit of charred oak. It’s not that great, but it’s definitely not too awful. The flavor is where the oxidation really kicks in. There are some other notes, but it’s just struggling. There is a little malt, some light fruit, and a little more hop than the nose would lead on is available. The back end is a little chalky and definitely needs some help. The mouth feel is decently thick, with a moderately heavy carbonation and carries a lingeringly malty, slightly off sweet finish. It’s not terrible, but I think this is one that definitely needs to be drunk fresh. Age didn’t treat her well.

3.4 Refrigerated brown bomber poured into a snifter. Opaque medium brown with very little head. Rich caramel aroma, medium body, low carbonation, little lacing. Taste is caramel malt. Not that heavy.

3.7 22oz bottle 2013 vintage pours dark brown black with a small finger of head. Nose is sweet caramel, maple, raisin, dark fruit. Taste is thick bodied, chewy sweet dark fruit, raisin, bready maple, sticky caramel. Finishes sweet, low bitterness, dark bread, raisin, plum, caramel. Very big. Decent barleywine.

3.3 22 oz. bottle, shared by Hamp at Ale Alpharetta. Cloudy, ruby brown color, with a small, tan head. The nose is toffee, burnt oak, syrup, and chicory. Sweet and malty, with a roasted bitterness in the finish. Heavy body, syrupy, chalky, and a little harsh. This is a pretty nice beer, but the flavor has some off character, and the mouthfeel is a littel unpleasant. Lots of potential in the aroma, but doesn’t quite pull it off.

3.8 Pours nearly opaque sable - a little daylight gets through at the top - with a thin light tan head. Aroma has earthy, roast malt and licorice notes. Flavor tosses some woody hops into the mix, adding a little bitterness. Texture has good body of not a lot of fizz. Walk he Irish walk! (Insert inevitable joke about how the Irish drink here.)

4.3 Bomber, 2013 vintage, thanks Russ! Boozy dark fruit aroma with caramel and hops in the background. Pours dark caramel brown with a thin tan head and very little lacing. Starts with sweet dark fruit including raisin as well as quite a bit of sweet caramel. Finishes smooth but slightly dry with some hops joining the party with a nice alcohol burn at the end. Excellent barleywine!

3.8 Clear dark brown pour. Off white head. Aromas of caramel, dark fruits, vanilla. Sweet taste with a medium thick mouthfeel. Almost liquid candy.

3.5 Bottle during RBWG. Pours amber with small beige head. The aroma is caramel and floral. Medium mouth with earthy malts, caramel, candy sugar, sweetness throughout, very good.

4.1 2014. Dark brown pour with a small frothy brown head. Looked like a stout/porter. Wonderfully inviting aroma full of rich dark fruits, booze soaked raisins and figs, touch of herbal hops. Real nice and subtle. Flavors were balanced to a T. Lots of caramel, dark fruit, tons of raisin, prune, earthy hop finish, bittersweet. Mouthfeel was medium to full with moderate carbonation. Balance was the big takeaway from this one. Rich and malty with a perfect hop bitterness. Top notch stuff.

4.0 2014 release. Pours a dark brown, just like a porter. Normal head volume and retention, excellent lacing. Dark fruit nose of plums, raisins and dates over a light note of alcohol. As it warms, molasses is evident along with a caramel note.. Light full body with a nice creamy texture. Slightly below normal carbonation, with a bit of effervescence in the finish, buttresses the body/texture. The flavor profile is intense, very complex and reasonably balanced. It begins with a burst of blended dark fruits that flow into a molasses sweetness. In the middle, the molasses fades into a caramel note that is rather sweet and covers the alcohol that lurks underneath. While reasonably covered, the alcohol still exhibits a slight astringency in the middle. In the finish, alcohol dominates and leaves that nice burn at the back of the throat. As it all fades away, it is a bit dry and prune notes are detected. I’m not a big barley wine fan, but this one hits the outstanding mark.