Heady bourbon piquancy positively affects affluent Cassis-styled blackberry-curdled oak-casked barleywine. Dank cellar waft picks up port, burgundy, and Merlot illusions that settle at frantic cherry-soured prune-raisin-fig peak. Red wine aficionados may enjoy its sharply tannic red, purple, and black grape tartness. On tap 2011, months of aging changed the profile, complexion, and complexity of this wonderfully vintaged ‘big beer.’ Tasting like a Mai Tai with its coconut-pineapple conflux, the newfound caramelized whiskey malting and candied apple sash truly sweetened the deal.

Luxurious bottled version is veritable godsend for wintry evening, 2010. Pureed black cherry fascination drapes rich fig-raisin-prune dried fruiting and sweet-Scotched sherry-burgundy-bourbon alcohol whir. Chewy brown-sugared honey-sapped molasses coating secures gooey medicinal cherry-candied stickiness, mild hazelnut-macadamia smidgen, and piney hop sop. Bruised banana, rum raisin, and caramel apple come along for the ride.

Richly fruited limited edition ’09 barleywine deviates from typical brutish stylistic rampage. Instead of a veritable meal in a bottle, it’s a well-integrated strong ale with lagered champagne yeast perfect for dessert. Honeyed cereal grains sweeten French oak-aged Sauvegnon Blanc grape juicing and gorgeous floral bouquet. Creamy butterscotch midst secures green, red and purple grape illusions as well as lustrous peach-tangerine-pineapple-nectarine exotica. Pronounced cherry uprising, buttery Chardonnay subsidy, and tertiary raisin-date-fig dryness add further depth while peppery herbal hop zip enlivens modest spicing.

Easy-sipping whiskey-barreled Scottish barleywine with hearty 12% alcohol projectile needs a smidgen more up-front character for ‘big beer’ connoisseurs. Ripe black cherry overtones relinquished by candied apple, bruised orange, pear syrup, and spiced fig illusions gliding through chewy brown-sugared caramel malt creaminess and slim bourbon-sherry drift. Toasted marshmallow, fruitcake and vanilla nuances find tertiary solace.

Glorious slow sipping 11% alcohol-fueled dessert treasure (limited ’09 release) dazzles the senses with well-balanced nature and fascinating complexity. Ripe cherry, bruised orange, and brown banana illusions enliven chewy brown chocolate-y molasses creaminess rising above cotton-candied dark-spiced floral-hopped midst. Medicinal cognac-bourbon warmth brings finish to fruition.

Closer to a fruity IPA (or Troegs Nugget Nectar Red Ale) than its barleywine style indicates. Sturdy 9.3% alcohol surge has calming affect on nerves as ‘candi-sugared hops’ blend into bright cherry-peach-pear-apple tang and spiced raisin-date conflux. At midst, piney grapefruit rind bitterness counterbalances sweet melon-cantaloupe-mango melange, chewy rum-soaked caramel-toasted molasses malting, and syrupy spruce sash. On tap, mild hop-charred ice coffee bittering seeps into oats-toasted fruit-dried cherry-blueberry conflux.

Advertised as ‘Ridge Runner’s Big Brother,’ sharp spice-hopped brown-sugared mocha-bound barleywine betters lighter-bodied sibling. Viscously caramel malted and heavily dry-hopped, its black cherry-pureed buildup overwhelms coffee-stained cola nutttiness, fig-raisin latency and resinous pine sapping.

Bright berry waft amplifies sharp floral-spiced tropical fruit profile enlivening spruce-maple contour. Creamy chocolate raisin sweetness counters bitterly resinous piney hops at bold finish. Only minor astringency keeps this from sheer perfection.

Viscous dark-bronzed fig-scented barleywine celebrates Queen of England’s Jubilee with well-disguised 12% alcohol strength, luxuriant pale-chocolate malt prevalence, creamy butterscotch elegance, penetrating prune souring, and beckoning hard-candied tartness. Tobacco leaf, cigar ash, and peat moss linger beneath brandy finish aided by dried raisin undertones.

Thoroughly alcoholic port-styled ale picks up sherry twang as creamy malt elegance subsides. Subtle spices, herbs, and floral illusions decorate resplendent backdrop.

Sumptuous oak-aged barleywine laces sinewy molasses-like caramel-sugared Scotch malt creaminess with candied apple, bruised orange, overripe cherry, peach and melon fruiting. Ester-y grape, raisin and fig souring bedecks tertiary vanilla-soaked bourbon-cognac illusions as well as distant almond-chestnut wisp.