New Star Wars and Cricket Hill Bourbon Barrel Aged Barleywine

So it's official. There will be a Star Wars Episode VII, and the screenplay will be written by Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3). As a long time Star Wars fan, even though I was for the most part disappointed with the prequels, I can't help but feel excited and a little giddy. I don't think the timeline has been officially announced, but since they're calling it Episode VII, I am assuming it will take place after the events in Return of the Jedi. There are many directions Disney/Lucasfilm can take, either starting up right after Return of the Jedi, or going farther into the future. Either way, it will definitely be interesting to see how everything pans out.

Tonight I am drinking a bourbon-barrel aged barleywine from Cricket Hill Brewery. There is no stamp on the bottle of when it was bottled, so I'm not really sure how old this barleywine is. There is also no listed %ABV on the bottle.

It poured a reddish brown color with almost no head. There is definitely a vanilla, bourbon aroma on this one. This barleywine gives off flavors of vanilla, toffee and cherries. It is quite a sweet beer. The mouthfeel is incredibly smooth, and there is little carbonation. Surprisingly, there's not much alcohol burn. I did some research on this beer, and it looks like it was released in October of 2010. The 2+ years on this beer is a good indicator of why the flavors are subdued and laid back.

Overall: I could totally see Emperor Palpatine sipping this beer on the Death Star while watching the Battle of Endor. If you're looking for a sipping beer, I would definitely recommend this. I find it quite enjoyable. 8/10

Have you had this beer? What did you think? What's your favorite barleywine? Any good recommendations? Use the comments below!

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