Sun King Johan the Barleywine

From Sun King – Johan the Barleywine is the first beer ever brewed by Sun King! It is an homage to Dave and Clay’s dear friend and fellow brewer, John “Johan” Hanley, who passed away several years ago. Johan is an English-Style Barleywine that was fermented with a special blend of 10 different ale yeasts. It has a huge malt punch that is delicately balanced with hops from the Northwest. We cellared Johan for an entire year before releasing it and there is a very limited amount available (we are cellaring and barrel-aging a large portion of it).

Sun King Brewery – Sun King Johan the Barleywine – 16 oz. can poured into a goblet. 10% abv.

Appearance: Pours a dark iced tea amber with no head.

Aroma: Raisins, prunes, spiced rum.

Taste: Caramel, hops. Chocolate and sweet grapes.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, prickly carbonation.

Overall: Solid, on the sweet side. I would have liked it with a little bit more of a hop bite. This was more like an aged sweet English Barleywine.