It's not every day when I get to review a really high ABV beer. Today's sampling is Flying Monkeys' Divinity Solera Barleywine. Divinity tops out at 17% ABV, making it the third strongest beer I've ever had in my life! I picked this up
From the website: This 17% ABV Barleywine came to fruition just in time for our Brewery's 15th Anniversary. Aged from two to eight years in Andalusian sherry and brandy barrels, Jamaican rum barrels, American bourbon barrels, and Niagara Ice Wine Barrels, we nurtured the divine in each unique vessel coaxing them to share the immortality of their spirits.
Born of patience and the beautiful inexactitude time in our Solera program, Divinity is akin to Invictus, but a softer, more varied experience embodying fifteen years of the Flying Monkeys’ evolution.
Sweet notes of dried dates, sweet figs, and vinous dark raisins waft in the warm, aromatic stillness of earthy wood and smooth, creamy spirits. In the amber lights of this mahogany barleywine, hints of vanilla, toffees, and espresso emerge in ephemeral glimmers of this solera’s self-reflexive creation.
Appearance: Heavy, dark, near pitch black. I honestly expected this to be a Barrel-aged stout at this point as I didn't even read the label yet. The head is incredibly faint right from the beginning.. a couple bubbles here and there but that's it.. pretty flat but seeing its age, it's not a surprise I guess.
Aroma: Incredibly sweet, boozy and in-your-face. You will immediately believe that this is a boozy one... I would've shared this one if I had friends but alas, here we are! The most dominant aroma I get is raisins followed by figs and an insane amount of caramel. Noticeable notes of oak, a bit of red wine, brown sugar and a mixture of Bourbon/Rum/overall booze.
Taste: It burns the tongue the second it hits but it's oh so good.. there is a slight bit of oxidation in it but I can overlook it completely as it's a serious punch-in-the-mouth of a Barleywine. It's very syrupy with a heavy raisin/fig fruitiness to it, has a lot of caramel and we won't ignore the fact that it was aged in a bunch of different barrels - I seriously do get the sharpness of Bourbon hitting, as well as the sweetness of Rum... there's just so much booze in here. Oh yeah, there's some vanilla in here too. To me, it almost tastes like a Barleywine that has a couple shots of wine, Bourbon and Rum just randomly put in there - which may be exactly what you might be after, but definitely over the top for some. There's also a hint of chocolate in there as well. Aftertaste is a hint caramel & apple.
Overall Thoughts: Flying Monkeys' beer is always over-the-top and this is incredibly over the top in every way. This is 100% a sipping beer where it should be savoured with a group of friends but I'll be enjoying this during the cold Manitoban winter we're having here right now. I do kind of regret not buying a second bottle but realistically.. I need to purge from my hoard so I have no room for any more beers!
https://www.flyingmonkeys.ca/beers/divinity
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