Barley John’s Brewpub in New Brighton, MN has been offering some of the best beer in the state along with awesome food for years now. This March marks their 13th anniversary and as always, their anniversary beer is a big Irish Red Ale. The 13th Anniversary Ale is a strong Irish red ale that’s big enough that it may be called a barleywine over in Ireland but here in the US the alcohol, at 7.3% ABV, makes is a bit low for that. It’s still plenty big for a style that normally clocks in between 4.0% and 6.0% ABV. Along with amped up alcohol comes big flavor. Lots of light caramel in the aroma with a nice full malty kick. The flavor is very full but light at the same time so it doesn’t overwhelm. Plenty of malt body with notes of light caramel and a slight sweetness. The light sweetness in the flavor turns to a nice dryness in the aftertaste making this beer easy drinking and really rounding things out nicely.
After 13 years in business, Barley John’s continues to brew up great beer and offer wonderful food to go along with it in a welcoming little brewpub just outside Minneapolis. If you haven’t stopped in or it’s been a while, make your way there and checkout the much loved year-round offerings along with a ton of great seasonals they’ve been cranking out lately. They had a total of 9 seasonal beers alone when I was in the other night enjoying this 13th Anniversary Ale. Just because there have been an explosion of new brewers in the Twin Cities lately, we shouldn’t forget the older staples that make brews we’ve loved for years. Drop into Barley John’s soon for the 13th Anniversary Ale and try some of the other fun stuff on the menu.
