Anyone that reads my beer reviews knows that I like to hang onto beers for a while. At least some of them, anyway. That's because interesting things can happen to a beer over time. Usually, the hops mellow, the malt becomes more pronounced, and/or perhaps for the yeasty character increases. Recently, though, a rather odd thing happened with my bottle of Blue Point Old Howling Bastard Barley Wine Style Ale: The label changed. Well OK, what’s on it didn’t, but what it’s talking about did.

I'm going to quote from the label to be a bit clearer:

We're proud to be independently owned and operated with no corporate ties.

Now, this bottle of Old Howling Bastard that I'm drinking tonight is about two years old. I bought it in fall of 2012 and I'm drinking it winter 2014. Cut to a press release by Anheuser-Busch form Fenruary 5^th, 2013 to see what has changed:

Anheuser-Busch today announced it has agreed to purchase Blue Point Brewing Co., one of the nation’s top craft brewers with more than 40 beers and sales concentrated along the East Coast, in a move that will bring additional resources to Blue Point’s operations, allowing it to meet growing consumer demand for its award‑winning brands. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

So much for being independently owned and operated with no corporate ties……

To be fair, I've enjoyed quite a few beers from Blue Point since the acquisition and I haven't really noticed any change in character. I should mention Blue Point Oatmeal Stout was a letdown, but when push comes to shove I guess what's important is the beer, and mostly that has remained good. We live in a world where acquisitions of small brewers by global conglomerates are becoming more frequent occurrences. At the end of the day, as long as they don't change the way the beer is made that seems to be the best that we can hope for.  

As to the beer itself, barleywines are excellent candidates for aging in my book. I love the way they round out with time, and that has certainly happened with this one, and in a very good way. Blue Point says this about Old Howling Bastard on the label:

Blue Point Brewing Company's “Old Howling Bastard”, named after an infamous local character , is a very strong ale with plenty of character all its own . Made with English 2-Row Barley and Vienna malt. Reaching an alcohol content of 10%, barleywine ales should be consumed in moderation. Its strong malty caramel flavors are balanced by lots and lots of fresh hops. Try this in a snifter or wine glass. Never forget, that after a few glasses, you may very-well become the “Old Howling Bastard!”

As Blue Point mentions, this is a hefty beer indeed at 10% ABV, but then this is about the range of American-style barleywine. The label on my bottle says the beer has 60 IBUs as well, and says the beer is “available Thanksgiving until we run out”. I first had the beer on tap at Taco Mac, ironically on February 13, 2013 shortly after the announcement that Blue Point had been sold. I wish I had taken notes on the beer young. I paid $7.99 for the bomber and I don’t recall how much for the draft.

Anyway, here’s how I found Old Howling Bastard with two years of age.

Blue Point Old Howling Bastard pours to a murky ruby color with a thick creamy head on a vigorous pour. Sniffing, I get a luscious bready malty nose, and taking a sip, the beer has truly delightful notes up front of fresh, chewy baked bread, rich caramel and soft notes of luscious fruit. In the finish, the hops are peppery and the alcohol helps to balance with its generous warmth. More than anything else though I love the malty bready notes and can’t help but think this is the perfect time to drink this one.

Really exceptional, the hops have definitely subsided with age on this one and allowed the malt and yeasty fruit notes to more fully emerge. I will be on the lookout for a fresh bottle to see how the ownership has changed the beer. The label, I’m sure, is going to be different.  

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

(G)=Growler

 



Home