This may be a difficult review for some of you to read. You’re going to read about a beer that’s extremely hard-to-find. You won’t see it in bottles. It’s not distributed in kegs. In fact, you can only get it in Willimantic, Connecticut, at the Willimantic Brewing Company’s brewpub on Main St. Trust me; it’s worth the trip. I’ve enjoyed many a brew in my time, over 2600 different beers as I type. Among all those beers, I’ve enjoyed numerous different barleywine style ales, so called because of their high alcohol content and rather complex flavor array.

When one speaks of complexity in a beverage like beer or wine, he or she is referring to the different flavors and sensations present in the drink, and the ways in which they work together. Flavors may mix together like the fruitiness certain yeasts impart combined with hop citric character. They may be layered on top of each other, as a firm biscuity pale malt character is with buttery Ringwood yeast. Or they may not be present in large quantities, leaving us with a rather direct beer. Epinions has a scale for rating the complexity of beers, but curiously they have it backwards, granting one star for a very complex brew and five for a direct one.

Those who argue that beer is not as complex as wine need to sample a good barleywine. Thomas Hardy’s, Anchor Old Foghorn, or Rogue’s Old Crustacean are great examples. Tonight, however, I’ve just returned from sampling what may well be the finest barleywine I have ever drunk in my life. I don’t make that pronunciation lightly. This was one incredible brew, and I couldn’t wait to get home from the brewpub and let the world know about this beer.

I’ve had Willi Whammer in the past. It has always been an exceptional barleywine, but had not yet evolved into the spectacular brew I just sampled. Last January, I wrote these tasting notes about the beer:

On a recent visit to Willimantic Brewing Company, I managed to sample three years worth of this fine brew. All of the barleywines were amber in color with light carbonation and minimal head formation. The 1997 had a rich and sweet malty nose, palate was very high octane 9.5% alcohol, sweet malt, raisin, the perfect sipping beer for a cold winters night, this complex brew was my favorite of the three years brews I tasted.

The 1998 was similar with more sweet malt and alcohol, it had hints of vanilla and a scotch like finish however that I didn't get in the 1997. This one was thinner in body too, kind of reminded me of the draft Brooklyn Monster Barleywine I had at Redbones earlier in the year. Still lots of flavor here, an excellent brew.

Last was the 1999, this beer seemed much lighter in the nose but had more chewiness in the palate, some fruit too. This beer is quite drinkable at a young age.

Willimantic had aged three years worth of Whammer for a year 2000 tasting, which was a very nice touch. Tonight’s sampling was the 2001 Willi Whammer, aged six months and weighing in at 10.5% alcohol by volume. Served in a brandy snifter, It’s deep reddish brown in color with a thick creamy head, a sweet malty-fruity nose that strongly suggests pineapple and an incredibly full, rich mouthfeel. The palate absolutely explodes with flavor! Rich sweet malt, dark chocolate, pineapple, cake-like malt, orange, sweet sticky toffee, and fresh bread. The finish has a wonderful combination of huge alcohol warmth and potent lingering bitterness.

I know it’s not fair to tease you about this beer when it is so hard to find. But it’s not everyday one comes across a beer of this caliber, and I just had to get the word out about it. If you’re in the vicinity of this brewpub, make the trip. You can get directions from their website:
 

www.willibrew.com.



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