Style: American Barleywine
ABV: 11%
Presentation: Single 341 ml brown bottle
Brewery: Alley Kat Brewing
Country: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

“My legs may be tottery, I must go slow/And be careful of Old Deuteronomy!”  Well then, it will most certainly help if you are in a seated position when sampling Alley Kat’s eponymous tribute to one of the main character’s of T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.  Olde Deuteronomy is a barleywine that this brewery has been producing as a seasonal every year or two since 1995, and landed Alley Kat a gold medal in 1997 at the World Beer Championships.

As far as the pedigree regarding this unique ale of British origin is concerned, in a way it comes down to the case of “the butler did it!”  Following the centuries after the Norman invasion of England the nobility of the land acquired a taste for wine, which their new ruling class would import from back home in France.  Of course all of those irritating subsequent wars between England and France would continually cut off steady supplies of their grape goodness.  However by the early 1700’s the scientific knowledge and technology of British brewers was at a level to match the quality of what their vintner rivals could produce, and provide a homegrown, complexly flavoured, high alcohol substitute.

Now while the actual name “barley wine” was only coined sometime in the early 19^th century, this style also went by several other names since its inception, such as malt wine, malt liquor, October beer or Dorchester beer.  Most certainly a product for and of the aristocracy, you wouldn’t find a barley wine in a public house for centuries to follow.  Since most country homes of the gentry had their own personal brew houses on site, it came down to the responsibility of the household butler to craft these barley wines, not just for the enjoyment of their masters, but also to represent the entire estate and impress dinner guests and visiting nobility.  Imagine several generations of butlers competing and trying to out-do one another to bestow bragging rights and regional recognition for the manor by the beer that they produced.  No pressure Jeeves, no pressure….

A  note of interest here, the first beer to actually be commercially marketed as a barleywine was Bass No.1 in 1903, from Burton on Trent.  Chances are there were no butlers involved with it.

Due to its intricacies and above normal alcohol content a barleywine could take months, if not years in order to age and mature properly, adding yet another element to its exclusive status.  It could then be aged for years more, providing the opportunity to create annual vintages, and allow for vertical tastings in years to come.  Usually considered the richest and strongest in character of the traditional ales, the newer American craft version of barleywine tends to be even higher in alcohol, and of course with a liberal hop presence as well.  Olde Deuteronomy falls into the latter category.

Barley wine is a style whose nomenclature directly hints towards proper glassware.  Stemware is highly recommended, be it a goblet or chalice, while a large brandy snifter will also offer the best of all worlds.  While this style was traditionally served at room or cellar temperature, it wouldn’t hurt to allow the bottle to warm for up to half an hour after pulling it from the fridge.

Since it will be the most accessible version available at the moment I’m going to go through a specific description of the 2009 vintage of Olde Deuteronomy.  After the pour expect a short creamy off-white head capping a bright translucent ruby-brown body in appearance.  Rising from the glass can be detected notes of caramel and toffee malt, raisin sweetness, some alcohol warmth, with the slightest hint of grassy hops.  The mouthfeel is medium-bodied across the tongue and palate, starting off a bit sticky yet finishing with a sherry-like dryness.  While this style is bold yet full of nuance, most people’s palates will be able to detect some caramel malt up front in the flavour, date-like sweetness in the middle, with an earthy dry finish.  Since this vintage has only been released the past little while, as it ages the flavour and character will grow and change at an intermittent rate.

Such a bold ale tends to usually be consumed on its own, and nursed for a good chunk of time at that.  Yet the British aristocracy had been pairing it with some robust Stilton for centuries, given you feel the urge to nibble a bit while you sip.  On that note consider other aged, sharp, ripe cheeses to match Olde Deuteronomy up with, such as Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola.  A rich carrot cake or Christmas cake should hold up well enough too.  In fact it wouldn’t hurt to start out with a full stomach to begin with if cheese or cake isn’t your thing.  Moderation is also suggested, lest you end up quoting the venerable T.S. Eliot poem yourself:  “My sight’s unreliable, but I can guess/That the cause of the trouble is Old Deuteronomy!”

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
Aprikat
Full Moon Pale Ale
Alley Kat Amber
Charlie Flint’s Original Lager
Pumpkin Pi Spiced Ale

In-Style:
Rogue Old Crustacean
Brooklyn Monster Ale
Mill St. Barleywine
Thomas Hardy’s Ale