Chiltern Bodgers Barley Wine

First published in BEER December 2006 as part of a page about strong beers. See previous post for more strong beers.

ABV: 8.5 per cent
Origin: Terrick, Buckinghamshire, England
Website: www.chilternbrewery.co.uk

Chiltern Bodgers Barley Wine

Launched in 1980 and still run by the Jenkinson family, the Chiltern Brewery near Aylesbury is a rare survivor from the first wave of new micros. As well as brewing beer the company makes and sell a wide range of beer-related products, from Terrick Truckle beer cheese to hop scented cologne.

But its most renowned product is this notable bottle conditioned barley wine, with sepia tinted labels showing a local bodger – a craftsperson who makes chairs and other items from greenwood poles – at work in the 1920s.

A pure pale malt grist results in a rich golden-amber colour, which in my sample poured slightly hazy with a bubbly white head. Challenger, Fuggles and Goldings provide the hop character.

The complex aroma has notes of plummy fruit, olives, coal tar soap and rich malt. The luxuriously malty palate turns beautifully aromatic in the mouth, with phenol, petrol, liqueur marmalade and chewy hops.

The drying finish is lightly bitterish and slightly mouth numbing with chewy orange notes and a touch of mint.

Bodgers demonstrates that strong British beers don’t have to be dark and brooding: it’s essentially a bitter racked up several degrees in strength and complexity, with much to reward the attentive sipper but preserving its drinkability to perilous effect.

One minor niggle is the 500ml bottle which is far too big for a beer of this strength: it deserves a smaller and more elegant package.

NOTE: Partly prompted by this review, the beer has since been made available in smaller bottles.

See next post for more strong beers.

Read more about this beer at ratebeer.com: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/chiltern-bodgers-barley-wine/13164/