Strong ale and barley wine selections include multiple Old World and New World beer styles that are big in flavor and generally high in alcohol – 6 percent ABV or higher – yet do not fall into another established category. So intense flavors and high alcohol earn these big beers the “strong” adjective, which provides a way to group them for discussion and categorize them within the myriad styles across the beer spectrum.
English Strong Ale, Old Ale, Scottish Ale, Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy, American Strong Ale and American Black Ale are all individual styles that are generally strong in flavor and high alcohol. Emerging styles, such as American Double/Imperial Red Ale, often fall into this strong beer category as well.
Barley Wine is also strong in flavor and typically at the high end of the ABV scale. A historical connection to English Strong Ale and Old Ale further connects Barley Wine to this category.
rom the mid-1800s through early 1900s in England, the word “mild” in beer parlance referred to freshly brewed beer. Mild ale could be low, medium or high (strong) in alcohol, and a “Strong Mild Ale” indicated a high-alcohol, freshly brewed beer. Strong ale purposefully aged by the brewery was called Old Ale upon its release to market. Old Ale was always high in alcohol, since low-alcohol beers were not suitable for aging, as they would spoil and be unpalatable rather than age gracefully and develop desirable flavor characteristics.
Concurrently, the capital letter X was used as a grading system to indicate general alcohol strength, with higher strength indicated by more Xs, such as XXXX ale (old or mild). X and XX were just mild ales of slightly different grades but nevertheless intended to be consumed soon.
During the late 1800s, English brewers in Burton-on-Trent began to use “Barley Wine” (or barleywine) on product labels and in product promotions. Some beers previously labeled “strong ale” reappeared as “barley wine.” Brewers seemed to use this new moniker to indicate their product was as strong as wine but made with grains, such as barley, which were considered healthier than grapes.
Advertisements espoused the health benefits of barley wine for malnutrition, indigestion, insomnia, debilitations of any cause and even for nursing mothers. Doctors often received samples as encouragement to recommend or prescribe barley wine to their patients.
To this day, the color, aroma, flavor and ABV levels among some modern examples of strong ale, old ale and barley wine can seem blurry—and that’s even before you’ve consumed any! Nevertheless, these style designations have endured, and with the adoption of these style names by American craft brewers, they’ll likely be part of beer nomenclature for the foreseeable future.
APPEARANCE
Color: Light amber to virtually black
Clarity: Generally clear, though some haziness may be present. Aged or bottle conditioned examples may be opaque.
Head: Full to none, depending on style and alcohol level, with higher ABV beers having little to no head formation or retention.
AROMA AND TASTE
Malts: Sweet, caramel and toffee-like to dark and roast
Hops: Generally mild to moderate in Old World styles up to strong aromas, flavors and bitterness in some American styles
Yeast: Esters provide balance and complexity and may be stronger in some styles.
Other: Vinous (sherry or aged wine-like) character may be evident in some barley wines. Cellar-aged examples may exhibit flavor-enhancing levels of oxidation.
MOUTH-FEEL
Consistency: Silky smooth to chewy
Carbonation: Delicate to creamy
Body: Medium to full
Finish: Generally long and often dry, due to alcohol content