BEER REVIEW: 311
BREWER: Banks’s Brewery, West Midlands, England
STYLE: Strong Ale
ABV: 7.4%
VESSEL: 330ml tin
DATE OF POST: 22nd September 2023
SAMMY SAY’S…
I’m going to be upfront with you: Barley Gold filled me with fear before drinking.
Why?
It’s can looks bloomin’ awful and it’s packing quite the abv for such a brew. This conjures up the impression that I’m about to embark on a drinking experience that many a down and out has before me. And their reason for drinking isn’t to test the beer; it’s to escape reality.
Anyway, with my reality fully in check here’s what I think of Barley Gold:
It’s not as bad as I feared. But let’s be clear, that doesn’t make it good, because it isn’t.
There’s not much going on in the drinking, as in, there’s not many notes or high points. It’s very much like a strong lager with some sweetness and maltiness. There’s a lingering gacky aftertaste. I guess this is not at all surprising.
Apparently Barley Gold is an award winning beer. What award? Who knows… When? Anyone’s guess.
This is not my type of beer. It’s passable and that’s the best I can say for it. While it might not have me pulling on my saliva glands like I originally thought, it’s not setting anything alight either.
Sammy’s Rating: 33%
JYMI SAY’S…
Right, first thing that struck me when viewing this offering that Sammy brought to the testing table was, blimey, this reminds me of the Gold Label tin.
Now for those of you not familiar with Gold Label, it’s the brew that the BIG drinkers used to neck back in the 90’s and may well still do so to this day. GL was a 10% Barley Wine. I have never touched it so cannot really comment on whether it’s any good or not but as far as I’m concerned if the pissheads were buying it because it was cheap and strong, it probably wasn’t amounting to much.
However, our beer today, I was slightly relieved to find out, is just a Strong Ale weighing in at a mere 7.4%!
Even though this is still punchy as, it’s not stratospheric in ABV. But this brews instant downfall is the fact it tastes WAY TOO BOOZY!!! Crazy statement you would think but only a year or so ago we reviewed an 11.1% Triple IPA that only tasted like it was 5 maybe 6%. In today’s world of brewing, just because a beer is 7.4% does not mean that it will definitely taste strong! Not that there is anything wrong with strong but mega BOOZY, no, not for me anyway.
And it’s a bit of a shame because there is some promise in this brew. There is tonnes of flavour, though good luck picking out individual notes. And once into the beer it does drink OK to be fair. There is a very bitter middle which helps BG along nicely, and is very much needed.
Did I enjoy Barley Gold? Not really no.
Would I have another? Probably not.
Is it somehow close to being actually quite good? Yeah, it kinda is.
More care and a few tweaks needed, but as it stands, not great.
Jymi’s Rating: 44%
MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 38.5%
MOB review next weekend: THE RIDGE by HARVIESTOUN BREWERY

Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017
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M O B 2023







