Last year’s [regular old] Straight Jacket had a paradigm shift of sorts. The Chicago sleeper used to enjoy long rests on shelves in distro but with a tectonic palate shift now embracing all things Barley: Rolos are now part of the milieu. So last year I know they back blended 30% of the inimitable VSOJ to temper the usual sweetness and the oaky depth was evident. As a result, the usually tame release last year was a packed house that sold out variants. Then @revbrewchicago really lit themselves up by canning VSOJ, and suddenly even bluntpalate London ale III boys were interested. As a result cans of that now flip for $40 and we are witnessing cracks in the firmament. But ROSJ is our bulwark. Surely there’s too much of it for shitlord flippers to poison this water hole. Well get ready for a snake 🐍 in your boot 🥾 because this year has even more oak and way less of the residual toffee sweetness. It feels older and older and I suspect they @fremontbrewing this with some 18 month barrels stepping on that fresh brown sugar powder. The nose has a Darjeeling dryness, lacquer, planed lumber. It feels far older and in a way reminds me of that eagle rare 17 where you suspect there’s far older casks being blended in. The taste has some bananas fosters and then gives the stage for leather, allspice, hardcandies, and bread pudding. Mouthfeel is slick and the oiliest this side of Very Special orange juice. It has a heft unlike the other barleyesque deep wood offerings and the entire affair aligns with the likes of Barrel Aged Behemoth 2 year, blurring the line between the American cask and English base beer, the way the best barleywines always do. It’s absolutely hilarious that this is in cans and it almost feels like some Earth First activist taking a loss to spread the gospel. This beer requires contemplation and shouldn’t be this mobile or accessible. Rev continues to completely subvert the market and like the Mars Volta of malt, almost aesthetically shames everyone else into improvement by way of contrast. I don’t even want to play bass anymore. #barleywine #bil #barleywineislife #chicagobeer #chicago #revolution #instabeer #beerstagram #bourbon #barrelaged