Summer is ending and thiccboi season is about to be upon us. To bridge the gap between seltzer days and high abv autumnal negligence, @urbanrootsbeer has provided us this succor. If you are old enough to remember Peter Hoey of Odonata fame, then you are entitled to a Rorie’s Ale veteran discount. Peter and Rob Archie decided to open up a bbq spot in where else Sacramento, California’s capitol, famous for bbq and train museums. The beer itself seems to be a playful take on an unwieldy style, a svelte poolside barleywine. The 10% abv isn’t exactly hiking refreshment and it drinks like a lightly sweeter Old Numbskull. Without barrel aging to contribute the depth and Dremel down the edges, it feels boozier than it should.

There’s a C-hop bite to it that nods towards mid 2000s Classic barleywines albeit in that “oh you brought Old Horizontal” sort of way. It’s well crafted and could stand some time in casky captivity. The Malty structure works but is too boozy and resinous for summer, not hefty enough for frigid Sacramento winters. At any rate I love seeing breweries release barleywine in general and can only imagine @sunkingbrewing was furtively rubbing their hands together praying for a barrel treatment. It’s pretty deece, albeit not earth-shattering.

Also this episode went live today.