Barley wine has strong appeal

Sensuous is not a word most beer drinkers are used to hearing applied to the brews they drink. But this is precisely the word used to describe barley wine by Michael Jackson (no, not the King of Pop, the renowned beer writer -- maybe we should call him the King of Beer).

The term barley wine, Jackson explains in his "Beer Companion," has been used since the 1700s by British ale producers to designate their strongest beers. These malty, port- and sherry-like brews had alcohol contents approaching (and sometimes surpassing) those of wine. The name has been adopted by many American craft brewers for their strongest ales.

Jackson, by the way, isn't the only one to wax rhapsodic about a strong beer. Thomas Hardy's Ale, a beloved English barley wine named after the author, quotes Hardy on the bottle label as calling his favorite Dorchester ale "luminous as an autumn sunset."

So what is it about barley wines that has so many beer lovers giddy as schoolgirls? They are rich, voluptuous, complex beers that will open up as they sit in a glass, and they're smooth, warming, and very easy to drink. The alcohol content is between 8 and 12 percent by volume.

English barley wines tend to be softer, more elegant, and more sherry-like than their American cousins, with notes of raisin, caramel, toffee, and some subtle fruitiness. On this side of the Atlantic, many brewers are making beers that are big and brash and hoppy when they're young, but they also have hints of toffee, caramel, and even chocolate, and they age like a boutique bourbon.

Some producers release their barley wines only once a year, during the winter, and many, such as Sierra Nevada's Big Foot, have inspired a near cult following. "Every January we start getting anxious calls wanting to know when [the Big Foot] will be in," says KaMar Gomez, operations manager at Downtown Wine & Spirits in Davis Square.

Barley wine fans are drawn to the diversity and range of flavors within the style, says Alan O'Campbell, Downtown's general manager. Another reason they're so interesting, he says, is that many of them change over time. "A lot of people don't know that there are beers that are worthy of aging." Many barley wines, notes O'Campbell, "not only change, they get better."

Many strong beers can be aged if there is still yeast active in the bottle. These beers can be laid down for several years if kept away from light and heat.

O'Campbell has been laying down bottles of barley wine in Downtown's basement since 1986, and last year he held the store's first barley wine and ageable ale tasting. Because the store has such an extensive collection, he was able to do several vertical flights (these beers could send you flying, but a vertical flight simply means sampling several vintages from the same producer).

Next month, O'Campbell and Gomez will hold the second annual barley wine tasting at Downtown. "Last year we tasted about 50 beers," says O'Campbell, "but that was a little overwhelming. This year it will be about 25."

Those who appreciate barley wine are drawn to the ritual of tasting as well as to the beer itself. "To get a dusty bottle of barley wine from the basement -- there's a little romance in that," O'Campbell says. "There's a ceremony attached to drinking barley wine. It demands your respect."

Indeed, and it better get your respect or the vertical flights might leave you horizontal.

Ann Cortissoz can be reached at acortissoz@globe.com.