Beer Dainton Beer Apple Brandy Barrel-Aged Barley Wine

A Dainton Beer without a pun-heavy name and colourful can? Could this be a new direction for the Melbourne brewery? Well, not quite as Apple Brandy Barrel-Aged Barley Wine has the brewery's hallmark combination of a lot of booze - 14.1 percent ABV in fact - and balance while coming wrapped in an old timey can.

But it’s more than just the can’s typeface that is traditional, with the beer made using a prolonged boil and classic English malts before being aged in brandy barrels for six months. Those barrels have certainly left their mark too, with a heft waft of caramelised apple coming from the beer as soon as you crack the can. That continues on the palate, where a rich mix of golden syrup, prunes and stewed stone fruit.

Will Ziebell