On the Danish island of Funen, Ørbæk Bryggeri has long experimented with the line between beer and wine, and Bygvin is one of the clearest results - a full-bodied, oak-aged barley wine where malt alone carries the alcohol.
Expert description of Ørbæk Bygvin
Ørbæk Bygvin - Vintage Barley Wine is a Danish craft beer with a strength and character approaching wine. It is dry-hopped and fermented with wine yeast, giving it a character that sits somewhere between beer and wine. Malt alone provides the base for the alcohol, giving a full, warming body, while the hops contribute fresh notes of passion fruit and citrus along with a hint of dark berries and pine needles.
The oak ageing adds notes of nuts and vanilla, both from the wood itself and from its heat treatment. The beer is rich in tannins from both hops and oak, giving a depth usually found only in wood-aged wine - a beer built to lie in the cellar and develop over time.
Tasting Notes
Aroma
Passion fruit and citrus from the hops, seasoned with dark berries, pine needles and a hint of warm vanilla.
Taste
Full and warming with nuts, vanilla and a tannin-rich structure from the oak ageing.
Finish
Long, dry and wine-like with lingering notes of wood and dark fruit.
Specifications
Name: Ørbæk Bygvin - Vintage Barley Wine
Brewery: Ørbæk Bryggeri
Country/Region: Ørbæk, Funen, Denmark
Beer Style: Strong Ale (Barley Wine)
ABV: 12%
Size: 75 CL
Fermentation: Dry-hopped with wine yeast
Shelf Life: Long shelf life
Serving Suggestion: Best enjoyed at 12-14°C, pairs well with red meat, game or hearty stews
Flavour Profile
Malty · Full-bodied · Wine-like · Tannic
Did You Know?
Ørbæk Bygvin is fermented with wine yeast instead of regular ale yeast, which is one reason it tastes closer to wine than a typical barley wine.
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