Fremont Brew 7000 Barrel Aged Barleywine 2023
13.9% ABV | 22oz bottle | English-style barleywine | 16 months in 10–15-year-old single-use bourbon barrels | Released April 22, 2023 — Fremont Brewing Brew 7000 is the beer the Seattle brewery made to celebrate its 7000th brew: an English-style barleywine built on floor-malted English barley and Noble hops, then aged 16 months in 10–15-year-old single-use bourbon barrels. The brand calls it "a gift for now that will continue to give many years from now should you have the patience to wait" — it's built to cellar. Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.
Sixteen months in well-seasoned bourbon wood gives it the full treatment: toffee, brown sugar, dates, and dried fruit over woody, boozy aromatics, with a sweet, warming, slightly mouthwatering palate. It scored 93 points and Gold at the Beverage Tasting Institute (Dec 2023), with notes of pralines in chocolate sauce, demerara sugar, prune, rich leather, and maduro tobacco. Among barrel-aged barleywines, a 13.9% English-style ale in genuinely old bourbon barrels is a cellar cornerstone. IBU 30; ruby-brown color.
Tasting notes
Aroma: toffee, brown sugar, dates, dried fruit, cereals, woody and boozy aromatics. Flavor: sweet with slight lingering sweetness, subtle umami, medium body, tingling carbonation, warming. (Official brewery notes; 93 pts Gold — Beverage Tasting Institute.)
Why buy it from Del Mesa Liquor
- 13.9% ABV — brewed for Fremont's 7000th brew, released April 2023
- 16 months in 10–15-year-old single-use bourbon barrels
- English-style barleywine: Maris Otter malt, Noble hops
- 93 points, Gold — Beverage Tasting Institute (2023)
- Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor
How to serve it
Serve at cellar temperature (50–55°F) in a snifter; lay a bottle down for a year or more and it will keep evolving.
Frequently asked questions
What is Brew 7000?
Fremont's 7000th brew — a special English-style barleywine aged 16 months in single-use bourbon barrels, released April 22, 2023.
Can I age it?
Yes — the brewery explicitly designed it for cellaring; it will develop for years.
What barrels were used?
10–15-year-old single-use bourbon barrels; the specific distilleries are not named.
Is it very bitter?
No — 30 IBU; it's a malt-forward, sweet-leaning barleywine.