Seattle - On Saturday, March 15th, Brouwer's Cafe announced the winners of the first annual Hard Liver Barleywine Festival People's Choice award. And the winner was none other than Anchorage Brewing's A Deal with the Devil Barleywine.

Brewery Description A Deal with the Devil

Barleywine style ale brewed with Galaxy Hops. A starting gravity of 37 Plato. Aged eleven months in Cognac barrels.

Much like previous years, there was additional winners who placed 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. The following brewery and beers (in order from 2nd to 4th) also won recognition.

2nd Lost Abbey Angel's Share Grand Cru

Our Angel’s Share is a barrel aged burgundy colored ale infused with copious amounts of dark caramel malt to emphasize the vanilla and oak flavors found in freshly emptied bourbon or brandy barrels. Each batch spends no less than 12 months aging in the oak. As with all of our beers, this beer is brewed for sinners and saints alike. So be an angel and share it with a friend or two.

ABV: 12.5%

AROMA: There are so many aspects at work in this beer. We have an inital impression from the oak aging of fortified wine and Port. There is a pleasing vanilla backdrop supported by some great sweet malt notes.

TASTE: An incredibly smooth and sweet beer with a long lasting finish. The Bourbon barrel aging of the beer results in a full bodied and luscious texture layered between fruit and malt
Barrel-Aged English Style Barleywine

3rd Firestone Walker §ucaba Barley Wine

A true English Barley wine. Big boozy bourbon and American oak aromas combine with soft chocolate malt undertones. Complex malt flavors framed in oak with hints of dark chocolate, vanilla, toasted coconut and a touch of dark cherry. A sipping beer best served in a Brandy snifter.

4th (tied) Green Flash Barleywine Style Ae (barrel-aged)

So that BW was aged in Heaven Hill barrels. For how long I do not know. They were forgotten about it seems until I found them. Want to say it was in the barrel for 4 years. It is 10.9%. I would describe it as a big boozy BW with flavors of toffee,mocha and hazelnut; there is a nice bourbon nose with a smooth rounded finish.

Alc. By Vol. 10.9% | IBUS: 85

4th (tied) Midnight Sun Arctic Devil

Arctic Devil Barley Wine, aptly named after the ferocious wolverine of the north, is an English-style (meaning malt-inclined) barley wine. Though the recipe and process for Arctic Devil have evolved over the years, it is brewed once a year then aged in oak barrels for several months before the entire batch is blended, bottled and released. Arctic Devil is released once a year in the fall … more

4th (tied) Alameda Ol Alger Bourbon barrel-aged 2012

As a celebration of our 1500th brew at Alameda we produced this amazingly, crazy barley wine last summer. Pushing the physical limits of our brewery we managed to cram 800 pounds of malted barley into our mash tun in order to create this 11% masterpiece of a beverage. Along with the malt, we poured nearly 20 pounds of the finest honey the northwest has to offer, harvested by the proprietor’s father on Alger Mountain northern Washington. All this barley and honey and we only produced 4 kegs!!! Only one keg will be served this year, so enjoy I twhile it lasts. Abv: 11% I.B.U.s: 90

As of Monday (March 17th) it's unclear if any of the beers awarded mention are still available. Stop by Brouwer's Cafe today and see for yourself.

Cheers