Apr 12, 2018

D9 Brewing King’s Bridge

I don’t know squat about North Carolina’s D9 Brewing (formed in 2014). I happened to pick up this bottle of the company’s King’s Bridge, an English-style barleywine, because I was in the mood for one and, quite honestly, I liked the label’s artwork. Turns out, this 12% ABV brew hits all the right marks for what I look for in a rich and malty barleywine. And will have me keeping an eye out for any of the brewery’s other products should they make it up this way in the future.

King’s Bridge is rich and malty with a big, warming character. Bread, caramel, raisin, distant herbal notes and grain all present themselves in a cohesive, balanced manner. There’s a soft bite of hop bitterness that keeps the malt sweetness in check, but it’s nothing in terms of what an American barleywine would present. This is the type of beer that I adore on a cold Winter’s evening. It’s got that comforting quality that is ideal for colder weather.

This is also the type of beer that I would love to cellar for a bit. I don’t think it would do well for long term, but maybe a couple of years to see how everything comes together. The only problem will be trying to find a few more bottles as they have been absent from shelves in recent trips. Perhaps next year.