Tom Wolper wrote:
I saw on the tap that it's
> "barleywine style."

Thanks for that heads up. (I forget, does "barleywine style" have 2
buttons on a men's jacket or 3?)

The Feds, in the beginning of the micro boom, at least, wouldn't allow
the use of the term "barleywine" on a beer. ("How can beer be sold as
wine?", I'm sure they thought. "We must protect the white zinfindel
drinkers from accidentally buying this deceptively labeled product!"
Heaven knows what sort of shock goes through their regulatory minds when
they head over to the soda pop aisle <which they don't control> and see
"ginger ALE" and "root BEER" and "ginger BEER" and, if they're in the
right state, "Cheerwine". And forget "rum cake". Yet they still allow
Coors Light to be sold as "beer", go figure, right?)

At that time, most brewers in the US opted for the acceptable-to-the-ATF
"barleywine style ale" or "barley wine style ale"- seems they didn't
care if it's one word or two. Off hand I can't think of what the UK
brews come in as when some squeak through.

BUT, I noticed that this year's Old Salty from Heavyweight is labeled
"Barleywine Ale"...