The Brü Revü – Real Ale Sisyphus

Real Ale’s Sisyphus is their version of a barleywine and according to the label, was their first seasonal product.  I know barleywines are usually better with some age, but the word on Sisyphus is it is incredible fresh since it is made with a load of hops. The bottle I sampled was about 3 months old according to the bottle date, which is not a lot of aging time for a barleywine.  When I opened it I could easily see why it’s great fresh.  The pungent citrus hop aroma crept out of the bottle as soon as I popped the top and I knew this was going to be awesome.  The beer poured a copper color with very little head and the aroma continued to entice.  The first sip was exceptional.  There was a nice citrus, grapefruit hop bitterness at the front that quickly dissipated into a smooth caramel and toffee malt body. It had a full mouthfeel and medium to full body that you would expect from such a substantial brew with no harshness and not overly boozy.  It is definitely a hoppy Barleywine that really blew me away.  Maybe the 3 months took a bit of the hop edge and bitterness out of the Sisyphus because I thought it was just the right amount without being overly biting.  The typical barleywine flavors were allowed to assert themselves and play nicely with the grapefruit hop undertones.  A really wonderful brew that keeps Real Ale on the forefront of the Texas brewing scene. 

Real Ale Sisyphus