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Barley wines' colour ranges from a translucent deep amber, to cloudy mohagany (left), to an almost black opaque (right.)

Barley wine or Barleywine is a style of strong ale originating in England in the nineteenth century (derived from the March or October beers of the 18th century) but now brewed worldwide. The term was originally coined around 1900 by Bass to refer to their No. 1 Ale. It is the strongest member of the bitter family of styles.

A barley wine typically reaches an alcohol strength of 8 to 12% by volume and is brewed from specific gravities as high as 1.120. It is called a barley wine because it can be as strong as wine; but since it is made from grain rather than fruit, it is in fact a beer. In the United States barley wines are required for this reason to be called "barley wine-style ales." This is taken by some to imply that they are not truly barley wines; in fact it only means that they, like any barley wines, are not truly wines.

Its natural sweetness is usually balanced with a degree of hoppy bitterness.

This beer is meant for slow sipping and savoring of its fruity, high-alcohol and well-aged character. It is brewed most often to celebrate events. Because they contain a lot of hops and have a high alcohol content, some barley wines are aged for years, much like wines.

Most barley wines range in colour from ambers to deep reddish-browns. Though until the introduction of Whitbread Gold Label in the 1950s, Barley Wines were always dark in colour.

• Original gravities: 1.090-1.120;
• Alcohol: 8.5-29 percent;
• Bitterness: 50-100 IBU (International Bitterness Units);
• Color: 24-48 EBC (European Brewery Convention)

• Old ale

• CAMRA description of Barley Wine

• Olde Deuteronomy from Alley Kat Brewing Company
• Solstice d'été from Dieu du Ciel
• St-Ambroise Vintage Ale from McAuslan Brewing Company
• Burlywine from Half Pints Brewing Company

• Smithwick's Barley Wine from Diageo

• Bass No 1 Barley Wine from White Shield Brewery (brewed occasionally)
• Bodger's Barley Wine from Chiltern Brewery
• Elizabethan Ale from Harvey's
• Gold Label from Whitbread
• Golden Pride from Fuller's
• Old Nick from Young's
• Old Tom from Robinson's
• Samuel Smith's Strong Golden Barley Wine from Samuel Smith, Tadcaster
• Thomas Hardy's Ale from O'Hanlon's, Devon

• Nils Oscar Barley Wine from Nils Oscar Bryggeri och Bränneri

• Monster Ale from Brooklyn Brewery
• Old Horizontal from Victory Brewing Company
• Olde School from Dogfish Head Brewery (15% ABV)
• Third Coast Old Ale from Bell's Brewery
• Bigfoot Ale from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
• Old Crustacean from Rogue Ales
• Old Foghorn from Anchor Brewing Company

v • d • e Styles of beer
Ale · Lager · Lambic
English beer	Barley wine  · Bitter  · Brown ale  · Imperial stout  · India Pale Ale  · Mild  · Old ale  · Porter · Stout
Belgian beer	Dubbel  · Enkel  · Flanders red ale · Oud bruin · Saison · Tripel  · Witbier  · Lambic
German beer	Altbier  · Bock · Dortmunder Export · Dunkel  · Helles  · Kellerbier · Kölsch · Märzen  · Roggenbier  · Schwarzbier · Smoked beer  · Wheat beer
American beer	Amber ale · American pale ale · American-style lager  · Cream ale · Steam beer
Other	Baltic porter  · Bière de Garde  · Irish red ale  · Pale ale  · Pilsener  · Scotch ale  · Vienna lager
See also	History of beer