A barleywine is the latest beer from Prison City Pub & Brewery to earn national recognition.
The downtown Auburn brewpub's Chin Check, a 9.7-percent ABV take on the strong ale style, finished No. 25 in of 62 barleywines from breweries across America. The tasting was conducted by Paste Magazine, the same publication that Prison City's Mass Riot India pale ale No. 1 in a blind tasting of 247 IPAs in August 2016.Â
Paste published the results of its latest tasting Tuesday. Chin Check finished ahead of entries from nationally established breweries like Dogfish Head, Lagunitas and Rogue.
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"This was one of the only beers to really overtly combine the juicy, tropical and citrus-forward hop profile so favored in current American IPA with the booze and slightly syrupy malt flavors more expected of barleywine, and the result was something that isn’t all that far off from DIPA or triple IPA," the magazine said. "Although there are other hop-forward barleywines in this ranked portion of the list, Prison City’s was probably the most modern of them in terms of presentation."
Though Chin Check is not currently on tap at Prison City, a version of it that's been aged in Four Roses bourbon barrels is.
The barleywine joins Mass Riot, barrel-aged stouts Ìý²¹²Ô»å , and in Prison City Pub & Brewery's trophy case. Dawn and Marc Schulz the brewpub in December 2014, and recently $900,000 from the state to help build where brewer Ben Maeso can raise his annual production from 900 barrels to more than 10,000.
Gallery: Cayuga County's new craft beer scene
From left, Joe Shelton and Mark Grimaldi are the brewers and owners of Aurora Ale and Lager Co.
Growlers are on display at the recently opened Aurora Ale and Lager Co.
From left, Mark Grimaldi and Joe Shelton are the brewers and owners of Aurora Ale and Lager Co.
Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing Co. owners Derric Slocum and Kristen Lunkenheimer-Slocum stand in front of their truck and brewery in Weedsport in 2015.
Kristen Lunkenheimer-Slocum prepares a flight of beer at Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing Co. in Weedsport in June 2015.
A flight of beer is prepared at Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing Co. in Weedsport in 2015.
Brewer Ben Maeso gets help from his brother Dan Maeso with mashing grains at Prison City Pub & Brewery in Auburn in July 2015.
Head brewer Ben Maeso mashes grains at Prison City Pub & Brewery in Auburn July 16.
Prison City Pub & Brewery head brewer Ben Maeso and owner Dawn Schulz work together to promote their house-made craft beer and pub-style food.
Grain sits ready to be mashed at Prison City Pub & Brewery in Auburn. Mashing is the process of extracting flavor and sugar from grains combined with water. The mixture is then heated to make it a more easily fermentable substance.
Ben Maeso gets help from his brother Dan Maeso with mashing grains at Prison City Pub & Brewery in Auburn July 16, 2015.
Hop pellets will be incorporated during the brewing process at Prison City Pub & Brewery in Auburn July 16.
Garrett Shepherd serves a beer as his mom, Debbie DiNardo, helps behind the bar June 19 at The Good Shepherds Brewing Co. in Auburn.
Garrett Shepherd serves a beer to musician Brian Clare June 19 at The Good Shepherds Brewing Co. in Auburn.
The Good Shepherds Brewing Co. is one of four breweries to open its doors in Cayuga County in the last year.
A beer rests on the windowsill at The Good Shepherds Brewing Co. in Auburn.
Garrett Shepherd talks to a customer as his mom, Debbie DiNardo, helps behind the bar June 19 at The Good Shepherds Brewing Co. in Auburn.
Mike Sigona, owner of Thirsty Pug Craft Beer Market, pours a beer with his new tap system. Sigona recently expanded from carrying a variety of craft beers in cans and bottles by adding a six-tap system that offers "hard to get" draught beers.
An IPA from the Thirsty Pug Craft Beer Market in the Genesee Center mall on Genesee Street in Auburn.
The Thirsty Pug Craft Beer Market offers a vast variety of craft beer in the Genesee Center mall on Genesee Street in Auburn.
The Thirsty Pug Craft Beer Market offers a variety of craft beer in the Genesee Center mall on Genesee Street in Auburn.
Lake Life Editor David Wilcox can be reached at (315) 282-2245 or david.wilcox@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter .
David Wilcox
Executive editor
