[4] In 1983, Sierra Nevada Brewing released Bigfoot Barleywine, becoming the second barley wine label in the United States.

[5] Barley wine typically reaches an alcohol strength of 6 to 12% by volume and is brewed from specific gravities as high as 1.120; equal to 320g/L of sugars.

[5] The two primary styles of barley wine are the American, which tends to be hoppier and more bitter, with colours ranging from amber to light brown[6] and the English style, which tends to be less bitter and may have little hop flavour, with more variety in colour ranging from red-gold to opaque black.

[citation needed] Beer writer Michael Jackson referred to a barley wine by Smithwick's thus: "This is very distinctive, with an earthy hoppiness, a wineyness, lots of fruit and toffee flavours."

[11] Barley wines, such as Thomas Hardy's Ale, are sometimes labelled with a production date, as they are intended to be aged, sometimes extensively.