The Barley Mow mow"); if one's glass is not empty by the final verse, one must finish the drink after singing the line. A barley mow is a stack (mow) of barley, especially barley that was cultivated and then harvested. Barley is a grain that is commonly malted for brewing beer. The verses of "The Barley Mow" wish good luck to various sizes of vessels of alcoholic beverages, and lastly to the barley mow, a venerable reserve of one of beer's key ingredients. Later verses supplement this list with roles and occupations associated with beer, from brewing, to distribution, to serving in public
Barley wine Barley wine Barley wine is a style of strong ale of between 6-11% or 8-12% alcohol by volume. It is also sometimes written as one word, barleywine. In Ancient Armenia, a style of fermented grain beverage was referred to as "κρίθινος οἶνος" ("krithinos oinos") - "barley wine", by the Greek historian Xenophon, who mentioned to have experienced it, while being in Armenia, in his work "Anabasis" and Polybius in his work "The Histories". These barley wines would be dissimilar to modern examples as their mention predates the use of hops (a key component in modern barley wines) by several centuries.