Craft brewers have a fondness for the unusual. Not necessarily in their beers -- IPAs account for more than their share of the market -- but when it comes to naming rights.

At least the folks at Mark Twain Brewing Company in Hannibal have some guidelines. They serve Jim’s River Rye, for instance, and Jumping Frog IPA.

Referencing Twain’s work is part of the fun. But brewers Dave Alley and Cat Golden also play around with the tools at hand.

Ol’ Pudd’n Head is a barleywine presented in two forms. The first is relatively traditional, taking its lead from malt and alcohol -- a 10.5 percent belt.

The brew confronts you with a bitter yet somewhat subdued coffee note, like an Americano with an attitude. Swirling within are impressions of toffee and torched bread, softened by a mellow vanilla.

On the finish, a spicy cola note develops.

Barleywines are prized for the nuances gained more from malt and aging than the addition of hops. So for their second edition of Ol’ Pudd’n Head the brewers rested the beer in barrels.

Time in wood tames the alcohol just a bit, although it still weighs in at 10 percent. The brew also becomes more expressive -- chirping with cherry, a hoarse chicory, the smoky cedar of a time-honored lounge and more.

The barrel aged version teeters between sweet and sour throughout, yet wraps with a gentle notion of cherry cola.

Barleywines do not belong in the wine category, mind you. The name comes from their higher alcohol content and their ability to develop over time.

Mark Twain -- the brewery, not the author -- shows the wisdom of selling no barleywine before its time.