UPDATED: DEC 4, 2020 355ml bottle [10.1% abv, 2012 vintage]. Clear, brown-ish, dark ruby colour with late awakening, small, creamy, fading, off-white head. Grassy, minimally perfumed and soapy, hoppy aroma, rather unspecific, malty background. Taste is sweet-ish, minimally sugary, caramel malty, bitter, slightly grassy, minimally herbal hoppy, a touch of mint and menthol, caramel with treacle, malt lozenge and liquorice aspects. Oily to viscous texture, super-soft, smooth, silky palate, very fine, soft carbonation. Balanced and harmonious, not overly rich - OK.

UPDATED: MAY 9, 2020 Bottle, 355 ml courtesy of Slaven. Shared with Miro B and Max. 2011 vintage. Hazy orange, beige head. Malty, caramel, just a tad sweet with bitter finish. Some tea notes. Bit disappointing at first, gets better later on. No carbonation.

UPDATED: MAR 2, 2020 Draught @ Ginger Man-NYC (2/26/20). Apparently not retired at all! Murky brown with large spongy beige head, light caramel aroma, low carbonation, bitter woodsy mocha/roasted malt taste, smooth body, long bitter finish. Very smooth and well covered ABV.

UPDATED: APR 13, 2019 Barley wine! Barley wine! Barley wine! Barley wine! Barley wine! Barley wine! Barley wine!

UPDATED: MAR 6, 2019 10.3% ABV- Not one of the better barleywines out there. Still a good beer, just thought it would be a little better since it's in the Brooklyn family. This is a 2011 bottle and seemed pretty fresh, so thinking and hoping this will get better with age. Saving one to open a few years from now with some other barleywines like Old Stock, Barleycorn, etc. Alcohol seemed a little too overpowering, which I've had plenty of 10-12% beers that had better drinkability. Appearance has more red tint and clearer than the average in this style. Not something I will get again, but curious to see how the single I'm saving will do with age.

UPDATED: DEC 31, 2018 Bottled, 355ml, aged 7yrs from Stirchley Wines, Stirchley, Birmingham. Dark copper with ruby hue and chunky beige head. Rich, slightly glutinous on the pour with a heady aroma of alcohol and malt. Really full on the palate, smooth with alcohol sweetness. Almond, marzipan, cake-like flavours, fruitiness. It's a sipper in front of a cracking fire and went well with a superb lamb hotpot. Decent beer.

04.04.2015, 0,35l bottle (2004 vintage) @ Akkurat Bar & Restaurant:
Nice creamy mediumlasting head. Aroma is very mild, raisins, riesling grape juice, butterscotch, grass, caramel malts, minerals, nuts, burnt candied sugar. Taste is very mild, butterscotch, nuts, raisins, hay, minerals, cereal, caramel malts, chocolate, alcohol, burnt candied sugar, grass. Medium bitterness, slightly dry mouthfeel. Not bad at all, very mild and balanced. It's just a little boring, I've had so much better before...

Couleur rouille trouble. Mousse légère et peu tenace. Nez caramel, toffee, Madère. Pas très intense. En bouche c'est aussi tourné sur le caramel, mais aussi un peu le chocolat et... la menthe. Il y a un petit quelque chose qui me dérange. L'alcool se fait pas mal ressentir. La bouche déçoit plus que le nez. J'ai envie de dire que ça manque de vieillissement, de vineux. Dans la catégorie Barley Wine, j'ai bu bien mieux. Déçu déçu déçu...

Bottle from Whole Foods Market Fair Lakes in Fairfax, VA Aroma: caramel, citrus, alcohol, dark fruits Appearance: opaque amber brown with a thin tan head Taste: medium sweetness, medium bitterness, Palate: medium body, creamy, soft carbonation, long finish, Delicious

UPDATED: OCT 28, 2018 Slight cloudy, dark golden pour with beige foam. Good sweet malt in the nose with dried fruit on the edges. The taste is sweet and fruity with a good hoppy background and bitter finish. Some complex flavors and strong alcohol burn at the end.