5 Seasons Bobs Gnarly Wine

Brewed by 5 Seasons Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Atlanta, Georgia USA

Draft@5 Seasons in a small brandy snifter (~8oz). Served quite cold, but nothing a few minutes of hand warming didn’t cure. The lighting was dim, but the hue appeared to be a fairly hazy red-brown with a thin, white head. Huge initial nose of light caramel, treacle, raisins and brown sugar (almost like dates). Hops are woodsy--a mix of freshly split hardwood and pine. Some toasted black walnuts show through as well. The flavor begins massively sweet with a prickly bitterness and pinpoint carbonation. Caramel, again, and even a hint of plums. Long finish redolent of a Sugar Daddy and noticeable (but not too strong) hops. Quite free of alcohol fusels. The mouthfeel is very thick, syrupy, with barely-cutting carbonation. Good balance and highly sipable.

Medium amber color. Rich creamy texture. Very full. hands were sticking to the glass. aroma of bananas, pecans, buttered toffee. candy caramel flavor. flavor of sweet malt with a distant bitter finish. Very balanced. Very strong.

Enjoyed at the brewpub with dinner. Moderately malty nose. Clear deep amber color, average white head with passable longevity and excellent lacing. Strong malt flavor, modest carmelization & bitterness, and a long finish. The maltiness and bitterness do not seem blended and lack depth and complexity. Full bodied, creamy mouthfeel, with a slight astringency. Drinkable but not what I was hoping for.

This pours hazy with a long lasting foamy head. Fruit and honey aroma. The flavor is sweet, but lacks the complexity that I was expecting to find in a Barleywine. I was hoping that it would come on as it warmed, but it simply drifted away.

Aged 10 months, sampled at the brewery. Lots of lace, a siipper, and very drinkable. Drinkable. Reminded me of Doggie Claws without the lovely orange taste. Glen the brewmaster said he is onto wood chips for the next batch, if not even the existing one. Rich and can be a solid one with more complexity.

As I had it with Shag and Ice, I will also have to concur that it tasted a lot like an IIPA. Very piney, citrusy, and hoppy for a BW. The alcohol wasn’t present as much as it is with other BW’s either. Not too shabby though, still very very enjoyable and of course, as with all 5 brews, very smooth.

I must agree with shag, this was a strange barley wine. It really did seem like an ipa, maybe even a double ipa. Oranges and a christmas tree dominate this brew.

This was an unusal take on a barley wine style. A dark orange appearance with little head. The aroma is citrus and pine similar to an IPA. The flavor was rather sweet with some grapefruit, caramel, and a piney presence. Despite the citrus in this it wasnt a hop fest either. Unlike any barleywine Ive ever had. Pretty good.