 daknole (2810), Plantation, Florida, USA
Jul 27, 2009 Tap. Damn good barleywine here!! I must meet Crawford! Cloudy brown pour, light tan head. Aroma is damn fine! Caramel, raisins, oak, prunes, brown sugar and even a touch of maple syrup. Flavor? HELL YEAH! Sweet but not cloying. Toffee, caramel,woody notes, port wine, raisins. Good stuff. No, DAMN good stuff!
GAManiac (1123), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
May 27, 2009 Bottle courtesy of Crawford, poured into a snifter.
Pours a deep murky caramel brown with a short-lived off-white head that receded to a collar and leaves spotty lacing.
The aroma is fantastic and has tons of caramel, toffee, raisins and hints of booze. There is also some earthy tones and maybe some wood as well.
The taste is just as good, if not better. The backbone is sugary sweet with brown sugar and lots of caramel malts. The dark fruits come out in the middle before the earthy tones come back in the finish. The alcohol is present just enough to leave a little burn going down but not distracting in any way.
The mouthfeel is super smooth and dessert-like. It’s got a minimal soft carbonation that helps lend this one to sipping.
Despite it being a sipper, I found myself getting through this bottle way too fast. A great barleywine.
hopdog (5534), Lansdale, Pennsylvania, USA
Apr 11, 2009 22oz bottle acquired in trade. Poured a deep amberish/orangish/brownish color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, nutty, dark fruits, and a little woody and earthy. Tastes of caramel, toffee, dark fruits, lighter citrus, and lighter woodiness. Sweeter. Light to medium alcohol burn in the finish, but overall well hidden.
Dickinsonbeer (3434), Hoboken, New Jersey, USA
Feb 11, 2009 Cask. Pours a nice ruby red slight haze with a nice lasting thin head. Great fruity ester aroma- raisin, plum, and slight apple, tons of big malts, caramel and toffee with light earth and tobacco. Slight phenolic bubblegum hint in flavor- smooth syrupy caramel malts, hints of maple, and molasses, with more toffee smoothness. Great mouthfeel and ridiculously smooth.
hopscotch (5440), Vero Beach, Florida, USA
Feb 9, 2009 Hand bottle... This beer rocks!... Cloudy caramel-colored ale with a ruby/orange tint and a small, fat-bubbled, off-white head. The aroma is a malty, robust swirl of pear, wood, caramel, red wine, brown sugar, cinnamon, roasted nuts and a hint of vanilla. Full-bodied and fatty with soft carbonation. Sweet, gooey, caramel flavor. Not cloying. No alcohol burn. Lengthy, sweet, caramel finish. Rare, fantastic, American made, English style barley wine. Hops have their place... and it’s not in barley wine... one of only a couple styles that American brewers just don’t get. This is barley wine; Hog Heaven, etc. are double IPAs. Big time thanks to kp for shipping this bottle my way!
Beershine (2678), Hue, Vietnam
Feb 6, 2009 Rich burgundy hue, pretty flat with mud at the bottom. Oxidation apparent in aroma. Loads of fruity character in the nose, metallic from oxidation, raspberry and blueberry too. Nice low carbonation and smooth body. Really nice one! Tannins, a tannin astringent finish. Whisky, chocolate really comes out in mid-palate and finish. Chocolate, berry and tobacco, fun stuff.
Oakes (8058), gone rambling, Vietnam
Feb 6, 2009 Purplish-brown. Hazy. No so much head. The aroma is heady - with grapes and prunes and other dark, fruity things. Rich, chewy piloncillo sugars, dark fruits, a touch of yeast and a touch of oxidation that tells me it’s starting to get long in the tooth. A rounded, though slightly hot, barley wine.
craftbeerdesign (731), Alpharetta, Georgia, USA
Dec 31, 2008 sample on Nov 6, 2008. caramel, bitter and wonderfully balanced. a bit soft on the palate. spicy finish... nice.
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