Alaskan Barley Wine Ale (Big Nugget)

Brewed by Alaskan Brewing Co
Style: Barley Wine
Juneau, Alaska USA

2008 Edition. 22 oz. bottle. Pours a slightly hazed deep ruby with a moderate off-white head that lasted through two-thirds of the glass and left a layer of foam with each sip. This is a very aromatic beer with candied orange being the primary trait with grapefruit, malt and brown sugar also present. There is caramel and malt present in the flavor, although there is less fruit than the aroma suggests. There is a quick wash of grapefruit bitterness at the finish, but there is also a nice silky mouthfeel, especially as the beer warms a bit. Just a hint of alcohol warmth near the end as well. I’m not usually a big fan of hoppy barley wines, but I did enjoy this one.

2008 vintage, on tap at City Beer Store in SF. Deep reddish amber color with creamy off-white head. Sweet caramel malt, brown sugar, citrus, and Nugget hop bitterness. I’m a sucker for Nugget hops. Aroma more or less matches the flavor. Some alcohol warmth going down. Nice full mouthfeel.

Mahogany plum. Compact collar of bubbles surrounds a broken center of ivory foam. Simplistic Crystal-laden (instant tea) aroma with prominent notes of medicinal phenols, plastic, pine resin and grapefruit peel. Sweet hints of brown sugar, mashed dates, and hop leaves as well. Solvent-like alcohol further taints the nose. Soft pricks of carbonation. Syrupy body. Bottle conditioned. Immediate inundation of Crystal malt collides with resinous hops and a gullet-warming sting of alcohol. Malt and hops quickly lose definition as the body takes on some serious flabbiness toward the center due to the rampant tealike Crystal and low attenuation. Flabbiness is akin to canned mandarin oranges stewed in medicine. Shockingly unrefined, overall, particularly in the malt department which is extremely husky, and far more sugary and soppy-sweet than poignant in its subtlety. Severely muddled and unclean finish displays a dull leafy-hop bitterness amid lingering fuzzy, husky malts and plastic. An absolute mess of a beer with numerous glaring flaws (dirty malt character, solvent-like alcohol, terrible structure, poor malt and hop definition, cloyingly sweet, etc., etc.). Undrinkable, much to my chagrin.

Color is a deep amber with mellow carbonation and almost no head. Aroma is sweet and citrusy with alcohol tones. Taste is rich and hoppy. Starting with a bold medium body it goes down with a rich feel. Finish comes on sweet with a little malt, brown sugar and dried fruit then ends with a hop citrus flavor and bitterness. After taste is a little more citrus and a faint hint of alcohol. Not bad but a little more hoppy then I like a Barley Wine.

Bottle. It had been allowed to warm. Poured caramel garnet with thin head. BIg malty aroma. Big flavour, much malt with caramel sweetness and alcohol warmth. Lingering warm hop finish.

2008 bomber from La Mesa Market. Pours a medium ruby color. Somewhat sweet nose with strong grapefruit bitterness. Some alcohol is present as well. Big thick mouthfeel. Full flavored. Some sweetness and a little maltiness. Finish is quite hoppy. Warming going down. A little alcohol. Pretty tasty.

2008 bottle. Pours a dark ruby color with an average, pillowy, beige head which settles quickly to a very small frothy layer and leaves nice but minimal lace. Nose is great, complex, fruity, and sweet but balanced with hop notes; notes of caramelized apricots, golden raisins, molasses, caramel, and hops which are perfumy, lightly citrusy, and faintly of pine. Flavor is similar with nice dried fruit notes and lightly balanced by a moderate bitterness; notes of toasted caramel, molasses, faint roast, golden raisins, dried apricots, light caramelized cherries, and hops of grapefruit, perfume, and some resinous notes towards the finish. Palate is moderately full, nearly lively, sticky, and chewy with some spicy alcohol. Finishes balanced between spicy alcohol, hops of perfume and resins, molasses, and faint roast. Kind of similar to Full Sail Old Boardhead BW with lots of nice fruity notes and a sweet beer with lighter, balancing hop notes. Fairly complex already after little age but a fear this one will not stand up well with too many years of age. Nice to have a BW with great malt notes and complexity with pleasant hops notes but never overpowering. One of fav BW’s.

Tulip glass at Malt & vine. Almost a light barleywine, if that’s even possible. Thick brown pour with lots of caramelized sugars, cherry, peach, golden raisins. The alcohol is very well hidden. I could drink this one every other day.