Alaskan Barley Wine Ale (Big Nugget)

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

Bottle thanks to Ditmier. Pours a dark reddish brown with about a finger of head. Nose......aaahhh the nose.. Sweet caramel, toffee, some wood, and rainbows. The taste is like drinking liquid sunshine. Above notes with some dark fruit, molasses, and a nice alcohol presense. This is the bottle that has made me realize I dont have near enough barley wines in my refrigerator. Damn is that good.

Bottle courtesy of ericandersnavy. Clear reddish orange pour. Nice barley wine smell. Aged fruit, raisin and wood. Some heavy sweetness. Sweet and smooth flavor. Nice raisin taste with some aged malts. Old sweetness, but this is solid.

22 oz bottle courtesy of jake65. Pours a nice dark plum color with a small off white head. Although the head was unimpressive it left a creamy coating of lace over the glass that lasted the entire drink. Aroma was dark fruits and molasses, and citrus hops. Palate was heavy bodied, smooth and warming. Big dark fruits with alcohol flavor. Raisins, dates, plums, etc. Also, a touch of caramel and molasses. Some hops in the finish. As the weather cools down, its time to enjoy these heavy, gut warming brews again.

2008 22 ounce bottle purchased at BevMo in Citrus Heights, CA. First time I’ve seen this. Aroma is very nice with some pitted fruits, vinousness, and brown sugars. Some piney hops are also there with a little ethanol retronasally. Still, a quaffable brew. Attractive transparent dark amber body with a strong, frothy off-yellow head that leaves attractive lacing. Starts sweet, sugary with lots of fruitiness. Rasins and dates and berries. Yum. Has a nice mellowing caramel roastiness in the middle before this becomes warming, ethanolic, and spicy with some herbal hops. Well-balanced and quite enjoyable!

Bottle @ Cervezageek - smagning, Odense. Pours dark brown with a small creamy bubbly white head and lacings. Sweet malty and fruity nose. Vinous and smooth. Lots of caramel/toffee and a bit of alcohol. Full bodied. Sweet. A sipper. A classic Barley wine. Nice.

Red brown with a lasting off-white head. Aroma is fruity with lots of vineous alcohol. Sweet and fruity flavour with caramel malt. I found it rather simple, although well brewed.

22oz bomber, 2008 vintage, courtesy of wetpaperbag poured into a tulip. Pours a deep, clear copper with a smallish creamy tan head that fades to a soapy cap along the top and leaves impressive lacing. Sweet caramel malts and toffee dominate the aroma with a noticeable citrus hop presence. The alcohol is definitely in the nose as well. The taste has the same big sweet caramel malt backbone with some sugar-coated fruits as well. The hops are most evident in the finish, where it’s more floral than citrus with some pine resin coming through with the aforementioned alcohol presence which burns going down. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and extremely creamy with a minimal soft carbonation which all leads to a sticky sweet coating on the palate. This is a well above-average barleywine that exhibits all the characteristics of a good BW without knocking me off my feet with any of them. The alcohol is a little more evident than I would like which, along with the sweetness, limits the drinkability a tad.

On tap at the brewery. A hearty and powerful brew. You could feel the warmth going down.