Aldergrove Auld Persnickety Barleywine Ale

Brewed by Steffans Aldergrove Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Marysville, Washington USA

Courtesy of after4ever via trade. Pours clear copper with tan head. We served it up pretty warm due to this cursed Florida heat creating a perfumy aroma of prunes, raisins, cherry hard candy, some caramel sweetness followed by a bit of alcohol heat. The taste is rich and plain old yummy with prunes, raisins, figs, dates and a hint of pepper. Those notes mix seamlessly with caramel and malt sweetness. The finish approaches with an warming alcohol and mild notes of fusels. Some of the alcohol presence is due to the above average serving temperature and didn’t at all distract from the experience.

Thanks to Skyview for sharing. Pours a very viscous dark orangish amber with a nice creamy looking head. Very noticeable citric hoppiness accompanies a strong presence of raisens toffee, caramel, ripe dark fruits and some honey. The palate essentially echoes the nose with a nice citrusy hoppiness finishing it out. Very nice beer, but a little hot yet.

Bottle courtesy of the funess that was Backus’s Backdoor Bash ‘08. Man. You gotta love the name!!! Very nice aroma of brown sugar and honey. Flavor was thick and sweet. Figs. Caramel. SUGAR! This was delightful!

Many thanks to skyview for sharing. Nice malty nose with strong hops as I’d expect in a young barley wine. Very sweet with a dry, raisin flavor. Golden color with faint head.

Bottle courtesy Ibrew2or3. Pours a clear copper with a one finger off-white head that leaves good lacing. Aroma of sweet fruit, sweet malt, caramel, and alcohol. Taste is the same as aroma. Medium full mouthfeel with a moderate amount of bitterness and warm but smooth alcohol. Very good.

Bottle. Pours clear dark copper with a lacy beige head. Sweet toffee and fruit aroma. Medium body and active carbonation. Sweet, chewy malt taste, brown sugar and honey that fades plums and nuts, and then the bittering and alcohol catches up with the rest of this beer. This one might improve a bit with cellaring, but it’s nicely balanced just as it is.

Cidery amber with a layer of head and ring of bubbles. Decadent candied fruit boque with cherries, apricot, etc. beckons for the first sip. The flavor is equally of luscious candied fruits, sweet, but restrained. Mildly hopped, unlike many american barleywines. Outstanding.

Bottle thanks to 5000: Pours a transparent deep orange copper with a spotty-lacing white head. Aroma of sweet floral hops and caramel malt with some light fruity brown sugar character. Body starts with a rich, sticky caramel maltiness and an assertive resiny hop bitterness with some peppery warming alcohol in the finish and strawberry fruity complexity. A pretty good barleywine, but could hide its alcohol better.