AleSmith Barrel Aged Old Numbskull

Brewed by AleSmith Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
San Diego, California USA

Bottle acquired via trade with iowaherkeye!!! Thanks again Joey!!! This brew pours a murky burnt orange with a nice dense eggshell head. Aroma exhibits the nose of the original but also includes faint vanilla, oak, and smoke. Flavor is dominated by brown sugar, dark fruit, and caramel. You can taste the influence of the barrel but it isn’t as apparent as one would believe. A great beer, as are most from this brewery. Less noticeable alcohol than the BA Speedway. JOEY...YOU ROCK!!!

2005 Bottle (138/223) shared by illinismitty and tasted side by side with the regular ’05 Old Numbskull. Poured a hazy brown, which is slightly darker that the regular ON, with no head. Great aromas of oak, vanilla, nut, and dark fruits. Sweet flavor of bourbon oak mixed with a nice malty backing. Medium to full body, creamy and smooth. Excellent! Thanks Sean!

Bottle at RBSG Grand Tasting on 08/02/2008. Hazy caramel and copper body with a small white head. Big caramel and molassas aroma. Sweet caramel flavor, light oak. Full body with moderately low carbonation.

Bottle. Thanks to BrianK for the share on this one. Pours a light brown body with very little head. Aroma is oak bourbon dark fruit. Mouthfeel is kinda like; a server put ice in my scotch and now it sucks. Overall the flavor is great at first with a light barrel, but the thin mouthfeel makes the finish feel cheep leaving an out of place alcoholic finish. Seriously overrated. 3.7 Well thank you BrianK for sharing a second bottle, very generous of you. Well what can i say i think its worse actually then the last time i tasted it but why bother its not terrible but this is no top 100 beer...3.5 maybe...

Bottle from Sean. Thanks ass monger. I have been bugging Sean for years to open a BA Alesmith, and finally he quit being a pussy and pulled the top on this one. Bottle #138 / 223. 2005 year. Pours alot like regular numbskull, perhaps a tad darker. Brown color, no head, looks still. Smell has a fair amount of bourbon in it, some sweetness, fruits, oak, hops. Taste is very smooth and easy to drink. Faint carbonation but just enough there so that you know it is actually there. Pretty rich, very full of oak and bourbon in the taste. Not overpowering though. Good stuff, not really mind blowing, but it is good. Thanks Sean.

Oxidationfest Tasting at illinsmittys curtesy of Illinismitty. 2005 Bottle 138/223. Burnt orange translucent pour with almost no head. Reminds me in every way of the decadence, but a little mellower, and not as much dark fruit. Sweet and bitter finish. Nice. Not nearly as hoppy as the regular.

2005. Pours flat. Im really not a fan of this one. The barrel is present but not overbearing which was definately a good thing. I don’t like the way it finished either. BA Old Salty is a better way to go.

Very very nice Barleywine, and the only one of the BA Alesmiths that I thought was *just* right. This one really is a winner. Everything you expect from Old Numbskull, with the addition of wood, vanilla, and bourbon. The wood and vanilla step up front, and the bourbon takes a backseat, which just adds to this brew’s complexity. Nice toffee and carmel notes, with some deep dark notes as well. Nice malt backbone and hop profile. This one is outstanding.