AleSmith Barrel Aged Old Numbskull

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

Sampled at "An evening with Pantanap #2". 750ml bottle, 2005 vintage, 34/223 thanks pantanap for this! Pours a mahoganny red with no head. Aroma is strong toffee/malty/fruity. Red fruits, dried fruits, soy, and oxidized notes. Flavor is fruity, red malts, caramels, toffee, doughy, creamy, pine, and alcohol. Finishes dry. Good beer, but i expected something more. I surprisingly enjoyed the regular version more. Thanks to drewbeerme for another chance to try this beer. #109 of 224. Pours a clear amber orange with no head. Aroma of alcohol, tart oranges, cherries, butterscotch malt, and maple syrup. Rich and delicious. Alcohol, oxidized flavors of bourbon, red fruit, cherry, vanilla, and maple syrup. Slick but then palate with almost no carbonation. Though the carbonation brought it down some, its still a tasty beer. 8/3/7/3/15 = 3.6

sampled at "An evening with Pantanap #2". 750ml bottle, 2005 vintage, 34/223. pours dense dark red with no head. the aroms is oxidized, caramel, bourbon, oak, raisins, and maple syrup. flavor is bourbon, oak, raisins, caramel, and the finish is pretty dry. overall pretty hot too. this got better as it warms but never got amazing.4.0.

1/2/09, 2004 vintage 109/227. pours murky reddish brown with very small white head, almost flat. oxidized aroma, toasted coconut, buttery. flavors of bourbon, coconut, charred wood, maple syrup. very smooth, thin body. pretty nice but not getting better with age.4.0.

750 mL bottle (tasting hosted by after4ever) - sampled side by side with the standard version; slightly darker in color, no head, little carbonation; similar aromas were musky/woody, but the same strength; alcohol not as obvious, less hops; drank slightly smoother (hardly possible!!), more rich and flavors blended more evenly; amazing, though our palate was beyond shell-shocked at this point of the evening...........................5/13/08 update - is this after4ever’s house beer?? haha...thanks to Old_Mr_Crow for the chance to sample and this time in a slightly better mind; got much more vanilla out of this one as I remember before; certainly one of top barrel aged brews I’ve had

750 ml bottle 2002 vintage #45/225: A dark amber hazy brownish color with a small foamy tan head with good lacing. Thick sweet malt scent with plenty of fruit (prunes/cherries/oranges) oak, whisky and hints of toffee, smells great! A rich sweet flavor, an impressive complex brew with layers of malt, prunes, toffee, wood. Warming and delicious! A very fitting brew for my 1,000th rating and to ring in 2008!

2005 vintage shared with wicken, jon, and deyoung. Enjoyed every bit of this one. Straight up elegant aroma of bourbon, vanilla, caramel, toffee - it soothed the senses. Flavor was similar - a good amount of toffee & caramel - with perfect oak influenced qualities, long lingering finish. I get more oak/wood than full fledged bourbon, which I dig. I loved the full bodied, thick palate...if it had even a bit of carbonation, it would be marvelous. An outstanding brew and one to be savored! It’s Alesmith, no surprise there.

Capped 750, thanks to after4ever. Pours a clear dark copper with a thin off-white head. Nutty caramel and vanilla aroma. Full body, fine carbonation. Not a lot of influence from the barrel aging. Much like the regular issue Numbskull (duh) but the oak dries out the finish.

Big thanks to MikeTD. Aroma is bourbon, dark fruits. Color is amber with zero head. Flavor is bourbon, boozy and lots of alcohol. Caramel, dark fruits and just lots of bourbon overpowering this beer. Some smoke and cholcate with raisens and fruits in the background but the bourbon kills this beer. I don’t care how freakin rare it is.

750ml bottle via trade (thanks Naven, you rule!!!!!!!) 2005 vintage, 75 of 223. Pours a hazy copper with no head. Nose is vanilla, molasses, sour and woody. And the taste is exactly like that with some fruity esters...strawberries, apricot, and raisins with a somewhat smoky fusel-laden semi-hot finish. Body is medium, carbonation is nil.