AleSmith Barrel Aged Old Numbskull

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

Thanks to chilehead for sharing this bottle, #75 2005 vintage. I know this will improve with cellaring, but it’s gorgeous already. Very pretty in the glass, aroma is caramel fruity sweet malt, hints of oak and some hops. The oak barrell aging rounds out the overall flavor, IMO does not overpower the complexity but enhances. Definitely worth the trouble my neighbor went through to drive down to the brewery & stand in line to buy this ;)

2004 Vintage bottle, # 202/240, Sampled October 2005
It is with much anticipation that I open this baby up. I really could not believe the news that I would be able to purchase this beer at my local bottle shop here in Tucson, AZ (thanks again LittleGuy). It pours a deep amber color that when held up to the light shows a mostly brilliantly clear cherry red color. The head is a frothy, creamy, rocky mix of textures and is a light amber to tan color. As I pour this beer I get a big caramel maltiness coupled with a shot of Bourbon aromatics. The oak is strongly evident in the nose; at first comes a tannic woody note that moves to notes of vanillin and finishes off with a strong note of buttery oak. Underneath the wood character there is a hint of the former hop monster that this beer was: I get hints of floral pine, and remembrances of grapefruit long suppressed.

The beer has no apparent sweetness to it (at least what could be there is drowned out by the other flavors). The mouthfeel on this one is incredibly rich and smooth up front, creamy would be an apt description for this beer to be sure. The taste actually has a bit of sourness to it, really just makes this beer slightly tart up front. The tartness coupled with fruitiness, reminds me of tart plums and apples. All of these are just peripheral flavors though; this beer is absolutely dominated by the oak character. Throughout is a buttery oak note that is joined by notes of vanillin as well as a tannic woody astringency that reminds me black tea. The finish is still quite hoppy though with a solid bitterness that tries to peak through the oak, but ultimately succumbs to the buttery oak notes which linger long after the beer has left my mouth. Hints of this beers former glory surface from time to time; at times I get a faint trace of a sharp hop flavor that is a mix of citrus and herbs, but then it vanishes just as quickly as it was noticed. At other times I get wisps of malt character (like notes of sweet caramel and rich toffee), but they too get quickly trampled by the Bourbon Barrel.

This beer has mostly become a vehicle for the barrel flavors, what flavors that do peak through from the Old Numbskull play a supporting role to mitigate / round-out the oak flavors. I bet you a mixture of half fresh Numbskull and half this beer would be quite tasty, there would still be a big hop and malt presence to balance out the barrel contribution. As this beer stands it does not have enough balance nor complexity to be great. I have never been a fan of barrel aged beers for barrel aged beers sake; I really prefer a bold beer flavor with the supporting role being played by the barrel character. In this case the barrel character plays the lead role, and somewhere down there in the supporting cast there is an aged version of Old Numbskull.

<font size=-4>Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Liquors, Tucson, AZ<font size=-1>

Bottle, GABF 05, poured by Mr. AleSmith himself. Pours a luscious solid gold with an aggressive raisin/ yeast aroma. Flavor is alcohol, raisin, yeast, and a slight bourbon finish. Palate coats perfectly. Outstanding.

thanks to BBB63 for this bottle #92. had this on 6/10 at kuhnhenns bash. poured a amber brown, with no head. aroma alcohol, caramel brown sugar and malts and dark fruits. flavor caramel, alcohol (bourbon), malts fruit, woody. this was very good wish I could get more.

This is another fantastic Alesmith beer. Pours a very dark amber color with a pretty decent lasting head and decent amount of lacing. The aroma is slightly sweet with hints of bourbon and oak. The flavor is very similar, but stronger. Lots of bourbon and oak through-out with almost sticky like sweetness. Woody and slightly bitter at the end and only gets better and smoother as it warms up.

Couleur brune et foncée, faible quantité de mousse beige pale. Arômes d’érable, de vanille, d’alcool, de fleurs d’orangés sous un soupçon de fumée. Intenses flaveurs boisées et sucrées des malts sur un puissant mordant de houblon amer contribuant aux saveurs d’écorce d’orange et de résine de conifères. L’alcool est très présent et confère de saveurs de whisky, de vanille et d’encre. Texture huileuse et résineuse, corps d’épaisseur semi mince à moyenne, douce et faible carbonatation.

Bottle, 2004. Pours a cloudy amber/orange, with a tan or off white head. Aromas are sweet malt, fruit, with lesser amounts of oak, bourbon, and hops. Flavor is fruit, malt, hops, brown sugar, and bourbon, but the bourbon is understated. The end is somewhat bitter. Body is heavy. I wish the bourbon was more apparent in the aroma and taste. I gets better as it warms up. Thanks to Foolish_Mortal, sickBoy282, and Crosling for each trading me a bottle of this rare treat.

RBESG 2005, Murky amber colour with a small off white head. Very sweet aroma with hints of coconut and alcohol along with a hoppy touch. Sweet buttery flavor with oak notes and a sweet alcohol finish.