 fiulijn (5860), Como; Lausanne (CH); Malmö (SWE), Italy
Mar 7, 2005
Vintage 2002
Amber color; creamy head. Aroma of malt, vanilla, cookies, caramel, toffee, alcohol impression; Bourbon; the only flaw may be that it’s not persistent (only the Bourbon remains). Full maltiness, perfect; vanilla cookies, harmonious. Thanks Jeppe for sharing this incredible bottle.
StFun (298), Indiana, USA
Sep 3, 2008 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.
tjthresh (1289), Greenfield, Indiana, USA
Aug 31, 2008 Pours brown with no head. Huge robust aroma of toffee and vanilla. Heavy bourbon flavors of vanilla and oak. Full bodied with an oily mouthfeel. Sweet finish with a long alcoholic burn.
fiver29 (305), Strongsville, Ohio, USA
Aug 23, 2008 Tasted at Cleveland tasting on 8-23-08. Thanks!! I am rating this as part of a vertical tasting. There was an 04 and a 06 tasted this evening. The older version has a minor aroma, but it still has complexity of strong caramel and bourbon overtones. The newer version has an alcohol aroma added and more brown sugar aromas. Taste is unbelievable in both versions. The older version had no carbonation. That was a bit of a let down in a sense. The younger version had a nice amount of carbonation. The older version had a more caramel taste with bourbon and oak that you expect from an alesmith ba. The younger version has more alcohol taste, more toffee, brown sugar, and is overall a better brew at this point. Overall I enjoyed both brews. I wouldn’t let this age more than a few years. Its good now. Don’t wait.
Old_Mr_Crow (1016), Seattle, Washington, USA
Aug 16, 2008 Bottle brought to after4ever’s tasting. Rating from old notes.
Toffee and vanilla aroma, close to the Drake’s bourbon barrel barleywine but drier. Toffee, bits of oxidized hops, lots of wood, gentle vanilla. Beautiful. So good, in fact, that I turned down a shot at as-yet untried Dark Lord in order to get a second bottle of this. I’m looking forward to it!
sersdf (861), chicago, Illinois, USA
Aug 14, 2008 thanks andrew. this was awesome. as always with alesmith, the balance and craft was impeccable. the barrels were very subtle and perfectly incorporated. nutty, honeyed, and fruity. better than the already-amazing numbskull.
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