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AleSmith Old Numbskull

Percentile
100
overall

bottled
common

on tap
available

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreABVStyle PctlServe in
7624.04/5.04.03/5.010%98Snifter
Commercial Description:
Bottle conditioned.
Old Numbskull is AleSmith’s first barley wine offering. You may find the name "Old Numbskull" curious. Barley wine has its origins in England and tradition is to begin the name with "Old": Old Nick, Old Sampson, Old Jock, etc. Tongue-in-cheek is often the spirit in naming a barley wine. After drinking a glass or two, you may agree that Old Numbskull feels like a fitting description. It also reminds us of the Three Stooges, one of the greatest comedy teams of all time, so it's meant to bring a smile even before the first taste. Exotic fruit aromas, along with clean ethanol, caramel, honey and toasty notes are present in the nose. At five months of age, the Numbskull flavor begins malty and the hops become more evident from the middle to the finish and linger nicely in the aftertaste. The aroma notes also show themselves in the flavor.

1999 - waxed cap
2000 - dated as such. Pictured at left
2002 - Silver foil with electric blue design and NO filling in the anvil spaces
2003 - Silver foil with electric blue design and blue filling in the anvil spaces
2004 - same as 2003 but with "Alesmith" below the logo in white lettering.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 NoiZe (1292), Mooi Zeist, Netherlands
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/104/518/20
Dec 20, 2008  
Red, ruby colored brew. Hoppy aroma. Flavor is sweet, hoppy, malty, some fruits. Very enjoyable. Nice hoppy aftertaste.


 nickd717 (1344), Palo Alto, California, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/105/58/104/516/20
Dec 19, 2008  
A very well done west coast style barleywine. Similar to Sierra Nevada Bigfoot with ever so slightly more flavor. Very malty and sweet on the start with citrusy west coast style hops on the finish. Fairly full-bodied with medium carbonation. Well-rounded and an excellent example of the style.


 joshwilfong (779), Cleveland, Ohio, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/58/103/518/20
Dec 5, 2008  
reddish brown, not very dark. very mild/non-existent head. nose of alcoholic warmth and sweet malt. powerfully complex flavor with predominately of crystal malt with a lot of citrusy notes, with a lot of hoppiness some bitter and a lot of flavor, which is amazing for an 11 abv brew. a lot of alcohol that adds to the warmth and never is distracting. a tremendous beer, top of the line


 alexanderj (2248), Chino Hills, California, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/103/58/103/517/20
Dec 4, 2008  
Bottle. 2004 edition. Have been aging one of these a bit, figured I would have it for the first time a week before the barrel aged version comes out. Poured a dirty, amber color with virtually no head. Aroma was just delightful. Caramel, fruit, brown sugar, alcohol with some floral and sweet elements. A really nice caramel presence that really holds the beer together. Some vanilla and fruit notes are also quite frequent. Alcohol is pretty mellow, probably a bit due to the age. Mild sweet and sugary presence. The dark fruit presence isnt too strong. I really like this style, and this was definitely above average.


 doubleo (1104), San Diego, California, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/57/104/517/20
Nov 27, 2008  
750ml bottle. Pours slightly hazy amber with a big, fluffy, offwhite head, spider web lace. Smells big and dark hoppy, citrus with a good dose of caramel malt and alcohol. Tastes very malty, sweet and caramel with a hint of cardboard and then the hops kick. Spicy and biting and then they fade to sweet with a tinge of bitter in the back of the throat. Full body, good carbonation.


 Taverner (840), San Ramon, California, USA
4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/105/58/104/516/20
Nov 20, 2008  
2007 Vintage: Very hoppy BW. And this bottle was cellared (but for only a year). Lots of dried fruit notes: apricot, prune and raisin as well as honey. Also a slight hint of soy. Has almost an ’Olde Ale’ flavor to it. Pours brown-amber with minimal head.


 Hophead22 (1090), Redlands, by way of Wisconsin,, California, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/59/104/518/20
Nov 17, 2008  
750ml bottle. Very dark brown pour with a little red tinge to it, very small tan head. Nice carmel aroma, dark, fruity and sweet. Nice flavor, of dark fruits. Some sweetness as well. Smooth and easy to drink, very good.


 AllAboutStout (605), Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
3.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/57/103/514/20
Oct 31, 2008  
Pours a very dark burgundy in color. A very short lived head forms on the pour and is gone quickly. Smell is malty and alcohol. But to my chagrin, a large amount of hops as well. The hops are too prominent in the flavor. I was hoping for a low hopped ’’English’’ barleywine, which I prefer. The hops are just too much to get past to focus on the rest of the beer. My least favorite beer from an otherwise standout brewery.



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