AleSmith Old Numbskull

	Percentile
	100
	overall

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

bottled
common

on tap
available

Broad Distribution
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Ratings	Average	Score	ABV	Style Pctl	Serve in
762	4.04/5.0	4.03/5.0	10%	98	Snifter

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.

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badbeer (433), Iowa, USA

4.7	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.7	9/10	5/5	10/10	4/5	19/20

Jan 7, 2008

Ruby red color with a creamy beige colored head with excellent retention and lacing. Smell is sweet, yet hoppy. Smooth pine and citrus notes perfectly balanced by sweet caramel and dark fruit aromas, I also get a little bit of sherry and some other vinous notes. Taste is sweet caramel and brown sugar with a beautiful array of hops joining in as well; finish is hoppy, but still plenty of sweet malt to it. Flavors are in perfect harmony, nothing overpowers anything else, instead they all work together. Full bodied, but not cloyingly sweet; carbonation is at about medium levels. Excellent beer.

SuzyGreenberg (1367), Seattle, Washington, USA

4.2	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.2	8/10	4/5	8/10	5/5	17/20

Jan 4, 2008

750 mL bottle (tasting hosted by after4ever) - slight head and medium brown, very light around the edges; aromas of sugar, mango/citrus, alcohol; flavors of brown sugar, dates and hops; no bitterness whatsoever

riversideAK (2723), Shoreline, Washington, USA

3.9	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.9	8/10	4/5	8/10	4/5	15/20

Dec 31, 2007

Aroma of pine, citrus, floral hops, some sweet fruitiness, caramel malts. Pours a dark hazy orange with a thin white head. Nice and fruity with a touch of bitterness in the finish. Some citrus and pine. Full bodied. Some warmth. Pleasantly drinkable. Good stuff Alesmith.

travita (1910), Frisco, Texas, USA

4.1	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.1	8/10	4/5	8/10	4/5	17/20

Dec 28, 2007

Cloudy amber in color with a good head. Strong sweet smell and taste with full thick body. Strong in alcohol, sharp aftertaste. Great beer.

heylrule (46), Maryland, USA

3.9	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.9	9/10	4/5	8/10	3/5	15/20

Dec 23, 2007

best barrley wine i have had, but, not fully impressed, great smell great pour very sweet, i seat it tasted like very sweet apple cider. I could only drink a glass or 2

jcr (1150), Jasper, Indiana, USA

3.2	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.2	8/10	3/5	6/10	2/5	13/20

Dec 17, 2007

750ml bottle. 2006. Small, big-bubbled head. Dark amber, unfiltered body. Pleasant and sweet aroma of cookie, caramel and candied fruit with notes of grapefruit. The flavor is moderately sweet and moderately bitter. Medium body and soft carbonation. Texture of salt-water taffy. Bottle tasted slightly oxidized. Ordinary.

hiddenvariable (194), pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

4.4	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
4.4	9/10	5/5	9/10	4/5	17/20

Dec 16, 2007

pours a clear reddish amber with a medium-sized off-white head that doesn’t go away, and leaves a decent amount of lacing. this thing smells great: brown sugar and spicy caramel malts dominate, but they are well-accompanied by raisins and grapes and figs and various other sweet, sticky fruits. also with some big hop notes, hints of oak, and a slight note of alcohol. the flavor is once again dominated by a caramelly malt, but the hops are even bolder. great notes of floral citrus dominate a bit more grapey flavors. the finish is just what you want from a pnw barleywine: sweet at first, taking the edge off that 11%, but backed up by a smooth hop bitterness that lingers, but never raises its hand and begs to be called on. good medium-to-full body, and a sort of oily resinous mouthfeel. enough carbonation, but it’s not terribly noticeable. this might be the best barleywine i’ve ever had, and i’ve had my share of them.

bitbucket (2033), Kirkland, Washington, USA

3.9	Aroma	Appearance	Flavor	Palate	Overall
3.9	8/10	3/5	8/10	4/5	16/20

Dec 14, 2007

Capped 750, thanks to after4ever. Pours a clear dark copper with no head. Nutty caramel and fig aroma. Full body, fine carbonation. Sweet taste of brown sugar, toasted almonds, leather, tea. Woody and nicely bittered finish.

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