Alpine Beer Company Great

Formerly brewed at Alpine Beer Company (CA)
Style: Barley Wine
Alpine, California USA

Poured a hazy amber color with a small, off white head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of vanilla, strong oak, sticky malts, and bourbon. Taste was dry oak, light vanilla and dried fruits, sweet caramel malt, light citrus, and bourbon alcohol in the finish.

375mL bottle: This barley wine appears a dense brown and mahogany color. Head is a tiny layer of fat foam bubbles that break up quickly. Aroma is robust and has strong reminders of a lumber yard, and oddly enough a trace of soy sauce. The flavor is strong and tart with a slight sourness. Taste of old caramel malt and faded hops behind a thick maple syrup and again more soy sauce.

Draft, 2005 PP Strong Ale Fest.Copper brown and clear with no head. Huge fruity bready aroma, fig pudding, touch of vanilla, and a touch of raisin, and a lot of alcohol. Big malty fruity flavors, plums and prunes and a touch of raisins, a little woody and a touch of vanilla. Big peppery alcohol finish. Very warming. Syrupy and cloying. I really liked this, but I couldn’t drink a lot of it.

Bottled. Hazy reddish brown. Very roasty with strong notes of madeira. Sweet with lots of malt and distinctive sharp bourbon flavour. The woodiness goes a bit overboard, and the mouthfeel is somewhat raw. Lingering salty finish. A bit rude on first sip, but also very complex and interesting.

9th Annual San Diego Strong Ale Fest:Ok so my first beer of the festival. I figured I would start big to be able to now where I stand at the end of the night rather than swiging down 15% after drinking for hours. Well this was big all right. I was afraid to finish it. Clear chestnut color with no head. Aroma has a huge malty sweetness. Fruit, toast, some wood, and a fair amount of alcohol fumes. Flavor was very sweet. Woody, vanilla, and fruity towards the end. Very warming with alcohol pepper. Full bodied and syrupy. If I drank this at the end of the fest I would have finished my glass and probably died.

Draft. Dark red amber with a thin offwhite head. Syrupy malt, alcohol aroma. Alcoholic, vinous notes with a sherry taste. Hot finish, hot mouthfeel.

I also had this on draft at Pizza Port’s strong ale fest in carlesbad. The nose was quite tawny as was the flavor. Some odd notes on the nose, maybe burnt milk? I liked it though. Vanilla coated the tongue when tasted, and there was a bit of a funk on the finish, as if licking a soggy oak barrell. Body was medium. Alcohol did come through.

Had this on draft at Pizza Port’s strong ale fest Dec 2005. This poured amber colored, with very little head. The flavor was sickening sweet. it was very thick.