RateBeer
Ballards Alchemist 2.76 7

Ballards Alchemist

 (RETIRED)

 Percentile 

Requires
more ratings

Formerly brewed at Ballards
Style: Barley Wine

Petersfield, England

bottling
unknown

on tap
unknown

distribution
unknown

Add Distribution Data
send corrections | shelftag |
RatingsAverageScoreABVStyle PctlServe in
72.76/5.02.76/5.09.2%0Snifter
Commercial Description:
Bottle conditioned; Old Bounder series - 2001 beer. Also available cask - Christmas.
Blending the finest malts and hops Ballard's has produced a very rich smooth beer with flavours of caramel and an underlying hoppy finish. Ideal as a nightcap or served with game or British cheeses with spices or used in sauces, gravies or Christmas pudding!
 Oakes (8114), gone rambling, Cambodia
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/102/57/104/515/20
Aug 3, 2004  
Murky nut brown with golden highlights. Aroma of plums, dates, sultanas, and molasses. Sweet and sour palate with fruity (cherry, plum) depths. Oily. Rounded flavours - you can tell it’s had a few years to come into form.


 JorisPPattyn (5190), Antwerpen, Belgium
3.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/56/104/514/20
Dec 25, 2003  
Very dark brown-amber, hazy; good yellow-brownish head. Nose of portwine, tannin & woody esters, wild mushrooms, alcohol, slightly soapy. Woody bitterness in the taste, hops too, tannines indeed. Rather raw. Dark molasses & burnt sugar. Retronasal even more bitterness: ink and chicory. Extremely well-bodied, dry-out effect. Alcohol obvious but not overwhelming. Aftertaste with very earthy flavours. Something has been tried. The expectations were high. But it quite didn't work out. It turns out quite raw. Shocking wood, nearly woodstripper. But as for the fine esters one would have hoped for...


 duff (5475), Surrey, Greater London, England
1.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
4/102/54/102/57/20
Sep 4, 2003  
Thick Special K flavour. Lots of alcohol, syruppy and cloying. Maybe it'd be better with some age, because at this stage, it was very unbalanced.


 fly (1332), austin, Tejas, USA
3.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/103/57/103/515/20
Dec 16, 2002  
Oily, no head whatsoever, strange wine like bitterness. Funny that with all the odd components that I still wound up enjoying this. Not like a typical barleywine so far as I know, but got me sipping it and looking in to the unique taste. Like the off handed compliment it might deserve it is "interesting".


 SilkTork (4184), Rochester, Kent, England
2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
6/104/55/103/52/20
Dec 6, 2002  
O my flaming tentacles! I hate beers that grab you round the throat, slap you in the face and spit in your mouth. This one had me strapped naked upside down in a freezer while a couple of wide boys splashed acid on my dangly bits. Way too much alcohol! This one needs to undergo a major evolution in the cellar before it’s ready. At the moment it hasn’t even discovered how to bang the rocks together.


 DrBeer (777), Danderyd Stockholm, Sweden
3.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/103/56/103/513/20
Nov 25, 2002    Updated: Jul 27, 2004
Brownorange colour. Alcoholic aroma with notes of chocolate and cheap strawberry jam. Roasted bitter flavor with notes of lactic acid and big bitterness. Naah, I don´t think so.


 omhper (12247), Stockholm, Sweden
1.6 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
3/102/52/102/57/20
Oct 19, 2002  
Bottled. Hazy chestnut brown. Acidic mashed apples alongside vodka in the nose. Very sweet with thick syrupy mouthfeel and an acidic finish with no trace of hops.



We Want To Hear From You



Join us! RateBeer is made by beer enthusiasts for the craft beer community. Your basic membership is free and allows you to read all beer ratings. Click here to create your account... and give your opinion!

Join Us »

Share Your Opinion!
Get started reviewing beers at RateBeer.com now.

First, choose your user name

About RateBeer | Add A Beer | Log In | Edit Personal Info | 100 Beer Club | FAQ | Feedback?
Copyright © 2000-2009, RateBeer LLC