Beer Valley Highway To Ale Barley Wine

Brewed by Beer Valley Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Ontario, Oregon USA

Not the biggest molasses aroma, nor much head, but in terms of flavor, I find this absolutely fantastic. I don’t taste the 10.5 at all. It’s better, but I don’t get the strong alcohol presence with it. Overall, I would definitely buy this again, even at 7 or 8 a bottle, like I think this one was. Quite impressed with this brewery.

Pours amber with a modest spattered froth deteriorating to a cling to life thin sheet of spatter. Strong aromas of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, very fruity with traces of fresh grass and biscuits. Medium nectar weight with very little carbonation. What little carbonation I do get helps to create a nice oily texture. This isn’t a "sweet" specimen and I can’t tell it’s over 10% abv at all. It hit’s you hard man, when you least expect it. Wow, this is totally unique in style. It reminds me of an Imperial English Pale (not that there is one) rather than Barley Wine. An enhanced hop profile is forward and sticks allowing only traces of fruit to escape it’s nazi oppression. Nuances of biscuits, leather, and citrus rind are permitted to show themselves only until the asprin factor doubles up and knocks them out. Then a numbing sensation kicks in like I’m at the dentist or something. I’m really diggin’ this brew Pete. The finish is numbing. Overall: this is a complex and refined "think outside of the box" specimen. Beautiful !

Bomber from Bottle Barn. Nose has light piney hops, raisins, caramel, and some light alcohol. Lightly hazy rusty-copper with a medium beige head. Flavor is light bitterness, caramel, and pine. Finish is light bitterness with a hint of caramel that fades after about 15 seconds. Like a souped up Bigfoot!

Pours copper with gold edges and off white head. The aroma is very nice with sweet malts that move to caramel and then some restrained resiny pine hops. The taste is smooth with malt sweetness bleeding into caramel notes and increasing pine hops. This is good stuff. I get lots of sweetness that plows more and more into modest pine hop bitterness. It ends with mild pine hanging on into the after taste. This is certainly not one of those BW that seems more like an IIPA. The hops are there but not there, there(?).

Poured murky orange with a good sized white head. Lots of piny hops in the nose. Flavor was hops, citrus, and a bit of caramel malt. Finished very well for 10.5%, not too thick or thin either. Great as it is but I’m really curious to see what this will taste like a year from now vs. fresh.

Bottle shared with JoeTheYounger. I think this is a bit better than the ratings suggest. Pours a murky dark orange with no head but a thin white film. Aroma has loads of caramel and vanilla with some pine and a hint of alcohol. Flavor is very smooth, suggesting that it’s already been aged for a year or two as opposed to being brand new (Bevmo hasn’t had it that long). Sugary and floral, caramel, brown sugar, and dried fruits with a slightly dry finish. Palate is thick and chewy and the soft carbonation provides some creaminess. Very tasty barley wine.

Strong resin aroma. Light mahogany color with a white head that is forthcoming. Near full bodied with a light, mild, creamy carbonation. The flavor is strongly pine. Very. So where is the strong malt and the floral hop? It’s present, but very underlying. The finish is like a very strong ESB. Which is where the florality comes in. So this is not a simple presentation. As time goes on, the floral aspects accumulate. Which makes this one of the best barley wines. Sorry, should you disagree. Because it is just excellent. And my perception is all over the map.

Bottled at Papsoes Blind tasting 19th. June 2008 no 24: Light amber coloured. Unclear. Light brown head. Pine, herbs, flowers, sweetness and light spice in the aroma. Flavour of caramel, spice and herbs. Medium to full bodied. Dry. Bitter end with some grapish sweetness. Nice.