Beer Valley Highway To Ale Barley Wine

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

No stop lights! Speed limits! Every time I look at this bottle it gets stuck in my head. Pours a heavy caramel in the glass, nearly absent head. Aroma is a little oxidized aroma of orange jam and alder. Tastes of hand lotion, young wood and marmalade. Seems young and unfinished. Very floral in the finish.

22. Pours a fully opaque dark chestnut brown, with some rubied roan glowing under more direct light. There’s a loose, sudsy tan head that musters up a fingernail or two of thickness and then scatters down to foamy film after a sip or two. Sheets of saggy, mummified-looking lace coming down the sides intermittently. Big cereal malt sugar nose, lots of toffee and caramel, butterscotch and some sweet biscuit. These flavors are all tied together in a fairly narrow spectrum, it’s not like smelling a wildly eclectic candy bar. Creamy body with some sluggish carb knocking around. Pretty thick and grainy once it’s on the tongue. All the sweet aromatics show up here and there on the mid-palate, merging into a somewhat bitter resinous hop finish. Not sure where BV gets the idea that it’s wise to say that this beer has floral hop notes on the nose, I’m thinking there probably isn’t enough of a hop bill here to outlast the aging this beer would need to mellow out all the residual sugar. But this is a pleasant big American barleywine as it is--fresh--and even if it probably isn’t set up for 5 years of cellaring, it’s got a fair bit going for it young.

This one poured a murky light brown color with an off white head. Aroma was very sweet slightly roastged malts, and lots of piney resinous hops. Flavor was nice smooth caramel malt, alcohol warmth, and a good amount of potent hops to keep it very balanced.

11th August 2008. Low carbonation. Fairly sweet but in an aged sort of way. Hint of red fruit. Smooth malt and tannic hops at the end. Good but feels well aged!

Bomber. Poured clear medium brown with a short cap of off-white/beigey head. The aroma picked up aged caramel, toffee, brown sugar, and redder fruits with very fragrant floral and peppery accents around.. there were just enough sugars to keep the alcohol from being too aggressive. The flavor had more of the caramel and fruits at the core paired with a layer of molasses.. bitterness and warmth were assertive in the form of herbal notes, black pepper, and lesser citrus character.. long, hot finish. Medium-bodied with moderate-plus carbonation on the palate.. heavier around the edges, but rather week feel on the middle.. this didn’t flow that well.. overall a decent brew with some solid components, but rough on several facets.

Cute name, ok beer. Pours a cloudy, syrupy looking dark orange color. Aroma is sweet, thick, pine, and citrus hops. Flavor though is where this falls a tad short. It is just a little too close to lighter fluid to be thoroughly enjoyable. I’m not saying pour it out, just that I would like the alcohol turned down and the flavor and hops turned up. The finish does have a bit of pine hops. You are left with a tinge of alchol burn.

Bottle ala Brocklander. Lightly hazed umber color with a taller, tight, tiny, bubbled, beige head. Head slowly settles with a heavy sheet of lace. Nice aromas of heavy caramel, vanilla and hints of spice; including cinnamon and mace. Soft feel. Light ripe fruit flavors in the front. Some light toffee, and bits of brandy in the background. Finish has some light oak and herbal hops. I don’t taste the alcohol, but my ears are turning red. Finish has some herbals with a bit of wintergreen. linger is rather dry and uneventful, except for a bit of wood. Nose really had me started with this one. Flavors were a slight let down. A decent strong ale. I need a bit more malt depth and flavor in my barleywine.