Blue Point Old Howling Bastard

Brewed by Blue Point Brewing
Style: Barley Wine
Patchogue, New York USA

Bottled in 2000. Those Blue Point people sure do love their hops. I normally don’t enjoy so many hop characteristics in a barley wine, but these guys really pull it off. It tastes like a cross between a very strong IPA and a barley wine. Sweet, malty, VERY hoppy. Vinous, with notes of vanilla and cotton candy? Very impressive. I normally don’t like to lower a rating due to price, but since this is 17 bucks a bottle, I have to kick it down a little.

Blue Point Old Howling Bastard is a slightly hazy golden ale with a huge, fluffy off-white head that has outstanding retention and lacing. The aroma is sweet, like candied fruit, plum and fig. It’s full bodied and syrupy. The finish is sticky. It’s a bit sweet and a bit bitter. The balance is good. The mailt tastes grainy and it seems like there’s some caramel in there. There is a note of juniper. The aftertaste is bitter and boozy. It’s a pretty complex beer. [Sampled at the 2009 Flower City Brewers’ Fest at Frontier Field, Rochester, NY]

2003 Bottle shared by Hophead22. Pours a murky, yeasty yellow orange with no head. Aroma is burnt clutch and new tennis shoes with a bit of oxidized caramel sweetness. Flavor is a whole bunch of grainy caramel flavors and the hop bitterness stands out remarkably for the age. A little bit of fruit and bubblegum in there. Really big and tasty. Palate is sticky, carbonation is low. A pretty gnarly beer!

2000 edition. Hazy honey glow. Creamy thick and sticky off white head. Very light carbonation. Aroma of pineapples, melons, mild caramel, light hops and alcohol. Massive array of complex flavors. Very hoppy, earthy and bright as opposed to the usual pungent and bitter so typical in Americanized barley wines. Fruity backdrop and a slow alcohol burn. Strawberries get in the mix, midway, both in aroma and flavor. This brew has a feisty spiciness and juicy, fruity alcohol taste that evolves in the beginning and lasts until the end. Medium bodied with a light dose of bubbliness. The bottom 1/2 of the bottle is the gem. Not thickly yeasty but it’s there. Swirl and pour. Mellows a bit, thickens and develops a creamy aftertaste. Dryish. Finishes with a light honeyed sweetness and piney hoppiness, all riding the spicy bitterness. Still a bit young but a very solid brew. 2001 version (on tap at the brewery) is richer, maltier, more full bodied and not as hoppy and bitter. Balanced quite well for a young barley wine. However, at $17 a 750ml bottle this is insanely overpriced.

On cask at David Copperfield's in NYC... Lightly hazy, copper/burnt orange ale. Very fruity, malty aroma. Apples, honey, butterscotch, golden raisins. The flavor is also fruity. Red apple and alcohol. Bittered well-enough for balance. Full-bodied with an oily mouthfeel and soft carbonation. Lengthy, alcoholic, bitter finish. Good stuff!

2004 Edition. Nice copper color with a minimal head that I find consistant in most barleywines I taste. On tap, it is very consistant and flavorful. Lucky me! Rich bodied, fuiity aroma that also reeks of alcohol. Taste is oh so smooth with an excellent balance and a real kick in the ass.

Courtesy of puzzl 750ml bottle. Man was called an asshole at work last night so perfect time to bust this one open. Good caramel, yeast and sweet fruit aroma on the nose. Cloudy orange body with off white head and took me ten minutes to peel away the wax dip. Good yeaty bready body for flavor along with moderate sweet fruit and caramel malt to mix things up. Body warming affect on the palate along with a bacon aroma yeast shot on bottom of bottle. Thanks you puzzl

Dégusté avec Pyrozoid, agaguk, grand génie. Apparence orange limpide avec des gros sédiments et une petite mousse beige. Aromes de graines de moutarde, sel de celeri, gateau aux fruits, caramel avec un mince fillet de vanille. Résineux sucré... bizarre combinaison... mais tout de meme tres intéressant. Corps tres rond, astringent, bonne amertume et sensation d’alcool tres présente. Gout de cuire, fig, caramel, gingembre. Biere tres unique mais complexe en meme temps... tres belle experience.