Bos Vintage Ale

Formerly brewed at Bos Brewery and Bistro
Style: Barley Wine
Pontiac, Michigan USA

Tap at HDG Strong Fest. 2004 Vintage. Poured a headless copper/orange. Mostly brown sugar aroma, though some toffee, chocolate and some non-distinct fruit (cherry?) notes come through as well. Some alcohol vapors burned my eyeball. Very sweet brown sugar flavors, with some underlying fruit liqueur essence--like Kirsch or Grand Marnier. Nice smooth mouthfeel with no burn. The high alcohol has apparently mellowed into the extreme maltiness over the past 2 years. A pleasure to try, but overall too sweet and strong for my taste.

Fantastic. One of the best beers in Michigan. A good combination of sweet and bitter, very strong. Like a barleywine on crack.

2003 bottle. Thin off white head, fades. Reddish amber/copper color. Sweet bubblegum barleywine aroma, reminds me of Great Dane’s. Peaty hops, and general sweet malts with cherry hints. Aroma carries into flavor with lots of sweetness, some light, old slightly bitter hops, and a scotch whisky quality (probably due to the alcohol and underlying malt sweetness). Overall... strong, but definitely drinkable. Though, I did only have half a glass (shared with my brother), and that was probably enough. I can see how it would be too sweet for some, but still delicious to me.

(2003) Thanks to Brad. Pours nice brown color, little to no head. Taste was harsh, too much to even drink. The alchohol was overbearing and 3 of us couldn’t finish our half glasses of it because it was so offensive.

(2004 Vintage) Musty honey sweetness, floral, nutty and marzipan notes to the aroma with a blanket of strong alcohol. Hazy deep copper-amber with low, dense, cream coloured head that recedes slowly to ring and laces well. Nutty, sweet, icing sugar flavour up front with strong bitterness on the back end. Syrupy medium body with very low carbonation. Sampled at the Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Festival 2005.

Couleur cuivrée, mousse beige aux caractéristiques habituelles des produits de cette brasserie…tout simplement parfaite. arômes parfumés de malt, de caramel et d’alcool peut-être d’un début d’oxydation, apportant une note de sherry. Saveurs très sucrées, semblant encore jeune suivi d’une dose à peine croyable d’alcool, nous brûlant sur son passage. Beaucoup d’alcool…Michigan brewer’s fest, Ypsilanti, Michigan, Juillet 2005.

Tap @ MBG, ’04 version. Dark mahogany with nice tan head. Very sweet aroma. Lots of caramel and sticky hop resin. Flavor had the same caramel, lots of residuel sugar/brown sugar, some fruit in the background. I wrote pear/cherry but very hard to pinpoint. Nice take on a BW even if it is overly sweet. Still enjoyed it very much.

Loved it...all 8 tokens worth at the Mich ale fest, (give or take sharing with my new friend sand man) and of course partaking in using jsquires tokens up because he was driving the Harley I was to ride on...anyway....Mich Ale Fest 05....best drink all night (twice). Lovely honey flavor, huge head, lingering finish WOW.