Boulder Beer Killer Penguin Barleywine

Brewed by Boulder Beer Company
Style: Barley Wine
Boulder, Colorado USA

On tap at HDG @ DOTD. Deep reddish orange in color with a little off white head that left a nice lacing on the glass. Malty nutty toffee aroma. Caramel hoppy notes. Chocolatety malty flavor. Citrusy hoppy notes. Medium bodied. Finish is sweet. Decent beer. Drinkable.

Pours a brownish red with a thick tan head. Huge malt caramel malt aroma with lots of hops. Taste is malty with a slightly thin body. nice floral hops to balance the malt. Finishes clean with a little bitterness. Doesn’t seem to be the overpowering BW that I think boulder envisioned. Might be interesting after some aging. Also, the wax is a pain in the butt to get off.

2007 Edition. 22 oz. bottle. Damn, the top was a pain in the ass to take off, never mind tiny pieces pieces of red wax floating in my beer. Minus one point in the overall for that. When I finally opened the bottle, it poured a clear dark amber with a moderate off-white head that lasted until about mid-glass. Pleasant aroma of caramel and sweet citrus. The flavor is caramel with some sweet citrus, but lacks a bit in depth. Medium bodied with a little heat from the alcohol at the finish. An ok barley wine but lacking some of the richness I think of with this style.

22 oz. bottle 2007 vintage, from John’s Marketplace in Portland. Pours hazy chestnut color with little to no head. Aroma of brown sugar, overripe pear, earth, florals and a hint of roast. Flavor is dominated by malts, with a bit of dark fruit and molasses, herbs, black tea and light pomegranate notes, with dust and alcohol present as well. Full body with carbonation almost absent. Pretty good, but with little hoppiness to balance all the rich earthy malts, really my style of barleywine.

Sample @ Coles Barleywine Tasting Buffalo NY. Pours a medium to light amber color. Sweet caramel malt mixed with citrusy hops. Pineapple & Grapefruit. Nice. 2006 version

Appearance: Pours a clear, dark garnet-hued body with a small, frothed, off-white head. Smell: Caramelly crystal malt nose. Cherry fruitiness. Fresh-brewed ice tea. Touch of spruce. Blast of ethanol. Taste: Caramel with a dash of southern iced tea and a bulky crystal malt sweetness. Topped with two, maybe three maraschino cherries. Spruce hints. Citrusy hops with a moderate bitterness. Bittersweet, boozed up finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: A little hot, a little harsh when first released, I’ve got some bottles of the ’06 in the cellar which will soon be joined by the ’07 vintage for a long, quiet, much needed rest.

2007 bottle. Warm roasted caramel aroma with some alcohol and raisin. Dark copper red color with a white head that quickly ringed. Medium to full body with creamy carbonation. Roasted dark malt with heat and dark fruit. Very smooth and tasty. Finish is a bit sweet and there’s not a great deal of bitter. One heck of a good drink though.

2005 bottling. Clear copper color with a frothy head. Strong smell of figs, dates, raisons, caramel is lightly oxidized. Med/heavy body. Decent taste is bittersweet with caramel, pit fruits, and hot alcohol. Pretty decent aged brew here. 103006