Bristol Old No. 23 Barley Wine

Brewed by Bristol Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Colorado Springs, Colorado USA

2005 vintage from Degarth, thanks buddy. Pours a slightly hazy dull copper, brown orange with thin white head. The aroma is full with a load up front of citrus hop flavor such as over ripe orange wedges and cantaloupe mixed with an alcohol note. There is also a more classic barleywine nose of dark fruit hidden behind the ripe citrus and melon along with a faint undertone of caramel. I’m drinking this in the 60F range. The flavors start off smooth and seemingly neutral. Then some mild sweet caramel malt notes start things going along with blunted citrus hop flavor and glimpses of hop bitterness. As the taste progresses the hop component becomes both hard orange candy like as well as over ripe oranges. Toward the finish the malts creep up and add some balanced to the citrus with caramel, toffee and a hint of bread. The alcohol flavor becomes noticeable as the taste ends. I get grapefruit hop bitterness, sweet orange hard candy and mild malt sweetness into the after taste.

This appears to be a 2002 bottle. Deep copper/brown color with a thin tan head. The nose reminds me of Flintstone chewable vitamins coated in dark toffee. Boy, it does have that aged patina on it. Vanilla, oak, cherries, pennies, sherry, some chocolate, toffee, blood, and a little funk. There is still a lot of hops in the finish, with grass and moldy grapefruit rinds under the malty sweetness. I always think I don’t like aged beer until I try one.

Bottle 2006. Heavy malt aroma. Taste a little like at heavy brown ale, with round malty body. A hint of hops too. nice but not that complex.

2006 Bottle given to me by Chris, thanks and served in my Unibroue tulip: A rich deep copper and mahogany hue with a beautiful lasting tan foamy head that left excellent lace upon the glassware. The aroma has notes of caramel and toffee, sugar fruit candies, hint of tobacco and herbal hops, with some phenols. The taste starts malty and sweet with fruity undertones throughout. The hops play more towards the finish in the English style. A hint of cocoa bean, clove and peppermint leaf round out the flavor profile. The mouth feel is sticky and smooth with a subdued warming upon the finish. A very nice and should develop with age for 1-3 years to be a good example of the classic barley wines of Britain.

Name: Old No. 23 Barley Wine 05
Date: 03/17/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

hazy amber, headless, sweet carmel malt aroma with aged hops, rich malt flavor, nice bitterness

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 4/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 2.8/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

Courtesy boboski. Amber. Small, off white head. Richly sweet strawberry cotton candy, moderately bitter resinous hops, vegetation, rubbing alcohol in the nose. Flavor adds good-n-plenty, toffee, and some cocoa on the finish. Full body, balanced.

Courtesy of Styles

Bottle: The aroma consists of caramel, fruit, faint banana bread, and alcohol. Overall it’s rather light for a barley wine. It pours a transparent brownish-red with a small off-white head. The flavor starts very fruity and citrusy. There is some light caramel in the background. The finish has some mild citrusy hops and a touch of alcohol.

Courtesy boboski. Pours a caramel brown with almost no head. The aromas are somewhat mild. There wwas some dark fruit with a big malt background. Nice smooth caramel in the taste. Huge malt characters. Slightly bitter, especially in the finish. Not a very intense beer, and quite easy drinking. Pretty nice.