Bull & Bush Release the Hounds Barleywine

Sampler at the Bull & Bush Pub & Brewery, Denver 11/10/2007 Strong hop aroma. Amber coloured very strong in alcohol slightly rich on the palate and fruity with a crisp and bitter warming finish

On tap at the Bull & Bush brewpub. Pours a very cloudy and opaque mud brown body with a big, thick, creamy dirty beige head that dissipates very slowly and remains extremely lacy. Pretty nice looking beer. Poured into a challace and actually looks like a beer fit for royalty. Pretty sexy with the head dripping down the side of the glass. And this is where my initial attraction faded...Aroma is mainly sweet syrup. No hops at all. Lots of sugary malts, candy sugar, and dark fruits...but no hops! Smells kind of old, but not in a good way. Like a musty, moth filled closet. Flavor is a little better because it actually has a hop bitterness, which surprised me. I thought I was going to be drinking pancake syrup after initially smelling this. Anyways...lots of syrupy sweet caramel malts and an abundance of toffee. Moves into a dark berry fruit and resiny sugar middle before finishing pretty woody and dry. The hops kick in at the end and actually have an increasing flavor as this lingers. Palate is soapy, syrupy, sticky, and medium bodied. Overall, I’m pretty disappointed. Way too sweet and syrupy. At least some hops kick in at the end otherwise I may have left this glass full. If only it smelled/tasted as good as it looked.

Crushed with Jakebra at BSAF. Hoppy apple juice? Can small the damn alcohol. Flavor is the same. Thin-bodied and poopy. Not impressed. Kinda makes me sick it’s so sweet.

[Feb 22, 2009]
ON tap at the brewpub. Pours a murky brown with a well formed head. The aroma is very syrupy, musty, and has a notable wooden character. The carbonation is pretty low. It was hard for me to get through this whole pint. The sticky sweetness compounds about halfway through and it becomes a chore. However, there is enough woody bitterness and complexity to keep things interesting.

On tap at the brewpub on 10/12/07: Transparent bright copper with a nicely-lacing wispy white head. Aroma of sweet caramel malt and fresh grapefruity hops. Body starts with a light caramel malty sweetness and good citrusy bittering hops, but a little weak in the flavor although quite drinkable. A decent barleywine, but perhaps a little over-attenuated.

tap. copper/red with thin soapy head. light grapefruit rind and hop aroma. citrus hops, soapy and oily. pepper and light malts. once sided and a bit thin.

Tap @ the Brewpub. 2006 Vintage. Poured a clear copper brown color with an off-white head. Fruity aged malt. Sweet and sugary. Flavor of old fruit. The sweetness is short then dries out. Hoppy finish with a growing bitterness. Full bodied, smooth and warming.

Draft. A deep red beer with a thin beige head. The aroma is sweet malty and dominated by alcohol - boring. The flavor is extremely alcohol and malty with a dry woody finish. A very boring Barley Wine since it is very simple.