Butte Creek Train Wreck

Brewed by Butte Creek Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Chico, California USA

Bomber pours clear copper with tan head and decent lacing initially. The aroma brings up big dark fruity esters of plums, prunes, raisins, pepper and hard candy cherries. There’s also an alcohol note. The taste starts with a mixture of sweet malts, pale malts and a burst of dark fruitiness. Then it becomes increasingly fruity with prunes, sweet cherries, raisins, then a slight medicinal cherry cough syrup note along with mild pepper. It ends with lingering dark fruit notes, a hint of caramel malt sweetness and a bit of alcohol. Considering the age and the ABV the alcohol isn’t out of line. This can certainly use a couple of years on the shelf though.

This beer completely lives up to its name. Phenolic nose with notes of rotten fruit and artificial sweetener. Sweet and oxidized palate with some burnt toffee and spruce tips. Sickening sweet high alcohol finish.

Appearance: Pours a hazy, deep amber body with a large, creamy-looking off-white head. Smell: Alcoholic, sweet-smelling nose of caramel syrup and candied citrus fruits. Lesser notes of biscuits and pine needles as well. Taste: Sugary caramel flavor upfront followed by a variety of juicy citrus fruits, traces of pine, and a solid bitterness. The sweetness makes a rebound with hints of brown sugar coated biscuits. The candy sweet finish carries with it a palate-scorching alcohol bite. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. Definite warming alcohol presence. Drinkability: Not so bad, all things considered, though it most certainly could benefit from further time away in the cellar.

22 oz. bottle, from BevMo LaJolla. This pours beautiful, mostly clear bright reddish copper with a large fluffy head that lingers well. Aroma of sweetish maltiness, some caramel, citrus fruit, with hints of spice, but also a weirdish dusty cardboard scent. Flavor is way rich and malty, with soft ripe fruits, grapefruit and citrus hops, a little spice and noticible alcohol. Full body, smooth and gently carbonated.

22oz Bottle pours out a amber topped with a nice off white cream head. A nice aroma of hops and sweetness. tast is a little thin. Some bitterness and some caramel sweetness. This one was a lot better than I was thinking it would be.

2007 Bomber from Bottle Barn; Nose of floral hops, plums, and caramel; Copper with a medium honey colored head; flavor has a little hop bitterness, brwon sugar, caramel, and raisins mixed with light alcohol. Pretty good and underrated for a young BW.

Bottle: Amber in color, moderate off-white head, foamy, fairly attractive lacing.   Citrusy nose, slightly astringent, some orange peel/rind in there.   Noticing some alcohol as well.   Alcohol infused candied citrus rind on the tongue.   For now its better than expected.   Decent malt base, but not as much as I would have liked to see.   Somewhat perfumy, scented hairspray like.   Seems a bit rough around the edges, fairly young, green.   Doesn’t have that organic twang that I so often get.   Surprisingly smooth, given how rough it is.   Finish is fairly clean, warming, some alcohol notes, along with that somewhat astringent citrus rind.   Definitely young, alcoholic, and perfumy, with the ever present citrus twang.   Tiz okay I suppose... but definitely would be better with age.

Bottled. Beer is clear medium caramel-brown colored. The head is small, white, frothy, mostly and quickly diminishing, but ultimately lasting.<P>First impression on the nose is more like an IIPA. The aroma is malty with moderate notes of toasted bread, caramel and biscuit; Hoppy with light/moderate notes of resin/pine, moderate/heavy grassy herbal; Yeasty with a light note of basement, trace of dish rag; Light notes of alcohol and candy sugar, trace of grains of paradise.<P>The flavor is rich. Moderately/heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter with a long, warm, moderately sweet, light/moderately bitter finish. Trace of astringency on the gums. Bready rets and long-lasting grip.<P>The body is medium/full, the texture is velvety/syrupy and the carbonation is lively.<P>Not bad, not super.