Cambridge Blunderbuss Barleywine

Brewed by Cambridge Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Cambridge, Massachusetts USA

Draft... GABF ’06... Clear, deep golden ale with a small, creamy, off-white head. Earthy aroma of wood and leather. The flavor is sweet with lots of toffee, fuzzy fruit, honey and maple sap. Full-bodied with an oily mouthfeel and soft carbonation. Lengthy, bittersweet finish.

rich copper & brown color w/ a small tan head laces well. Aroma is alcohol & light carmels some light odd fuggle maybe hop aromas. Creamy well coated palate. Warm swallow very sweet english stype bw w/ a hot hop bite of grass that fades quickly and leaves a bit of a bitter tongue. Solid BW but seemed to be lacking something to me.

Deep amber-orange. Soft texture; mild carbonation. Rich sweetness. Nice notes of white wine, oak, vanilla, sugar water, cake. Bitterness is relatively mild; somewhat grassy hops. Nothing over the top, but solid and well made.

Sampled at the 4th Boulder Strong Ale Fest. The beer poured a hazy, medium amber color with a tiny head that’s almost nonexistent. The aroma was bright and citrusy. Malty with a light note of toasted grain; hoppy with a moderate note of lemon; light miscellaneous notes of sherry, cognac, wood, a trace of balsamic vinegar, moderate miscellaneous notes of tropical fruit, spicy alcohol, tea and white grape juice. A nice aroma, but none of the warm, grounding notes one usually finds in a Barleywine. The flavor was heavily sweet, lightly bitter with a slightly salty, average-length, moderately sweet, moderately bitter finish. The body was medium-to-full, the texture was a little lighter than syrupy, the carbonation was soft and there was a harsh alcoholic feeling in the finish.

GABF 2005. Head is mostly diminishing. Body is hazy light amber. Aroma is moderately malty (cookie, caramel), lightly hoppy (apricot, resin), with notes of peach, vanilla, and candy sugar. Flavor is heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter. Medium to full body, syrupy texture, lively carbonation, lightly alcoholic. Another minor winner at GABF...didn’t completely knock my socks off but it was a fair sight better than a lot of overhopped American barleywines.

Sampled @ GABF- Pours a medium brown color, off white head. Aroma is musty, c our cherry, lemon notes. Almost candylike. Flavor is sweet, but balanced with hop biterness.Cherry and caramel. Sweet finish.

GABF 2005: Hazy amber hue with a fading head and minimal lace. The aroma has a strange vinous quality (which I see now may be the French Oak and dried fruits), salty and peppery with a moderate caramel vapor. There is a light phenolic nature to the nose as well. The taste is salty, tannic and bitter that attacks the palate before a smoother bready and malty character settles down. The finish is part sugar sweet and vanilla versus an equal part sharp spicy hops. The feel is biting and aggressive with a warming nature, the alcohol is not hidden but not offensive either. A good solid brew that could be even better with a tweak or two.

GABF 2005. Cloudy dark tan, thin lacing. Light floral hop aroma. Rich, sweet malty taste with lots of syrup and caramel. Great balance between bitterness and alcohol. Finish is roasted malt, dry, light hops. Very approachable.