Carolina Old 392 Barleywine Style Ale

From a 12oz Bottle. Bottled 11/21/06. Mostly transparent, ruddy amber colored pour with a thin head of large bubbled off-white. Aromas of caramel malt, orange blossoms, and piney hops. Some harsh alcohols noted. A touch of confectioner’s sugar sweetens up the nose a bit. Medium bodied, softly carbonated mouthfeel with a thin texture. Flavors of caramel and toffee malt sweetness up front on the palate, but the body lacks much chewiness for a barleywine, leaving it a bit thin. Piney hops come through mid-palate, although they leave a bit of a scratchy sensation left on the palate. Hints of raisin. Too high on the American hop levels and not enough malt complexity leaves this one a bit simple. Simple is OK if it’s drinkable, but come on, this is a barleywine.

North Raleigh Tasting! Had a bottle from 05 & 06. Cloudy amber with a big malty nose. Caramel and citrus with bitter finish. the fresher had more of an intense flavor

12 oz. bottle, bottling date of (11/08/06), sampled in a snifter. L: Cloudy orangey amber with a compact beige head of creamy foam that settled into a thin sudsy lacing. Light amounts of splotchy dots ring the glass. S: Orange blossoms and citrus juice, oily pine, caramel and estery solvent alcohol. F&T: Moderate body that has a slight thin watery feel in the mouth, light on any creaminess or firmness, mildly crisp and dry. The solvent alcohol is upfront in the taste, seems to wash out a lot of the hop flavors, just watery tastes of citrus and pine, ending with a dry earthy bitterness. The malts are a bit thin, caramel and soft touches of sugar. A briefly lingering nuttiness comes out in the finish, adding to an otherwise watery solvent finish. An o.k. barley wine, but not something I would return to.

Bottle: Dated 11/21/06 8.7% ABV.   Caramel in color, burnt orange hues, large frothy off-white head, decent lacing.   Pale malt nose, citrus peel, toasted marshmallows, and touch of alcohol on the nose.   A little green on the tongue, but not hot nor overly bitter.   Not a big malt base, otherwise slightly sweet with some minor bitter citrus peel.   Comes across as a lightweight, one that probably wouldn’t do much for aging... granted this appears to be a one year old bottle.   Does have a pretty clean/light finish.   Body and mouthfeel are moderate, at best.   Expected it to be a little thicker, but as is it would be a very light Barley Wine that might be a good gateway example for those not familiar with the style.   Thanks Tom for the bottle!

12 oz bottled dated 11/21/06. Pours opaque orange-amber with a small off-white head that quickly dissipates to just a ring. Aroma of carmel malts, pitted prunes and lighter fruity esters and citrus/piney hops. Flavor is fairly mild and balanced between toffee, light fruity esters and american hops. Balances toward sweet and malty but well-balanced, finishing relatively dry. Mouthfeel is medium, with moderate carbonation and nice warming character without being hot or solventy. This is a pretty good beer, but a bit light for a barleywine. It could pass for a well-balanced DIPA. Re-rate 3-25-08; bumped up palate (nice, just a bit light) and overall one each

Date: 12/18/2006
Mode: Draft
Source: Flying Saucer, Raleigh

clear dark amber, fine beige head, lots of lace, dry caramel malt aroma with earthy hops, sweet fruity malt flavor, light bitterness falls short of balance but leaves room for the fruity character to shine,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

Bottled on 11/21/06 and drunk on 6/28/07
Small amount of rapidly dissipating, medium-beige head tops this copper-auburn tinted brown barleywine. Clear, lightly effervescent, with no lacing left.
Smells hoppy and of plentiful caramel malt. Bready, with dry toffee and light butter (not diacetyl) signifying probably some munich malt. A strong ester profile of raspberries and strawberries slowly melds in to heady alcohol fumes on the finish, which is quite dry in contrast to the malty sweet beginning. Medium strength of aroma, no flaws.
About as run-of-the-mill American barleywine as I can think of, with the usual huge caramel-toffee maltiness, scratchy breadiness and obnoxious bittering hop profile. Maybe some date and nut notes in there too. I don’t really understand what about these things I ever enjoyed, as I certainly can’t find anything now. Medium amounts of lively carbonation, with a malty-sweet texture and strong alcohol warmth on the finish. No flaws. Thanks for the bottle, Tom!

Bottle courtesy of OldGrowth. Clear amber body with a modest, fading off-white head. Sweet maple and faint cherry aromas plus some nutty malt, light spicy hops, and a squash-like note. Flavor has substantial woody bitterness that lends a considerable counter-balance to the sweet malt characters. Has an element of green banana. Mouthfeel is a little thin, which accentuates the bitterness. Not bad overall.