Carolina Old 392 Barleywine Style Ale

Brewed by Carolina Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Holly Springs, North Carolina USA

Thanks to Josh for sharing this. Pours a translucent golden amber with a smaller white bubbly head. Aroma of fresh hop pellets, citrus, pine, lots of caramel malt and some dark fruits. Flavor of pine, grapefruit, lots of lingering hop bitterness, caramel malt, some alcohol and various fruitiness. More of a double IPA than a barleywine...a great beer either way!

Draught at the Flying Saucer, Raleigh. Pours a deep, deep brown red with a nice, firm tan head. There a dense, caramelized nose of toffee, fresh juicy grapefruit (though not to point of being sharp). It’s a pretty solid beer all in all. Plenty of sweet caramel notes, a bit of leafy flavor. The finish is juicy with notes of maple. Not bad, maybe just a bit too sweet.

Bottle, from brewery. Bottle on 11/21/06. Ok aroma, sweet. Litely perfumy, vanilla, Almons scented candle, Lite brandy/whisky, Little pepper, grapefruit. Clean brownish orange color, small head that quickly faded to a ring. Bitter sweet flavor. Has a peppery bite. Grapefruit? something. ABV shows itself. medium body, creamy smooth mouthfeel, bitterdry finish. Eh, don’t think it comes together well

Off tap at Blinco’s in Raleigh. Very simply the best barley wine I have ever had hands-down. It was as smooth as a baby’s bottom and if you did not know it was a barley wine this brew could get you in real trouble fast. Be careful with this one! Loved it!

From notes 11/29/05: CBC’s first foray into the Popped Cap field at 9.3%. Usual CBC seasonal label with dot-matrixed info upon it: 9.3% Alc by Vol, Bot 11/22/05. Purchased 11/23/05 at the brewery. Tasted 11/28/05. Less than a week from bottler to gullet. Mmmmm... Pours a ruddy amber color with a milky tan globule of foam floating lazily on top. Concrete ring of bubbles surrounds the ink blot test in the middle. Hazy, murky. Illuminated from within. A pearlized Christmas tree bulb. Thin lacing. Extraordinarily pungent aromas of hops. Heavy oils of hop character. Sticky pine sap. Freshly cut Watauga County mountain Christmas tree, with sticky gooey innards clinging to your gloves and bow-saw blade. Fruitiness begins the tasting. Resinous lacquer coats the palate. Warming alcohol tingles the tongue. Heavy malt bill shows: chewy caramels and warm doughiness. Ample hop cones newly crushed dust your mouth with their yellow bitter insides. Bold aftertaste. Super-hopped character fits the bill. Rugged aftertaste post-swallow of hops, hops, and hops. Fantastic hop burps. Mouthfeel seems a bit timid. Not a "huge" beer at all. Very drinkable. An easy-drinking barleywine. The 9.3% is mischievous and lays in wait in the shadows. The case will be tapped into quite easily and readily.

Initial big hop nose takes your head back. Head lasts well for a 9% beer. Nice copper color. Great hop flavor and bitterness balanced with maltiness in this excellent American-style Barley Wine.

Pours a lightly hazy copper orange with a thin wispy off-white head. Dry peppery bittersweet aroma has some citrusy hoppy presence. Body starts with some dry earthy maltiness turning to a very bitter peppery finish with some alcoholic notes. Doesn’t have enough balance and complexity. Needs more flavor hops and less bittering ones.

Thanks to Styles for this one. Poured a clear orange-copper color and leaving an "oily film" when swirled. Aroma is sweet and malty with some alcohol and over ripe peaches. Flavor starts sweet and fruity but stops abruptly. Dry bitter finish. Nice warming sensation. Medium to full body.