Climax Barleywine 10th Anniversary Ale

Brewed by Climax Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Roselle Park, New Jersey USA

Marketed in beautiful, 16 oz, swing top, cobalt blue bottles, I enjoyed a bottle of this beer with brewer Dave Hoffmann at the brewery in Roselle Park, NJ. This beer is Climax’s 10th Anniversary Ale, and it is one fantastic barley wine. Only 50 cases of this beer was brewed up, so its very rare, and retails for $10 a bottle, and is worth every penny. Dave stated the inspiration of this beer was a combination of its two favorite barley wines, Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, and Thomas Hardy’s Ale. This beer clocks in at a mighty 10% abv, and is a wonderful beer to sip and savor. Climax 10th Anniversary Ale pours to a beautiful, bright, deep amber color, with a thick, creamy, white head, and a soft carbonation. The nose on this beer is outstanding, with lots of good sweet and caramel malt aroma, paired with touch of estery fruit, citrus and flowery hops, and peppery alcohol. The mouth feel on this beer is soft and full, and slightly oily. The palate is complex and delicious, with flavors of sweet malt, toffee, and estery fruit. This beer finishes with more complex sweet malt, and estery fruit, then ends with a mild citrus hop bitteness, and alcohol heat. A fantastic barley wine, and a great beer to celebrate 10 years of Climax beers.

Nice blue swingtop bottle. Tenth anniversary brew. Pours deep amber with very little head or carbonation. Aromas of a barleywine that has aged for some time. Almost like it was bottled and held in storage for a good year. Sweet figgy malt nose comes through as you hold the glass closer. Very smooth, no overpowering hops. Again, signs that this barleywine was treated well to get where it is now. Some hints of candied orange and a malty sweet finish with no detectable alcohol. This is a 10th anniversary brew that should be part of the regular rotation.

Big in every way. Warming alcohol presence. Hoppy, but the big malt flavor is in no way overpowered.

The climax 10th anniversary beer was an excellent barleywine. Mine was aged a year in my beer cellar before sampling. It had great flavor and balance for a barleywine. Not too overbearing, but I’m not sure if that is related to the aging or not.

Flip top bottle coutesy of zathrus13. Good sweet cherry aroma along with some alcohol. First glass amber body with big tan head and carbination. Second glas body had more of a murky brown body color. Sweet fruit along with some sticky caramel malt flavor. Good sipping brew. With the alocohol presence really not so on the palate as was rather smooth to drink.

Bottle. Pours copper/amber, with a tan head. Aromas are oranges, grapefruit, malt, alcohol, and brown sugar. Flavors are oranges, caramel/butterscotch, sweet malt, alcohol, and a little spice. Body is medium to heavy. This is easily the best thing Climax have done.

Bottle sampled on 3/26/07: Pours a clear copper dark bronze with a well-lacing, frothy off-white head. Aroma of complex, sweet caramel malt with a touch of toast and crystalized sugar and light fruits. Body starts with a nice, full caramel sweetness, light fruity complexity and a smooth, slightly warming finish. A good barleywine.

Tap at Barcade. Deep copper-amber beer topped by a thick fine-laced head. Sweet tasting malts and leafy hops. Very similar aroma profile to the IPA but is bumped up a few notches. Sweet, caramelly malts, earthy, resiny and leafy hop aroma. A bit of nuttiness, sitting behind the otherwise straightforward malt profile. Body is nicely rounded, soft texture, a bit of light fruit in the flavour that just isn’t there in the nose. Warming brings out a lightly plummy/rummy note that I quite enjoy. Soft bitterness, good balance and a very nice barleywine.