Dogwood Excellent Adventure

Formerly brewed at Dogwood Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Atlanta, Georgia USA

22oz nonlabeled bottle via trade with both Goldtwins and kp! Thanks guys! - Pours a hazy copper/brown with a very short offwhite head that fades quickly to a film but leaves a bit of lacing from there on down. Aroma is big caramel malts, some candy sugar, cherry, and just a hint of bannana. Flavor is caramel, cherry, lots of bannana, a little clove, candy sugar, vanilla, and a bit of plum. Complex flavor. Palate is sweet and almost sticky. Full bodied and the alcohol was completely covered. Good smooth sipper for a nightcap. Enjoyable.

Bottle: Courtesy of Styles, but also aquired some from TheBeerCellar2 via trade. Aroma has lots of caramel with moderate fruit (banana and apple) and a hint of grain. Pours a hazy orangish-red with a minimal off-white head. Lots of caramel and moderate banana bread. Hints of fruit and brown sugar. Finished with a mellow hoppiness and a touch of alcohol. There’s a hint of grain hiding in the background every now and then.



Sampled this again courtesy of the TheBeerCellar2 via trade. Basically the same as above but the grainy flavors were missing which was a plus. Original score was 8-4-8-4-15.

No head. Clear dark orange. Aroma is ethanol, mint, floral hops. Taste is candi, floral, very sweet initially. Clean, long finish, alcoholic still. Good stuff, could use a few more hops maybe.

(Bottle, courtesy of Nuffield) Pours am amber-brown body with a spare off-white head. Aroma of malt, caramel, raisins, orange, florals, and spices. Flavor of malt, caramel, hops, dark fruits, and spices.

Unremarkable appearance. Slightly hoppy nose with brownsugar notes. Flowing palate with a heavly spice flavour, slight bitterness.

Bomber made from keg or growler. Head is initially small, fizzy, mostly diminishing. Aroma is moderately malty (cookie, caramel), moderately hoppy (apricot, flowers, orange), with notes of toffee, sherry, vanilla, honey, alcohol. Body is hazy medium amber. Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. FInish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Medium to full body, watery/syrupy texture, soft to lively carbonation, lightly to moderately alcoholic. Wow. This is my kinda barleywine. Sultry, sexy aroma with a great balance and amazing freshness given it’s age (this was made in 2004, I’m told). Testament to the unfiltered character and large bottle size, I suppose. Excellent stuff, and stopped me in my tracks during our tasting session. Along with Youngblood, I’m beginning to understand why people mourn this brewery’s passing.

Thanks Beerandblues2, you’re the best! Beer pours a pretty, medium-orange-color without any head. The aroma is quite pretty! Lightly malty with a note of toasted grain; Miscellaneous notes of moderate dried stone-fruit, sherry, vanilla, winter spices. The flavor is heavily bitter, lightly acidic with a long, bitter finish that fades up from ligh-to- heavily bitter. The body is medium, the texture is syrupy and the carbonation is soft.

Thanks TheBeerCellar2 for sending this bomber my way!

Unlabeled bottle
– Pours a rusty bronze body and a tall kaki colored head. The aroma boasts of big sweet malts, slightly oxidized, but this plays nicely into beers of this nature; largely fruity and earthy. The flavor brings out a lot of caramel, some red apple, pear, plum, and drippings of molasses. I can definitely since some age on this beer; the residual hop has really rounded out, leaving an earthy, woodsy spiciness. The palate is sticky and finishes off with a slightly dry biscuity-ness. Reminded me a bit of Thomas Hardys... a really Nice Brew!