Dominion Millennium

Brewed by Coastal Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Annapolis, Maryland USA

This is a very hoppy barleywine, much like SN Bigfoot, or 3F Behemoth, but this lacks the fullness and complexity of those big ones. Don't get me wrong, this is good, but there are so many great barleywines out there, that I wouldn't call this one one to really seek out - slight white lacing, clear copper color - malty aroma with a bit of honey - honey initially in the flavor, then the hops come in - heavy maltiness comes back toward the end, with some fruits (cherries mostly) - the malt/hop balance is pulled off well in this one, much like the beers mentioned above, but this is still one notch under those greats.

Vintage 1998.
Pours cloudy dark amber with a thin disappearing tan head. Caramel and chocolate aroma, touch of age but still very nice. Sweet malt and fruity notes also. Flavor is malty and chocolaty with some fruit. Dry with woody hints. Very good!

Bottle from Santa. Luxurious warm carmelly, bitter butter aroma. Enveloping and smooth like melted chocolate, though restrained and still delicate. A pleasing bitterness is the first thing noticed in the mouth, followed by the same buttery softness evident in the aroma. Not very complex at all, but still a great drink. 11.4% alcohol (2006 bottle) is extremely well hidden. Great beer from Santa. Oak aged is next!

Clear dark amber color with a thin creamy off-white head. Sweet caramel aroma. Sweet caramel flavor with some molassas and some light fruit.

Bottle: Courtesy of The_Beer_God via trade. Aroma is nice with some banana bread, caramel, a hint of citrus, and a pretty big alcohol presence as well. Pours a mostly transparent reddish-orange with a moderate off-white head that lasts a minute or so. Apple, banana bread, and light caramel up front with a lightly citrus hopped finish with some alcohol, but not as strong I expected based on the aroma. Smells like it’s 11.4%, but doesn’t taste like it.

11 ounce goblet - $4.25 at Taco Mac in Buford, Georgia. Appearance: Arrived at Table Fifty-Three a clear, dark amber body with a thin, fine, egg shell-colored head. Smell: Sweet-smelling, fruit-scented nose of malts (brown sugar, then dark caramel, then Grade B maple syrup) and fresh-made chutney with an overall earthiness to it and marked by whiffs of alcohol. Taste: Sweet tastes brown sugar and dark caramel with just a touch of chewy breadiness to the overall maltiness. Fruity mixture of ripe cherry, apple, and discarded plumskins which, along with the booze contained within, gives these tastes a slight liqueur feel to them. Sure, I’m willing to cheerfully accept a certain amount of alcohol, but the level of heat its imparting is rather unbecoming. Hint of cinnamon with a wry, knowing wink and the "shhh" finger. Earthy, woody hop character with maybe a light vague touch of citrus. Moderate hop bitterness. Then, it’s back to the fruits swirled in brown sugar and maple syrup. Finishes fruity, bittersweet, and with more than a noticeable hint of alcoholic heat. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: At this stage, it’s still a bit coarse and unrefined, but it’s basically good. Though it does make me more than wistful for a bottle of J.W. Lee’s Harvest Ale or, hell, one of my older bottles of Oak Barrel-Aged Millennium. I’m just sayin’!

Feb 2004 vintage per Jason. The beer pours to a hazy/murky caramel color with a thin tan head. The aroma is oaken caramel, sweet candi sugar, pine and malt. The flavor is piney, grassy, oaky toffee and brown sugars. Nice resiny full mouth feel.

12oz bottled on 040407 coutesy of eaglefan538. Alcohol stood out the most with fermented barley field and some caramel. Murky rust body color with thin head. Some hints of fruit and caramel but the alcohol presence was overpowering any real flavor of this one. Little harsh whiskey feel down the hatch and an alcohol warming effect on the body. Whew....