DuClaw Devils Milk

Brewed by DuClaw Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Abingdon, Maryland USA

Big thanks to Styles for the hand bottle. Poured a clear golden color with a thin off-white head. Thick sweet and fruity aroma. Caramel, apples and light alcohol. Sweet malty flavor. Caramel and fruit. Light pepper on the finish. Pretty warming. Medium body. Balanced with a mild hop flavor and hop bitterness on the finish.

PDG ... pretty darn good. Came off as an IPA to me. Think maybe DFH 90 Minute w/ more of a subtle herbal taste spice flavor & some citrus & fruity notes. Mixes in a well a soft sweet malty rather smooth medium built body. Hides the alcohol content well. I still think IPA moreso than seasonal / barley wine. Good offering.

Thanks to Eric, this is the third time he’s tried to get a growler of this to a gathering I was attending and it was the charm. A sweet, mild, caramelly, syrupy ale with an ever so slight alcohol burn on the lips. The hops are mild, soft, slightly spicy (nutmeg, cinnamon), and the malts are dark, with figs, oxidized apples, and plenty of toffee. And excellent sipper that leaves your lips and entire mouth feeling indulged, sticky, and smooth, with a gentle nearly-floral aftertaste.

Bottle (handbottled) courtesy of brothers Styles and Pailhead. Pours a clear, ruby orange color with an attractive off-white head which slowly fades to a nice sized ring. Good lacing is left behind. Aroma is pleasantly malty, lightly fruity and moderate floral hop notes. Medium bodied and quite smooth with a lower carbonation level. I don’t know if that was intended or a byproduct of the handbottling, either way it seems to work well with this beer. Flavors are malty sweet initially with a touch of raisin and caramel and midway through changes to a piney, sappy hop bitterness. The 12% is tucked away nicely, little bits of alcohol are picked up and it warms the belly but it blends quite well. Very nicely done.

LIght copper color with a few off-white bubbles on top. Creamy aromas with some brown sugar, mild port and hint of maple syrup. Caramel flan and malt flavors abound. Yes, this is my type of barley wine heavy malts throughout the nip. Lightly oily and silky. Malt get balanced late in the quaff with mild pine and lightly spicy hops. I just realized I am using "light" and "mild" quite frequently in this review. Its a good brew that is strong and drinkable, with subtle flavors. A somewhat paradoxical brew that I certainly enjoyed. Thanks for sharing Joel!

Clear red-tinted amber body. Orange peel and cinnamon aroma backed by alcohol and condensed pale malt. Bitrus, brown sugar, pepper-spiced alcohol and stem juice in teh falvor. Lasting stemmy finish with a fruity maltiness.

Hand bottle via Styles - thanks Chris and everyone else who made this happen! Slight hiss as the cap comes off, pouring a translucent reddish-copper color with legs and slow, etchy lace. Wonderful citrus aromatic array. Amaretto, grapefruit and freesia are the first to put on their turn signal, promptly joined by snappy warrior hops piping away. A touch of almond butter and maraschinos massage the nostrils as well, and if that’s not enough, we’re able to decipher nectarines and orange pulp too. Flavor is a pipey elixir. Sweet and titillating. Spicy cantaloupe and melon roll down a hill, like an animated classic when the cartoon character rolls endlessly inside of a wooden barrel - but, this time around, it’s an orange juice carton and there’s nothing childish nature about it. Cherry almond Nips and a sprucy, spicy bitterness conjures up an oily orange dream. Some peach fuzz softness provides a lovely counterpoint to the sweet, syrupy and thirst inducing palate feel. Honed carbonation gives way at the right time for a penetrating fruity sweetness to prevail. Lingering, mellow bitterness amidst strawberry fields comprising the finish. In a word, incredible.

Thanks Joel for sharing this wonderful beer. The bottle was filled by someone. Anyway, the beer pours to a nice glowing orangish copper body with a thin ringed white head and light spotty lacing. The aroma is very nicely hoppy with sweet barley malts. The flavor is smoothly malty with light hops and good malt sweetness. The palate is richly creamy and smoothly silken with a medium body and light carbonation. Yowzers! The highlight of the day...