DuClaw Devils Milk

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

(2003 version -- according to Jim, the brewer, the hops change every year) Complex enveloping aroma, with many competing scents but definate sweet tones. A whole field of malt and hops just in the scent, and they don't let up when you start drinking it. This year's brew was 10.5% ABV, but the alcohol didn't show through (until I tried to walk afterwards). The flavor is strong enough it attacks your mouth, hitting the front, back, and sides all at once. A burst of flavor that stays with you for awhile. Like many barleywines, I find it hard to describe the intense flavor except to say that it's, well, intense. An excellent brew from DuClaw!

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...

Lovely, lovely stuff. Dark, deep brownish-red. Fascinating nose, rich, very vinous, bit sweet. Surprising flavor, huge amount of milky chocolate character for a barleywine, nothing like an imperial stout bitterness but a rich, smooth, slightly sweet yumminess. Alcohol really well hidden, drinks very easily. Lovely creamy palate. Beautiful.

This is good stuff. Nice deep dark red-amber color. Very aromatic. Floral hops and malt. Smallish head. The tastes are amazing, good malty character with a not overwhelming hop flavor. It zings your tongue with its alcohol and you fell the after-effects in the aftertaste. Excellent example of this style. Yum-yum.

Update: I was able to try two vintages side-by-side: 2000 and 2001. The 2000 has aged nicely. The hop bitterness has really subsided. The 2001 still had a good dosage of hop flavor and was better overall then the 2000 vintage.

(2003) A deep burgundy beer with a small head, this is one charming demon. Smooth and sweet with a moderately dry aftertaste. Fully engrossing without being overwhelming. Go on, dance with the devil!

This Barley Wine pours with a red-brown/mohagony body topped by a thin to medium thick, off-white head with some lacing. The aroma is sweet, malty and caramelly with slight bitter, peppery notes, a little candy sugar and a touch of alcohol. The flavor is sweet, malty and full of candy notes to start, then bitter, pepper notes show up in the finish. Slight alcohol notes and a little caramel show through. Full bodied, smooth and a touch dry.

Draft at DuClaw. Pours a dark amber color with a nice head. Aroma is fruity, with hops and malt there as well. Flavor is bitter however has some sweet notes as well. Finishes fruity with a hint of alcohol. very good.