Flying Dog Horn Dog Barley Wine

Brewed by Flying Dog Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Frederick, Maryland USA

Very full fruity nose (raisins, figs). Dark brown with a hazy reddish tinge. Low head - almost non-existent. Slick sweet malt front with molasses tones and toffee, with a spicy finish. Woody character at times but with a clean palate. Alcohol stings the thought slightly. Nice mix of flavors and good transitions.

Bottle shared with HogTownHarry, jerc & tupalev - courtesy of tupalev. Ruby brown colour. Strong, sweet aroma, with a big alcohol presence. Flavour starts sweet as well - brown sugar & malt - and develops some sharp, tart notes as it warms. Finish is long, with notes of vanilla and almond. A simple but well made example of the style.

Dark in colour, especially for a barley wine. The beer poured with a bit of head as well, which is odd for a usual still style. Very sweet smell with tons of sugar and sweet fruit (figs speak out loudly) and also some malty hints. A thick mouthful that is definately malt loaded. Some chocolate tones are picked up on the taste, which I find a bit strange for this style. The aftertaste was a bit 'ordinary' with not too much complexity. A decent beer, but not too good for the style. Worth trying, but if you havent had any of the more accessible barley wines, definately try those (anchor, sierra nevada, dogfishhead, etc).

12 oz bottle, 2004A vintage, consumed 12/14/06. Pours a murky dark brown with some mahogany highlights under a minimal whispy beige head that ran to a thin ring of large bubbles. Aroma is of thick slightly syrupy malt with hints of sherry like oxidation. Light alcohol and cardboard notes as well. Flavor is a little too hefty on the oxidation for the minimal breadth of this beer. A little coffee, toffee, cardboard, and alcohol remain. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and a little thinned out in texture due to the age. Carbonation is moderately fizzy but still quite soft. Overall, this just can’t stand up to aging at all. Didn’t really intend on aging it, I must have got it with some age already on it then let it sit for about 6 more months in my cellar.

On tap at Barley’s Smokehouse in Columbus Ohio. Pours dark almost black wtih a short offwhite head. Aromas of caramel malts, some vinous notes, some smoke, and lots of alcohol. Flavor is big caramel malts, a touch of chocolate, some smoke and lots of alcohol. Full bodied palate. A fair amount of carbonation and some alcohol on the finish to warm each sip.

12 OZ bottle, Best before summer ’02: I’ll assume that 2001 is the first year it was made, and I’ll say not bad. Huge rocky head that slowly settles to within a centimeter of the beer. Heavy malt nose with an deep rich taste that has plum/wood with a slightly sweet finish. Nice to have an American Barley Wine that doesn’t club you with hops. It will be interesting to see how this one holds up in a year or two or five...

Vintage bottle 2006, Sampled October 2006
Pours with a very dark, brownish amber color. It barely summons forth a wispy tan colored head, that quickly fades to a bare ring around the edges. The aroma is a mix of sweet concentrated fruit notes and alcohol. Notes of prunes, raising and concentrated brown sugar loom large in the aroma profile. The alcohol mixes with caramelized sugar notes and fruit to form a touch of something like rum or brandy. The hops are quite muted, in fact I can’t pick out any individual hop contributions in the aroma. While not the typical nose on an American Barleywine, it is not to bad and even enjoyable.

The beer is quite sweet; concentrated notes of prunes and raisins are accentuated. This finishes with a touch of alcohol that adds just a touch of warming to the finish (it is not as detectible as it is in the aroma). A touch of dark grain astringency is found in the finish. The dark malt notes in the finish are also a touch toasty, a bit nutty, a touch burn and even a hint of chocolate. This is definitely thick and chewy, it would even be contemplative except for the fact that it is a bit too sweet and cloying. Some more dark malt notes, or even some ample hop rates would make this much better and would go a long way towards balancing the dominant sweetness.

Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Liquors, Tucson, AZ

Bottle from Santa
Pours a lush raisin-brown with an aroma of cotton candy and plumb. Slight lacing around the glass. Flavor is fermented peach with a raisin finish. Slight strawberry seems to be poking its head through. Palate is nice and slippery. Call this one "barleywine lite." Not bad; not bad at all. I’d drink more of this one.