Flying Dog Horn Dog Barley Wine

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

Pours strong iced tea brown with a thin tan head after an aggressive pour. Aroma of sweet malts and light fruitiness. Taste is malty and mildly hoppy. Full mouthfeel and nicely done.

2005 vintage. Barely translucent, dark and deep ruby in color with some off-white jet streaks to serve as the head. Ripe aromatic monstrosity promulgates noticeable alcohol atop bing cherries and some cobbler melding. Dates that are caramelized in a brandy sauce join boiled prunes and sun-stained raisins. Lightly hot flavor sustentation teams with a melting cherry wax onset. Dates and prunes repeat their performances, yet it’s a dryer sheet reiteration on the tongue and salty touch at its tip. Brandy-soaked figs become more present as we go, along with dried-out, candied and crystallized plums. Socket press on the palate and a sucking release, drawing out dark fruits and said candies. Spicy, hot sensory elements, reveal youthful bitterness and alcohol presence. Questing salvation from meandering bitters surmises the finish, met with a grapefruit-meets-cherry mince meat pie filling and freeze-dried plums. Decent enough. Thanks to RooftopRogue for the bottle.

Huge malty alcoholic aroma after a very dark reddish brown pour with no head. Raisins and plums come into play as well. Alcohol is definitely there, but not overpowering either. Finishes sweet. Got a lot better as it warmed. A nice sipper.

Sample @ Coles Barleywine Tasting Buffalo NY. Sweet molasses & light alcohol aroma. Light to medium cola color. Light body with sweet warming finish

This may be the best from Flying Dog. A big malty cherries nose. A reddish brown appearance. The flavor is very much on the sweet side with some strawberry syrup, honey, and raisins. Not of the best of the style but overall a decent effort.

final beer from a fun night with nuffield and lumpy, good beer and good folks is...well a good thing. poured a slightly purple brown with a thin ring of a head. plum and cherry aroma with a light alcohol tint. syrupy texture and a sweet taste. sweet cherry and brown sugar. very sticky and rich with a nice vanilla note. a combo of caramel and fruit is present in this. enjoyable. the alcohol is well hidden . rerate, sorta, tied the year old 034 and o3. have to say the beer peaks around a year of aging. still good at 2, but a bit dusty with an overpowering raisin. the year old was superb. embracing fruity hops still present but everything melds. a damn fine beer. worth sitting on.

Nice malty finish this barley wine lacks something, not sure what. Maybe more hops?

Since this is my first "barleywine", my scores will probably seem more forgiving than others here. Heavy malt aromas with apple, honey and a hint of alcohol. If you ever found a reeeally old carton of orange juice in the back of your fridge, the color is similar. Bottle poured with a small head that quickly reduced to a tan film. Syrupy, malty, fruity flavor with hints of fresh tobacco. Pleasantly sticky finish that allows the alcohol to warm your throat. Mellow.