Gold Label (formerly Whitbread)

Brewed by Samlesbury (InBev UK - InBev)
Style: Barley Wine
Preston, England

Amber colour with a amall, fine-beaded head. Aroma: peach, alcohol. Sweet/bitter taste with honey, caramel, nettle, pine, Very bitter, astringent finish, with hop, resin, butter and aspirin aromas. A much better beer than you would expect, especially out of a can and brewed by Inbev. Despite being a car crash of contradictory flavours - malty sweetness and fruit pitched against resiny, even numbing hoppiness - it’s overall impression is harmonious and balanced. A rare case of a multinational having a product with extreme flavours. I suppose that’s the writing on the wall for its future. I tasted this immediately after Heavyweight Old Salty, which came ouit very badly in comparison. Possibly the last time time I will ever publicly praise an Inbev beer

Can. Masses of alcohol and some pruny malts. Sweetly alcoholic with a bit of alcohol on the sweet but not quite sickly finish. Did I mention - its quite strong in the old alcohol department!

[can from ASDA] Sticky caramel and alcohol aroma. thick cloying palate, lots of alcohol burn. OOOHHH, ITS THE DEEP BURNN!

Wow! My original rating was from two-and-a-half years ago, and I think I was a little naive then. This is pure piss really, more a malt liquor than a barley wine, irregardless of whether it was featured in Michael Jackson’s highly respected tome. MY ORIGINAL THOUGHTS: "Can. Deep orange amber, big pillowy head. Apples and corn syrup and alcohol aromas. I found it cloying and harsh after having less than a third of the can. Not my favourite style to begin with, and certainly not my first choice within the small number of barley wines I’ve tried.

Bottled. Don’t know if it is the brewery or the lack of cellaring, but this fresh bottle is too much on the alcohol side. Other than that, it is a little sharper on the edges, but the aroma and flavor is very much the same. My rating on the fresh bottled would be 6-3-6-4-13-3.2. (060712)

Bottled. I had this one in my celler for a couple of years, and before that it has been in two other cellars where it has probably been stored at almost room-temperature. There’s no date-marking on the bottled, it’s very dusty, and Whitbread is noted as brewer. The aroma is lovely, almost like a discount-version of Thomas Hardy. Sweet malts, prunes and alcohol is the most noticables. It looks pleasant with its copper color and an almost non-existing off-white head. It has some floaties, and I don’t think that looks too good, but it is as expected. It has a vinous and yet sweet flavor, light roasted, burnt sugar and alcohol. A bit too much on the alcohol, though. Sweet, medium to full body and an strong but yet mellow alcohol finish. Definately not one to quench thirst with, but sitting down by the fire with it is nice. (060116)

No head; clear brown body. Strong harmonic aroma of lacquer and sherry. Strong taste of fruit, perhaps apple, and port. No aftertaste to speak of. Slight bitterness. Very nice. One to sip. (On bottle.)

I really was expecting a monstrosity here, however was just not bad insted. Aroma is sweet with some malty hay notes and alcohol. Taste is similarly sweet with a sort of woody grassy character, but alcohol dominates quite a bit.

It smells like christmas pudding, that could be cos we put it in christmas pudding, which is why, ho ho, smells kinda funny, my dad can drink it like pour it down, he is a crazy.