Gold Label (formerly Whitbread)

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

9.5% can, the concept interests me, I’ve enjoyed a few canned beers in the last month. An off-white head forms atop the totally clear strawy amber and shows insanely quick about its departure. Big grain nose, one-dimensional, strawy, floral and very unrefined. Sweet grassiness overtakes the mouth upon entrance. Few flavors manage to come through, heavily filtration and poor blending at work here. Worty yet rather fizzy, vaporous, fruity, raw and unfinished. This is pretty much a malt liquor, sweet and strong, yet bland.

Bit apprehensive about any beer, let alone a Barley wine, sold in stumpy cans. Told it was a decent drop by the boys at the International beer shop, W. Leederville, so I had to oblige for a tasting. Poured into a chalice at around room temperature. It’s the middle of winter here in OZ, so it’s absolutely freezing at night and I was hoping this one would warm me up. Poured a clear deep copper-orange with a thin dense pad of white foam, that took a good ten minutes to form. Head lasted the distance and left a little lace. Strong spicy and slightly medicinal, burnt sugar nose with an underlying grassy and metallic note. Similar in the mouth with what seemed a mix of cough medicine, ’humbug’ candy and grassy hops. Medium in body and light in carbonation. Velvety in mouth feel, it was very sweet and seemed to leave a sugary layer on my teeth and gums. Finish is rather short with a bitter grassy edge in the back before a malty and warming swallow. This wasn’t too bad overall as it seemed to show reasonable balance and control over the alcohol. Still, a little undemanding for a Barley wine and from InBev U.K., I didn’t expect anything more!!.

Amber caramel, with absolutely no head. Mostly harsh alcoholic vapors, but somewhere in the boozy haze I was able to perceive what I could only describe as "British style hops", to give it a very medicinal aroma altogether. Some herbal bitterness, but the hooch is just too strong. I thought it was a little too attenuated, it didn’t have any malt profile or residual sweetness you’d come to expect from this style. From a canned Barleywine, I didn’t expect much, but it could have been worse I guess.

Can from Victoria Wine. Deep copper/gold, no head though. Rich malty/alcoholic aroma quite heady stuff. Full bodied and typically sweet and malty, lacks a bit of character but it’s not bad really. Finish doesn’t amount to much, leaves a slightly harsh/bitter edge on the tongue. One small thing ...didn’t this used to be 10.5%alcohol when Whitbread made it...just wondered!

Bottle
Copper color; creamy head. Smells like cough syrup. Some body, some sweetness, caramel, too much alcohol, quite oily… Bad beer, whatever style it is… I could not even finish this tiny 18cl bottle.

Elegant aspect; full bodied and dense foam, good adhesion. Bronze color, lightly veiled and shining. Determined and warm scent. Strongly alcohol and malt aroma. Extremely intense and strong in the nose. Good persistence but excessive canted and too much alcoholic.

From A Can.Dark orange in colour,no head,aroma is of alcohol and chemical,taste is of sweet fruit and warming alcohol.

Bottled. Label said brewed in Luton, 9.5% ABV. Fruity sweet apple aroma. Orange golden color, nice beige head, good lace. Very sweet, rather bitter to bitter finish, malty, sweet apple, fruity and syrupy.