 Cornfield (4255), Oak Lawn, Illinois, USA
May 3, 2008
With apologies to whomever gave me the generous pour - It poured a hazy brown body nearly bereft of head. It smelled of PNW hops with a caramelly sweetness and a touch of earthiness. In the flavor, it begins with a solid caramel sweetness coupled with some alcohol, only to be overwhelmed by bitter tastes of grapefruit, zest of lemon, a pine sprig or two, and some soil. Bitter finish with a low alcohol burn. Not bad at all.
<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/events-detail.asp?eventID=6824>Dark Lord Day 2008 at Three Floyds, Munster, IN, 4/26/2008.<font size=-1>
hop_lover (110), Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
Aug 18, 2008 This Barley Wine is unique. It pours a clear red color at first and towards the end turns a murky reddish brown. The aroma from the caramel-colored head comes waves of toffee, with subtle notes of citrus hops. Very subtle. I can smell the alcohol too much. The flavor is just like it smells.... lots and lots of toffee...never had that in a Barley Wine.. it’s nice. But the alcohol bite is too much. Iv’e had BWs higher in alcohol than this, but way more smooth. This is not that smooth. One to sip indeed. As the beer warms a little, the notes of citrus hops come out a little more, wouldv’e like more hops though. Ok lacing from a head that is fleeting. The three hour boil definentely intensified the malts but I don’t know about the hops. As it warms, the hops come threw a lttle more. Also I get notes of darker colored fruits like, prunes or figs and or raisins.... wow I can also smell bannana nuanses too. A nice lingering bitterness. Not a bad American Barley Wine. Thanks Green Flash. The Lord bless the hop harvest!
nearbeer (1199), Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Aug 17, 2008 650 ml, 2008 vintage. Clear ruby-copper with a small lasting cap of foam. Aroma of earthy dried herbs, maple, caramel, nuts and chocolate. Flavor is similar but tilted more to the dry herbs and toasted nut than the sweeter aroma indicated. Some oak and a lot of peppery hops in the finish. There is a unique smell (and more so a flavor) in this one that seems almost like toasted sesame oil, soy sauce or something of the sort - a nutty-grainy-bitter hop-green herb combo that is quite a nice counter to all the sweet malt. Medium-heavy body finishes long and hoppy-dry, and is lightly carbonated
soyorganic (111), Denver, Colorado, USA
Aug 15, 2008 bottle 2008 vintage: pours cloudy red color with off-white greenish head. Sweet malt aroma with a note of wheatgrass or something green. Heavy hop taste with sweet malt complement. I could not help noticing the taste of something green in this beer like a shot of wheatgrass in a health shake. Good nevertheless and I should have shared this bomber with someone else due to the high alcohol content.
RollinHard (527), Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Aug 10, 2008 Pours a reddish-brown with yellow highlights and a tan head that’s creamy, good sized, and long-lasting. Aroma is very heavy on the hops with lots of grapefruit, orange, pine and wood, giving way to maltier tendancies (maple, brown sugar, caramel) as it warms. The warm smell is more inviting to me, with it’s maple syrup note. Tastes or caramel, grapefruit, orange rind, brown sugar, wood, and a light char. Finishes quite bitter with grapefruit, orange and a good amount of woody char. Creamy mouthfeel for sure, but it doesn’t feel QUITE heavy enough. I also feel that flavor seemed just a tad weak. It’s got some good points, but there’s no reason to pick this over Bigfoot or it’s clones other than variety.
jvmiller (273), Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, USA
Aug 7, 2008 A good barleywine, but nothing that really stood out amongst others I’ve had. Strong malty base, carmally. Bitterness is potent, but not overpowering. This was easy to drink (as far as barleywines go), and overall just good, but not spectacular.
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