Half Pints Burly Wine

Brewed by Half Pints Brewing Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Winnipeg, Canada

660ml bottle.
2007 vintage
Pours an orangey maroon with a cream coloured small head. No lacing. Smells beautifully hoppy with light fruits, mainly grapefruit and some alcohol presence. Flavour is citric and grapefruity. Basically a reprise of the aroma but with some sugary caramel malts. Alcohol warms the throat, as another wave of wonderfully hoppy gladness wipes its way across the palate. Merry Christmas. Good Beer.

Yellow wax sealed bomber direct from the brewer. Thanks Dave! Apparently this is a 2006 vintage. Pours a lovely copper brown with thick yellowish head. The aroma is abundantly fruity; cherries, figs even a little orange peel. The taste is amazing...complex layers of fruitcake, massive honey hit with a treacle, marmalade like malt back. The booze is still evident though I’m subdued as a result of excellent aging. I’d hazard a guess that this beer would rate better if sampled after aging rather than fresh. While that may seem obvious to some I really think this beer (as I have just sampled it) warrants a higher score. One of the best barley wines I’ve had and certainly the best in Canada so far.

Again another first for me. This is a unique tasting beer (as I am sure all Barleywine Ales would be if you had never tried them before). Like the carbonation, and fruit flavours. Nice to have something like this in Wpg.

66cl botle, 2006 vintage. Solid amber colour, sweet berry aroma. Sweet very full bodied flavor, long finish with very little alcohol burn for the strength. Very nice beer.

Bottled in December 06 and consumed in April 07. Appearance- beautiful ruby/brown with a frothy head and good lacing. Nose- dark fruits and hops. Very inviting Taste- real smooth. The hops and malt have blended nicely after a few months in the bottle. Very malt forward with hops showing up on the back end. Sweet dark fruits, but not cloying. Hops are on the piney and bitter side- perfect ying for the malt yang. Drinkability- quite good. This is a great marriage of english and american style barelywines. Should age marvelously and I’m quite pleased I have a few extra bottles for future tastings. I’m looking forward to putting this up to a fresh 07 next winter. This is the best beer I’ve had out of my hometown brewery. Well done Dave!

341 ml bottle from a trade with hobbersr. pours clear dark reddish brown with a short white head. aromas of deep caramalt, alcohol and backing hops. the flavour is classic american barley wine. more bitterness then i was expecting. overall its very solid. thx riley.

Bottle at Chris O’s tasting, 26th Sept 2008, courtesy of HogTownHarry. Thank you very much! Perfect deep reddish colour with a frothy white head. Sweet malty aroma. Perfumey, exquisite floral flavour at the start of the sip. More is revealed with each mouthful. The Fuggles and Goldings hop flavours creep up on you as the caramel subsides. Wonderful balance and subtlety. Great stuff!

A Mes rate. Bottle at Chris O’s beer exposed tasting.
Awesome colour. A rich dark amber with a good off white head. Treacle malt with some awesome hop balance. Some cheese, plenty of funk along with loads of barley and sugar. Excellent bitter hoppage in the finish. Really good. As a barley wine, it really has the lot. Thanks Harry.