Harmons Special Ale (Old Clam Digger Barley Wine)

Brewed by Harmon Brewery & Restaurant
Style: Barley Wine
Tacoma, Washington USA

Bottle:   Deep burnt caramel, reddish hues, moderate to large foamy light beige head, a few rings of lacing.   Heavy malt nose, bready, with what can best be described as a combination of burnt sugar and sour dark pitted fruit.   A little lighter on the tongue, but apparent are a breadiness and slight sour fig/date aspect.   Initially this one was very cloying, but as it warms it doesn’t appear as thick and sweet.   Body and mouthfeel are actually not as big as I first thought.   Still remains sweet, slight dark pitted fruit, a little burnt caramel, but not as heavy or cloying as when I first popped it.   Warming, but not alcoholic.   The fruitiness aspect does have a sour tinge to it.   Add more caramel, a little bit more hop and less sourness and then you really have something.   Other than that, worth a try.

bomber - pours clear, reddish brown with tan head fading almost instantly; pretty hoppy on the nose with caramel and harsh sugary malts; some alcohol spice and heat mixed with dry fruitiness; texture is quite thin with obvious heat; sticky, dry finish; raisins, fruit and a little harsh; as it warms it has a strange, off-putting fruit-juice flavor; eh

Name: Old Clam Digger
Date: September 12, 2009
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub
Appearance: clear very dark amber, fine beige head, drippy lace
Aroma: sweet and fruity dark caramel aroma
Body: big sticky body
Flavor: sweet fruity flavor, dark caramel sweetness brings out dark fruits, light balancing earthyness
Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.8/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *** /4

Tacoma Craft Beer Festival - 2009
Aroma: Big malt and alcohol aroma. Fruity big.
Appearance: Dark Amber in color, Clear with a light head.
Flavor: Big alcohol flavor and big malt and fruitiness. Tons of dried fruit and added hops.
Palate: Dry Finish, with a Good Mouthfeel.
Overall: Big Beer this was glad I had a taster this could have been too much. This will be a killer winter brew.

22oz bomber. Pours a deep brown with ruby tint to it and a creamy khaki head. Nose is a peaty, slightly smokey, cola malt. Also has tobacco with a plethora of dried fruit...cherry, cranberry, apricot, fig and some raisin. Also getting caramel with some warming alcohol notes. Doesn’t taste as complex as the nose, but that isn’t really to a fault. Roasty malt, mellow sweet fruit and tobacco. Some citrus hop that I didn’t get on the nose at all but it is working out pretty nicely. As riversideAK noted this is a light drinking barley wine that doesn’t have that huge surpy mouthfeel and isn’t overly sweet. Good stuff.

Nose is rather complex and pleasant. Lots of roast, dark fruit, sweet cherries, some citrus and earthy nop nots as well. Pours dark brown with red highlights and a creamy tan head. Roast, dark fruits, a good deal of sweetness, light smoke, some hops in the finish - earthy bitterness, and light citrus finishes this one out. I found this to be exceedingly drinkable for a barleywine, and at 8.4% it is more or less barleywine light. Although drinkability is not important when considering palate in barley wine style guidelines, I like that I could drink 2-3 bombers of this and still function moderately well. Good stuff Harmon.

Bottle from Bottleworks. Pours dark! Really dark - a ruddy deep brown, almost black. Big malts in the backbone - *tons* of dried fruits (it’s literally like smelling a bag of dried fruits - cherries, apricots, etc.), and brown sugar. Thankfully the hops make an appearance in the flavor, but honestly? Not enough. This is extremely malt-heavy, and the dried fruit aroma becomes cloying as you work through a glass. There’s a hint of something roasty or smokey in there, and it has some depth, but the flavor ends up on the artificial side.