Harpoon 100 Barrel Series #04 - Barleywine

Formerly brewed at Harpoon Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Clear, peachy color, under a short white head, soon a tight ring ’round the edges. Aroma, bold, bright fruit, but burnished, sweet and rich, carryng the character of candied orange slices more than any thing else. Taste: booze sets the pace right from the start, accompanied by sweet, fruity flavor, like Grand Marnier married with an extra hit of cognac. Hot mouthfeel, and the sweetness turns nearly treacly. Well-balanced, too, and full-flavored, though it just doesn’t grab me like other, bolder barleywines do. Medium bodied, with a light, but still hoppy finish, drying quickly on the palate. But, it’s still on the yummy side. Yum, yummy, yum, yum, yum!

Batch Date 7/01/03. Session 4. Peppery aroma with lots of pine and vinegar in the nose as well. This does not smell too promising. Pours a totally transparent copper color with a small quickly dissipating off-white head. Doesnt look or smell like a barleywine. Uh oh. Lots of booze in this guy. Doesnt have the floral vinous notes that are typical of the style. Start is kind of sweet and maybe a little rubbery. Finish is very strong on alcohol with a few citrusy hops sprinkled in there. I am not a fan of this. Too boozy and not even close to style. I don’t think aging this more would benefit it any.---Delayed re-rate...the more I have of this, the more it grows on me. It is still not extraordinary, but not as far below average as I initially thought.

2003 batch 8/1/03 of the 100 barrel series- Soft orange color thats actually quite clear, thin, loosely packed off-white head, resides to leave a thin collar and some ink blot lacing sticks. Aroma is diluted and sort of lacking with candyish orange citrusy hops and pine with slight caramel and honey sweetness, effervescent alcoholic heat lurks over it all. Taste is thin and short overall, quick hoppy citrus front of orange blossums and light piney alcohol. Oh and there’s alot more alcohol, alot more then needed; alcohol esters all over the place. Way short caramel malt soothes some near the finish, honey drizzled hop cones takes over for a stint and the alcohol gradually seeps over and really heats up in a late burn way in the back. Feel is smooth, mild, mellow and a bit empty, the overall body and character really isn’t doing it for me, its not weak or lacking but definately empty and thin. One thing it does have is that its clean and full of alcoholic heat. Not as beefy or full as I like in Barleywine.

Not sure if this is the same beer, but I’m putting it here for now. This is a Limited Edition "100 Barrel Series" Barleywine Style Ale. Batch Date is 7/01/03 and the Session is 04. Pours a reddish orange body with almost no head. Aroma is steeped in citrusy hops, alcohol and brown sugar. Smells very "rich". Taste is very good! More hops and alcohol delicately balanced with sugary notes and hints of malt. Palate is a little thinner than I expected. However, there is an alcohol stickiness lingering with decent sweetness. It’s moderately coats the mouth. Finish is very smooth and lacking the bitterness of a "fresh" barleywine. This leaves more of the alcohol warmth to come through. Nice beer!

Copper color, medium head. Aroma of grapefruit and some alcohol vapors. Flavors of grapefruit and alcohol, bitter and sweet. A somewhat uninspiring and boring barley wine.

Very nice night cap - deceptively strong - beautifully rich copper appearance and firm head - sweetly satisfying

Grapefruit hops dominate the aroma with notes of marzipan, sherry and alcohol apparent. Golden copper with white head that diminishes to thin cover. Orange, lemon, grapefruit flavours chased by a meaty yeastiness. Overall, very sweet and malty. Palate dissipates very quickly. Low carbonation. Fairly still. Pretty neutral on the tongue. Bottle (sampled with beerbuzzmontreal, MartinT and Rastacouere).

CLear copper/amber. Small, frothy off white head. Alcohol, gooseberry, malty nose. Starts with sweet chewy malts, woody, light to medium bodied, spicy, peppery alcohol, syrupy, lingering hops in the finish. A decent barley wine, with big alcohol.