Heavyweight Barrel Aged Old Salty

Formerly brewed at Heavyweight Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Ocean Township, New Jersey USA

Bottle from Secret Santa in 2006, thanks! Mahogony with medium creamy light brown head. Aroma of spicy dark fruit, oak, and a very nice sweetness. Sweet roasted almonds mixed with a bit of vanilla and bourbon is my first impression. Still just a little bit hot, but doesn’t take away from it at all. Thick creamy and damn tasty. This and Fred From the Wood make a damn nice combo.

Bottle: Deep caramel in color, very dark.   Moderate to large foamy beige head, with a few rings of lacing.   Oh man... lovely aroma of sweet caramel malts, soft dark pitted fruit, candied walnuts, some vanilla, hints of oak.   This smells absolutely delicious!   Oh snap!   Sweet maltiness abound, graham cracker, candied fruits and nuts, vanilla, and oak.   Very smooth, big yet not cloying.   Warming as well, but the alcohol is not abrasive.   Very well crafted.   Reminds me of of the standard Old Salty, yet this one being a bit sweeter and with the addition of the vanilla and wood aged characteristics.   On the finish it picks up a candied orange peel sort of sweetness.   Simply delicious!   I really gotta thank Dickinsonbeer for this one.   One of the better beers I have had in a long ass time!   Thanks Paul!

Courtesy SoLaaaaaaan! Pours a dark maroon with a light white head. Monster malty caramel in the smell. Just thick and rich with huge aromas. Taste is very sweet and malty. Some vanilla and big caramel in the flavor. Really smooth and not alot of bite to it. Aftertaste was pretty sweet with a thick mouthfeel. Pretty good.

2005. Caramel browns and murky deep reds support a thin head that eventually diminishes fully. Appears syrupy. Burnt caramel malts and oak and whisky notes lead in the aroma. Fruits, both dark and tropical, follow. Alcohol seems reasonably well contained. Toasty grains are only truly evident with the staunchest of whiffs. Under all this, a lovely floral and cake batter mix seeps through. Flavor is similar, the focal point shifting to the barrel character. Most noticeable beyond that is toasty caramel malt and alcohol. Fruit notes are subdued, bitterness accelerated, sweetness moderately high and acidity is low to medium-low. This has held up remarkably well for two years. Finishes burnt and with sticky caramel lingering. Palate is medium bodied and uninteresting.

Bottle from trade with eclectic. Pours a hazy reddish amber color with thin off white head that disappears quickly, Aroma of fermented fruit, toffee, oak, bourbon and vanilla. Taste of apricots, brown sugar and anise. The alcohol is well hidden. Nicely balanced good example of a Barleywine.

Had at DLD,dark ruby with a nice but not overwhelming BA, a sweet and fruity flavor that aged well in barrel and alcohol was well hidden.CHEERS!

Pours out a nice deep brown color with a small beige head. Aroma is fruity and malty with nice undertone of vanilla. Flavor is sweet and very fruity. Vanilla notes throughout with a slight alcohol bite. Over all a very nice brew

From a 750mL Bottle. Slightly transparent pour of rich mahogany with some gleaming ruby hues and a thin layer of sudsy off-white head. Waves of cherry rind, apple cores, and a bit of an acetonish-like alcohol quality wafts up to greet the nose initially. The fruits are a bit cidery and acidic, but help balance out the vanilla, caramel, and bourbon dipped raisins at the same time, oddly enough. There is a strong presence of chewy black cherry rinds that mingle peacefully amongst the refined bourbony caramels. Medium bodied, crisply carbonated mouthfeel. I suppose the crisp carbonation goes hand in hand with the sour funk that first appears on the palate. Its hard to get accustomed to the crisp sensation with a beer thats so heavily laden with fruits and brandied sugars when one’s accomstomed to a rich, creamy texture. More cherries and brandied raisins come through, along with some caramelized raw sugar. After another wave of sour fruits drifts off, a final smack of broubon and sugary caramels is left lingering. Contemplative. Thanks, Santa!