Heavyweight Old Salty

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

2003 bottle. Head is initially small, fizzy, light brown, fully diminishing. Body is hazy dark amber, bottle conditioned. Aroma is lightly malty (cookie, caramel), lightly hoppy (herbs, flowers, orange). Flavor is heavily sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter. Medium to full body, syrupy texture, soft carbonation, moderately alcoholic. Extremely faint aroma, unfortunately, which is surprising for a beer of this size. What’s there is nice, and seems up my alley. Pretty well-behaved and pleasant in the mouth, though, and quite British in style (sweet, juicy, non-abrasive). Would enjoy trying a fresher bottle of this, perhaps this has just dulled over time, or is a dull batch...virtually no oxidation effects yet, though, which is a big relief.

Sampled in 12 ounce 2003 bottle. Good dark amber pour with a nice head. Aroma is very awhisy,llcoholic with caramel, raisin, apple and orange. Very complex and very sugary. The same goes for the taste. Candy Apple is a dominant charateristic along with toffee. This was very nice, but more appropriate for the winter then the spring. Still a pleasure to try.

12 bottle (2003 version, sampled April 2005): mostly diminishing dark ivory head above a deeply bronzed, purple body. Complex malty aroma with honeyed raisins, light alcohol, sweet orange rind, lime zest, and resin coated pine needles. Sticky palate consisting of lightly sour, but mostly sweet green apples, faint alcohol, piney hop cones and a berry-like finish. Nicely tingly mouth feel, with a little grit in the back of the mouth. A lingering, sticky bitter honey flavour leaves the palate moist and me appreciating heavyweight’s effort on this one, which held up very nicely…

Bottle, from Somerville Supersaver. Good nose, sweet. Sugar, apple raisin,some kind of spice. Hazy orangy brown color, small to no head. Sweet bitter flavors, caramel, fruity raisin, sour apple, brown sugar, sherry. Thick body, oily creamy mouthfeel, big ABV bite on finish, Well made, though brash. One left to age a while...

Vertical 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004. For the most part each one was a hazy copper color. ’00:Malty flavors, caramel, and alcohol. Aroma was dull. Dry finish. ’01: Malty flavors more sweetness, caramel, some hop bitterness. Dry finish. ’02: Sweet and fruity aroma with notes of alcohol. Flavor more complex than the previous. Sweet malt, and dark fruit. Some alcohol at the end and big warming sensation. Full bodied and chewy. ’03: Dark fruit aroma and flavors. Low on the hops. kind of flat. Alchol more hidden. ’04: Nice floral hoppy aroma. Caramel sweet malt underneath. Alcohol fpresent but somewhat balanced. Fizzy carbonation on the tongue. I give the 2002 1st place followed by the 2004.

2004 bottle: rusty orange color, cloudy. very short light tan head that quickly goes to a ring at the edge of the glass and leaves a web pattern on the face. nose is syrupy malts, vinuous like sweet vermouth. vodka aroma too. flavor is malty sweet like just-burnt granulated sugar with an acid nip, then vodka-like alcohol flavor. syrupy and watery mouthfeel at the same time, sticky too. lively carbonation. unripe green grape and hoppy bitter finish, alcohol and salty too.

first attempt at a barley wine, nice brew, nice brownish color with a small tannish head. real sweet flavor you can definately taste and feel the alcohol, not so much in a bad way, thank you probiere

Old Salty 2001. Redish brown with an orange tint and little head. There is a big round barley wine aroma. Thick malts and some hint of warming alcohol. You can really tell it’s a nice big barley wine from the first sniff. Not nearly the alcohol that I expected and a very noticable brown sugar flavor. A warmer sip gives off mor malt and alcohol flaovrs that warm deep. This is sharp and very representative of the style.