Heavyweight Old Salty

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

Deep ruby in colour, very thin tan coloured head with no lacing. The aroma is sweet and alcoholic, caramel, some honey, some raisins. The flavour is very sweet, lots of caramel malts, dark fruits, high alcohol. Lightly sweet mouthfeel, medium/light body, medium carbonation. Finishes fairly quick and slightly warming.

This didn’t have nearly enough characteristics I look for in a barley wine. The alcohol hasn’t mellowed all that much in the past 3 years and the body is starting to thin out quite a bit.

355ml bottle obtained in a trade with The_Epeeist, thanks Chris.
Opened on February 27, 2008.
Vintage 2005.

2003 Bottle courtesy of eclectic, (BA) thanks again! Pours a dull and cloudy brown color with a faint head. Aromas are of stewed fruits and booze. Flavor is subtle. Stewed fruit like, boozy, creamy malts, sweet apples and an alcohol like bite on the finish. Palate is pretty good, maybe a bit thin. Pretty good barleywine, probably past it’s prime though.

TO bad there are no vintages for this beer. 2004 as pictured to the right, consumed in 2008 courtesy of BrianK. Pours murky purple brown. Plum etoh and some sweet malt and spice. Plum is the dominant factor in aroma and flavor. This beer is freaking sweet!

Bottle shared by ogglethorp: Pours a copper/amber. Smells sweet of fig, raisin, toffee, dark sugars. This is a bit warm; flavors of dried fruits, malts, and biting alcohol finish. Not my favorite.

2003 bottle courtesy of acrdz -- thanks!

This one has seen better days, but I’m delighted to have the chance to try this retired beer. Pours a light cloudy brown, some floaty matter. Big caramel nose, tons of brown sugar and plum cake, yeah, lots of oxidized hops but who cares they don’t detract much, some vanilla. Some aspects of the flavor are really nice - quite a rich, sweet liquor-soaked raisin front side, the oxidized hops determined to do their share of damage (cardboard too), notable alcohol flavors even after 5 years.

I can see that this would have been nothing short of a great beer in its prime. 5 years is too long for this one, and that’s fine -- some barleywines are better sooner. Admirable.

spacer o I am driving to DrMatt’s house to drop off a trade I just did with TheBeerCellar, in my back seat are: 2 Mueller’s Barrel Reserve, 1 Barrel Aged Wee Heavy, 1 Perkuno’s Hammer, 1 04’ Old Salty, and 1 Wake and Bake. I am driving and getting a little impatient because the lady in front of me is slamming on her breaks at every yellow light. Finally I get to my turn, with construction going on over the bridge to Matt’s house I have to take a right then make a U-Turn to go over the bridge. Anyway, I bust my U-turn, finally getting away from the old lady in front of me, and my styrofoam shipper in the back tips over and EXPLODES in a spray of delicious, malty beer. SHIT! Okay, so I have a 1/6 chance of being in the clear (Wake and Bake), a 2/6 chance of being slightly annoyed (Mueller’s can be replaced), a 2/6 chance of being really annoyed (Perkunos and Old Salty), and a 1/6 chance of driving my car off the bridge (BA Speedway). So, I immediately pull my car over, move my now soaked pea-coat, and discover a broken bottle of ’04 Old Salty. Shit! It smells so good, like caramel covered port, a touch of alcohol and subdued hops. A very rich caramel color and some head is still floating on my leather seats. So, not wanting to waste any beer I wedge myself into the back and take a little taste (yeah, you would too, don’t lie). Tastes wonderful, aside from the random shards of glass and seat leather. Definitely in need of a re-rate.

Appearance: Pours a hazy, reddish-brown body with a fluffy beige head. Smell: Malty caramel aroma wracked with oxidation showing some hints of sherry, even cardboard. Dried fruits. Taste: Rich caramel maltiness with a moderate sweetness, that though oxidized, is still pretty tasty. Dark fruitiness. Slight spiciness, a remnant of an ancient, forgotten bitterness. Warm sugar-spice finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Just a hair above medium carbonation. Drinkability: You are my hero.

Vintage 2004. Blind tasting. Creamy head. Aroma of Cantaloupe rind. Malt extract aromas. Very sweet smell. Hints of chocolate. Smooth caramel, toffee, pine. medium bitterness is in a distant finish far back of the palate. Creamy mouthfeel. Heavy bodied.