Karl Strauss Balboas Barleywine

On tap @ Karl Strauss. Pours a cloudy amber with a small beige ring. Nose and flavor consisted mostly of caramel, candied tree fruits and a touch of hops, decent stuff.

From the tap poured a dark amber color with a small head. Nice sweet malty flavor with a lasting finish.

On tap at Hamiltons. Orange brown with fizzy tan head. Earthy musty molasses aroma. Musty old cellar taste (whatever that means). Tart and spicy notes.

Draft at La Jolla brewpub. Poured a deep amber with an off white head with spiderweb lacing. Nose is sweet caramel and toffee. Flavors follow with nice floral hopiness. Mouth is dry with a bitter finish. Enjoyable barleywine. I especiallt like the hoppy bitterness.

Tap at Carlsbad. Pours a translucent copper with golden notes and a medium creamy off white head that laced. Aroma of dark fruits, toffee, floral, citrus and hoppy. Flavor of pine, grapefruit, toffee, nuts, caramel and moderate hop bitterness.

Pours orange-brown with a small, off-white head. Fruity aroma. Grapes, plums, and a nice earthy malt. Strong caramel malt taste along with the same white grape flavor. Good hop backbone that blends well with an oak flavor. Its a good Karl Straus product, but only an average barleywine.

On tap at the brewery downtown San DIego. This was one of many on tap that I tasted and thought it was just ok.

Marks for appearance are an average, as the beer was tasted in weak artificial light after dusk. Very grapey-hoppy nose, dark grapes, raisins in rum - and some more hops. Bitter-grapey; dry taste; dryness even affecting the MF that seems thinner than it probably is. Vinous. Very slick, nearly viscuous. Ah - Karl Strauss can make something good if they put their minds to it.