Mad River John Barleycorn

Brewed by Mad River Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Blue Lake, California USA

Body, deep amber with brown hues, is very thick and syrupy looking. Very thin off-white head, mostly diminishing. Aroma is caramel, glazed brown sugar, toasted grains, mellow hops with an orange oil citric tinge and alcohol that comes across resembling shoe polish. I just figured it out. this has the same aroma of a ten year old Bigfoot, with fresh shoes. Flavor is malty, toasty, moderately to heavily bitter and without any pleasing sense of fresh hoppiness. Mouthfeel is at first soft and sweet, then fades to an unruly bitterness, coupled with stale citrus. Finishes pale and timid, bitterness again a factor in quaffability. More malt and more hops in the boil with higher alpha acids would drastically improve the flavor. Where’s the complexity of years gone by?

Bottle: Brownish in color, swamp water if you will, moderate off-white fizzy head, spotty lacing.   Malty nose, on the grainy side.   Some brown sugar sweetness.   Decent malt backbone on the tongue, moderate sweetness... finishes a little on the dry bitter grainy side.   Decent hop finish, a little rough... not very hot considering its 9.5% which is a good thing.   Feels/tastes organic in its graininess.   Comes across as mildly sweet to start, but finishes with a lack of sweetness that leaves the mouth dry and watering.   Malt backbone is okay, but a bit weak.   It’s at least balanced well enough with the soft hop bitterness.   Not a big Barleywine by any means, but fairly decent considering its 9.5% ABV.   Not that complex, not hot, but certainly not that entertaining either.   Has that funky dry graininess to it that just screams "organic"... or at least maybe thats just me.   Tiz okay, but not seeing this one getting any better with age.   Give it a year and *maybe* it will peak.

12 oz bottle purchased at Hollingsheads. Dark brown color, aroma of piney hops. Flavor is strong, warming with alcohol and fairly dry. The hops are there, but it is bitter and dry. I would have liked this more if it was a tad bit sweeter. As it stands now, it’s too dry and strong.

Slightly hazy copper with a medium head. Fair lacing. Aroma of roasted grains, molasses, hay and earthy hops. Moderately bitter and lightly sweet flavor. A little alcohol comes through. Somehow I didn’t think the flavors came together for me.

(Bottle) Organic beer blind tasting at Brouwers’s in Seattle, March 3, 2007. Tan lasting foam head with an near opaque. Nose of a young hoppy brew. Highly alcoholic aroma with a nice fig base. Very hoppy and sweet malted base. Very good.

12 oz bottle, 2006 Vintage. Consumed on 3/4/07 @ Stone World Bistro. Pours a dark amber brown with white ring of a head. The nose is sweet with notes of dried fruit, adn a bit of caramel. The taste is strong and sweet, there is little to no mouth warming but the palate is decent. Good BW.

2006 bottle: Pours a deep copper/brown with little head. Aromas are sweet, perfume, even a slight belgian quality. This beer is very complex with many big bold flavors.

slightly cloudy amber, nice yellowish head. strong caramel aroma, some roasted notes, a dusting of hop smell. very light in the mouth. quickly warming. flavor broader than the aroma, hops more present in a citrusey way, malt lighter in character, some maple, vanilla & banana. finishes sweet. better than i expected