Mad River John Barleycorn

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

1997 12oz. Bottle. Pours a reddish amber with floaties. Smells like chilled rasberry cherry soup. Tastes like sour carbonated Robitussin. Down the drain we go!!! I’ll have to try a more recent vintage next time.

these notes references the 2005 harvest: the aroma’s earthy/herb-y, but there’s not a lot of that going on on the palate. the hops are spot-on, and don’t linger bitterly like a below-average IPA might. also, nice label.

1995 - sampled in 2005 for pivos and my 10 y/o Vertical Barley Wine tasting. Dark mahagony colored - kinda oily looking, no lacing on top. Super intense and very delightful nose of Sage, thyme, pepermint , juniper and also allspice - this is just amazing. But what is so great in the nose is not doing that good in the taste - too powerful sage, anis - almost like a Pernot - taste. Very domestic. Thin bodied.

This is a 2007 update and this has managed to get ever better. Poured a very rich mahogany that was sort of a cross between red and brown and raised a big fat tan head left wonderful lacing in the glass. Wonderful nose of barley malts, hops,and some woody odors. Very smooth mouthfeel. Nice hop finish. This was good before and somehow they have made this batch even better. Original rating 12/24/05 was 7-4-7-4-17- 3.9. 2005 bottle fresh from the brewery. Poured a red-brown with a nice long lasting tan head. Clean nose with a hint of smoke. Palate is great with bit of a sizzle. Alcohol is obvious and hops are just right. This is a very unique tasting brew and may not be for everyone. But I like it. Sort of like an IPA on steriods. The 2006 was good, but the 2007 is wonderful. Put four six packs in the cellar to age. May get even better.

2003 bottle Light amber in color with a small white rocky head. Malty aroma,touch of smoke, Flavor sof orange and sweet malt,spicey, finishes dry.

This was in KPs rating whore cooler. Awesome! We had to fight Aracauna for it as he trying to keep it for himself. Anyways a murky orange appearance. This tasted very similar to those orange-cicles I used to get as a kid. Very creamy and sweet. This one isnt too complex but it tastes really good.

2005 version poured from a bottle. Pours a dark red color with a small white head that sticks around for awhile. Tangerine and grass aroma with very little alcohol and maybe a faint caramel. Obviously a very young barleywine as the hops absolutely dominate the flavor. The alcohol is fairly noticeable and a sweet finish somewhat balances this one out. I liked that it was more bitter than most barleywines I’ve had and I wonder if I won’t end up enjoying this one more fresh.

2005 harvest. dark red color. taste is sweet and somewhat hoppy. smell is grassy, fruity, sweet, and a hint of alcohol. based on the ratings i was expecting this to be a not so good beer. turns out, i kinda liked it. it was very smooth and should age very well. not a bad beer at all, and certainly not deserving of the lower rating.