Mad River John Barleycorn

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

Bottle. Pours a dark brown ruby body with an off white head. Sweet caramel, with dark fruits. Light floral spicy hoppiness with a light citrus with a light bitter finish.

2006 bottle. Poured murky deeper amber with a dusting of beige head and plenty of sediment suspended in there. The aroma was caramel and toffee-focused with notes of dark fruit wafting through.. dry herbal notes and warm spices joined a mild dose of pine around. The flavor was caramel-centric with a definite aire of distinguished age to it.. dark fruits, figs, and lesser molasses provided more sweet appeal.. spicy on the edges with some black pepper and smoked cardamom.. finished with a solid balance between sweeter malts, warm alcohol, and savory spices. Heavier-bodied and almost syrupy on the palate with a thick texture despite rolling carbonation.. chewy toward the back.. heated up in intensity as it warmed. This was a mighty solid drink.

Pour is a dark brown with a large tan head. Aroma is alcohol, candi sugar and hops. Flavor is heavy with lots of spice and corriander but its missing the oily hops that come with a good BW. This is more of a spiced/winter warmer ale than a barley wine. Still this is a tasty ale with lots to offer.

Amber orange with a small white head. Very sugary beer. Nose of malt, tea, citrus, and slight alcohol. Flavor similar but more intense, and more bitterness is present through to the finish. Body is not small but still too thin. Overall enjoyable, but nothing to rave about... the tea and bitterness through the moderate finish were my favorite part.

Bottle 2007 - Cloudy amber body. lasting off white head; Medium sized quite pleasant but not fully developed nose with some dusty grain aromas, not old but like putting your head in an old sack of grain; Very soft velvet textured body, balanced, carbonation is a little still, boring bitter sweet body; Not to long finish, balanced bitter sweet, sweet alcohol warmth. Pleasant balanced beer, but to boringly composed to really be something.

Really solid strong alcohol floats above the glass. Malty and sweet. Put a barley wine check list next to this beer, and it will get good rankings across the board.

(11/3/08) Bottle sample at a tasting in Pizza Port in Carlsbad (thanks whoever). Muddy brown color. Aroma of malt, some fruits, caramel and alcohol. Sweet malty flavor with some wood, vanilla, caramel and a bit of pralines notes. Full-bodied.

2002 Vintage (Drunk in 2006):
Deep dark brown coloured body with a super-thin tan head. Aroma of malt, spices and caramel. Medium to Full-bodied; Sweet malt and caramel along with raisins, pit fruit and nice nuttiness. Aftertaste bitter, but very mellow after 4 years! Overall, a nice beer after all this time - great to finally try! I sampled this 12 ounce bottle purchased 3 years ago at Whole Foods in Vienna, Virginia on 23 November 2006 (Thanksgiving).