Mendocino Talon Barley Wine

Brewed by Mendocino Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Hopland, California USA

22 oz bottle, bottled in Saratoga Springs N.Y. Pours cloudy copper color. Sweat malty aroma and taste. No hoppy finish.

Nice cherry - bright aroma. As far as a quality barley -wine however, this beer doesn’t quite cut it. The overdone graphics on the label screamed "a wannabe craft brew" - but i didn’t listen.

This beer let me down, It did kind of grow on me but it was not what I was expecting from a barelywine.

Courtesy of ford9719. Pours a dark amber with a thin beige head. Smells of malt, vinegar. Quite smooth, but doesn’t seem quite balanced. Its hard these days to find a good barleywine, either they aren’t hoppy enough, or they are hopbombs, time to find one in the middle. Can taste the alcohol a bit.

22oz. Thanks to Styles. Poured a reddish murky color. Aroma of malts. Taste is nice with a malty finish.

Poured a reddish brown with more of a head than I would imagine a barley wine to have. The aroma was that alcoholic sweetness reminiscent of doppelbocks. That was an interesting surprise. It’s a creamy beer with a very smooth palate. Flavour-wise...wow. Very warming with a deep malt taste that rings of vanilla, cherry, and woody earthiness. It’s a great surprise since I picked it up as a one-off. Wish I had grabbed more to age.

22 oz bomber. Pours a dark copper with amber hues. Rich caramel malts and butterscotch intermingle nicely with notes of dark fruit and warming brandy. Finishes warm.

Poured a deep ruby on the border of brown with almost no white head. Aroma is all malt with hints of vanilla and liquor. Flavor is all malt with a touch of sugar and dark fruits like plum. Quite a bite on the end with bitterness from the hops and heat from the alcohol. Barleywines are typically sippers, this one especially as it is a little harsh.