Mendocino Talon Barley Wine

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

bottle, red oranage color pour. malty, not really hoppy, and has an odd flavor that i found to be not so pleasing. the more i drank of this, the more i enjoyed it though. certainly not my favorite up on the barley wine list, but a notable and surprisingly cheap one.

Good looking body, light brown with ruby highlights. The head is mearly a pale tan ring. Sweet malty aroma with an earthy bitterness and big whiffs of alcohol. The piercing sweetness of the malt (toffee-ish with butterscotch) takes over the flavor with just enough alcohol and hop bitterness to keep the taste balanced. The finish is sticky sweet with a bitterness on the tongue and a low alcohol burn. Warming. And timely.

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22oz. bottle. Poured a nice rich mahogany with a cascading tan head. Sweet malt and candied fruits on the nose. Big flavor with a sweet malt, some caramel, candied apple, maple syrup and some crisp hops on the finish. The alcohol is barely noticeable which is refreshing, if not a little dangerous. Lightly carbonated and even viscous and syrupy on the palate. I thought it was a real enjoyable barleywine, and I’d definitely pick it up again.

Very appley aroma with a hint of caramel. Small bubbles. Very sweet on the front with a bit of hoppines in the back. I would say that it sways more toward the sweet side than the hoppy side. Slightly musty finish. For a 10.5% brew, the aroma and taste of alcohol is absent.

Bottle. Pours a depp ruby bronze color with a medium bubbly off white head. Malty caramel aroma with some floral notes on the finish. Flavor is of dark fruits, hints of caramel, and a metallic finish. Finish is warming with definite notes of alcohol. Smooth on the palate, with a medium to full body. I really expected more from this beer. Quite disappointing.

04’: Dark mahogany color, ruby amber with light off-white head and no lacing. Nose of light sherry, oxidized note. I don’t know why I’m so sensetive to it; dusty cardboard. Light bite of hops and plum malty notes. Some alcohol and sweet molasses notes, spicy caramel. The flavor is stout with a represed sweetness and alcohol level. It seems like the sharp heat and sweetness never came down to an acceptable level before the oxidation took hold. Otherwise, the mouthfeel is creamy, lightly acidic and a full repetoire of toasty malt flavors. The finish is brief with earthy tobacco notes. A decent barleywine now that it has some age.

Bottle. Red-brown color, with thin tannish nose. Very malty aroma, caramel doppelbock aroma. Flavor is very similar, with a strong alcohol finish. Warming in the end, more like the English less hopped varieties. Pleasant, sweet mouth feel, fruity and vinuous. A definite surprise for the price. Could use more of a hop finish, but that is really a personal opinion.

Bomber: underrated IMO. Nicely balanced with a hefty amount of hops, alcochol, and mainly malt. Caramel and dark fruits come through in a well balanced and put together Barley Wine. Hops are here as well but nothing overpowering Could get a lot better with more aging.