Mendocino Talon Barley Wine

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

Very nice, the deep burnt brown sugar-like tones of raisin combine with the alcohol bite to make this almost spicy. That said, the high alcohol content is apparent but not a distraction. Not a massive beer but very pleasant. The best Mendocino I’ve had.

2005 vintage opened 6/23/07 -22 oz. glass bottle- color of light mahogany, with a thin tan head - nose of maple, chicken bouillon, brown cane sugar, plumbs, and raisins – taste of plumb, maple, raisins, and cherries- body is chewy, and with low to medium carbonation – aftertaste of light malt, cherries, and plumbs nose b= taste b app b body b- overall 16 2004 vintage 22 oz. glass bottle sample cellared at least three years- opened 10/24/07 - color of mahogany , with a thick tan colored head - nose of elderberries, brown sugar, bright red fruit, and rich – taste of bright red fruit, maple syrup, sweet maltyness, and some earthy- body is medium, and with medium carbonation – aftertaste of red fruit, caramel, and slight hint of hops

Quite possibly my favorite beer at the winter beer tasting I hosted last night. I probably enjoyed the Arrogant Smoked Bastard Ale more, but that wasn’t part of the official tasting. Thanks Slikwily for sending both of them! Rich, malty aroma with some hops evident, but not nearly as hoppy as say like the SN Big Foot. Particalia visible in the body. Nice lace. Really nice, perfectly balanced flavor. Smooth for a barley wine.

2004 Limited Edition, picked up at Green’s Discount Beverages on Buford Highway, for a great price of $2.29 for a 22 oz. bomber. The beer, when poured into a goblet, looked deep amber red, and had a fizzy ¾ inch thick head that vanished shortly after the pour. The aroma was very spicy alcoholic at first with an onrush of hot piney scents. But very soon it turned to a malty nose with raisin like sweetness. The taste was quite soft and vinous, with the residual sugars coating the tongue nicely from the first sip. Letting the beer linger in the mouth produced flavors of fig, pear, dates, and orange peel. The hops were in here only as a preservative, and produced very little bitterness to speak of. The aftertaste was slightly dry, and very warm. Other than the warmth, this 10.5% ABV brew was dangerously drinkable. A maltmouth’s (that is what I prefer to call the opposite of a hophead) delight, this is not the most intense of Barleywines, but it pays a nice homage to the wine part of the name. And did I mention the incredible deal this is at a third of the cost of Anchor Old Foghorn.

Update
Back in late 2004, when the wretched 6% ABV cap was lifted in Georgia, one of the first brewers to enter the market with some high gravity offerings was Mendocino Brewing Company. At the time when I first had their Talon barleywine, my cellar was in a nascent stage. I was happy to sample it at under $3 a bomber, and had the forethought of trying to stick a bottle in the cellar as well. It’s about 2½ years since then, and many more barleywines have been sampled. So I though it was time to pull out that old Talon bomber, and see how it had held up.

As I popped off the cap, the carbonation formed a head in the bottle. Pouring it revealed a lively beer, with a one finger thick head in the goblet, and a clear, superbly deep, red body. No murky sediment floating in the first pour here, so the unspoilt look was quite nice. The smell was clean, sweet, and toasty. There was ghostly remnant of hop aroma as well, but it was swept aside by the malt. The taste was sultry smooth, and tongue coatingly sweet. Raisins, plums, and roasted almonds were all present in the taste, and were melded together very well. There was no alcohol apparent in the taste, but the warmth that started in my mid section after just a few sips, and slowly radiated to my extremities made it well known, that this was no ordinary beer. A little coarser in the mouthfeel than I was anticipating after aging for this long, but I wouldn’t say it was harsh. This double digit ABV barleywine had definitely improved for the better, and I could see it going for a few more years. I believe it’s time to pick up the next bottle and start the experiment over again.

In the bomber bottle. Maybe I’m drunk, but this was awesome! Reddish amber in color, weak head. berries and briars! Thin at the back, but a candy sweetness to the finish. Quite herb-like as well, possibly peat.

Ap: a deep crimson color w/ a thick foamy off-white head. Ar: clean fresh hops and a bit of light caramel malt. Pa: rich and creamy lightly carbonated Flvr: sweet malts, hints of caramel, and a nice hoppy finish, a very well balanced and delicious barley wine Ovr: another excellent barley wine, just delicious thanks to Dave for this one.

22 oz’er. Candy red and dark with a initially firm, then submitting head of tan foam. The aroma gives away the 10.5% ... cooked sugar, caramel, and dark fruit already flowering in the nose. The beer assaults the palate right away with a strong alcoholic essence of brown sugar, cooked pears, and candied apples. Right down the barleywine tunnel, this is good stuff. (#3045, 7/31/2007)

Pours a dark amber with ruby highlights; half-inch off-white, slightly yellowish head. Big, rich nose: fruity malt, brown sugar, cookies. Rich, dark (but not roasted) flavor: sweet malt up front, a touch of peppery spice, oatmeal raisin cookies soaked in brandy with a dash of hop bitterness on the end. Full-bodied mouthfeel. Very, very good.