Mikkeller Big Worse Barley Wine

Mikkeller
Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij
Style: Barley Wine
Copenhagen V, Denmark

bottle poured a brown in color with basically no head and a fairly still look in the glass. aroma has sweetness, plumb, raisin, cherry, caramel, molasses, and some vanilla. mouth feel is thick and medium overall but there is no carbonation at all. flavor is rich in the fruits, raisin, prune, fig, brown sugar, molasses, and some alcohol heat. got a bit thick and cloying as it went on due to it being totally flat.

( 375ml bottle thanks to mar) Pours opaque brownish red. Nose is caramel, citrus hops and smells very sweet. Tase is very syrupy, pretty hoppy and undercarbonated. The alcohol is also pretty hot on this one. I think age would REALLY do this a lot of favors.

Murky brown with ruby hues. Basically no head, just a minimal layer of off-white foam that disappears immediately. Minimal lacings. A rich smell with vinous fruity aromas (cherries, plums) up front. Plenty of malts and notes of chocolate, coffee, caramel, rye bread and alcohol. Gentle floral notes. A Powerful taste with lots pf vinous fruits and a massive flavor of sweet malts. Chocolate, fudge, plenty of caramel, dusty cellar and raisins. Some bready notes. Has a slight Madeira-like quality to it. The finish is somewhat bitter and has lots of warming alcohol in it. Some chestnuts, juicy malts and notes of spicy hops. The alcohol is really noticeable and leaves a rather boozy sensation in the mouth. Rather full body, very smooth. Very, very low levels of carbonation. After a while, it gets slightly sticky. A good and powerful beer. Very malt-forward with the hops playing a minor role. I enjoyed it but I think the alcohol was just a little too prominent in it. Definitely a sipper. Serving type: bottle (Copy of old Beer Advocate review)

Cloudy reddis/brown. Aroma is sweet with caramel, honey, apple cider and dried apricot. Flavor is syrupy and sweet with brown sugar, toffee and a very faint hop finish. Very nice.

Green bottle, 375 ml, best before 02/07/12, via Importations Privées Bièropholie (merci Hughes!), savoured on November 16 2009; eye: mahogany, opaque, turbid, really tiny ring of beige head, slight lacing, looks thin; nose: alcohol, malt, caramel, molasses, candied fruits; mouth: alcohol, molasses, alcohol warmth, malt, caramel, candied fruits, alcohol warmth again, significant drop in flavours, finale is sweet and alcoholic with presence of malt and candied fruits, mild astringency suggesting a good presence of alcohol, mildly bitter, lightly sweet, alcoholic texture, not much carbonation, a bit thin; overall: a bit disappointing FRANÇAIS Bouteille verte, 375 ml, meilleure avant 02/07/12, via Importations Privées Bièropholie (merci Hughes!), savourée le 16 novembre 2009; œil : acajou, opaque, trouble, très petit anneau de mousse beige, très légère dentelle, semble mince; nez : alcool, malt, caramel, mélasse, fruits confits; bouche : alcool, mélasse, chaleur d’alcool, malt, caramel, fruits confits, chaleur d’alcool, baisse marquée des saveurs, léger brûlé, finale doucereuse en alcool avec présence de malt et fruits confits, corsée, astringence moyenne suggérant une bonne présence de houblon, moyennement amère, légèrement sucrée, texture alcoolique, peu carbonatée, un peu mince; en résumé : un peu décevante

tasting sample on 11/5/09... pours a dark brown / red... medium to large body... big sweet sugar and dark fruit aroma and flavors... slight bitterness.

ambrato carico nocciola schiuma poca non molto persitente poco gasata naso erbaceo radice luppolo poi malto alcolico zucchero candito in bocca sempre l’erbaceo amaro dolci in bilanciamento buon corpo impegnativa ma si beve relativamente facile

Hazy dark golden liquid with a small light brown foam. Smell and taste of sweet malt, sugar, honey. Smooth mouthfeel. Interesting beer but a bit to sweet for me.