Mikkeller Big Worse Barley Wine

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

12.7 oz green bottle pours into a snifter a hazy copper body with a small beige head that quickly falls to a cap. Aroma of chewy caramel and fresh grapefruit. Medium body with restrained carbonation and some alcohol burn. Taste has a dominant citrus rind bitterness all the way through. Malt backbone is sturdy enough to lend some sweet caramel to balance. A mildy sweet citrusy orange note adds some depth midway through but the finish is all about the hop bitterness. The alcohol is a bit hot at this stage and poses a minor distraction. Still, a solid American style barleywine.

Ruby coloured, small off white head. Aroma of citrusy/resiny hops, cara-malts and a little fusel - not bothersome, though. Flavor is sweet and bitter. Not as bitter as I expected. Slightly acidic finish. Thick and full body. Suprisingly not very sticky, considering the ABV. Realy very nice, but i’ve had several barley wines very similar to this. Then again, it is one of my preferred styles, so i’ll give it good marks.

From LIC, Aarhus, DK. Bottled. Aroma of hops and malt. Flavor is warm - alcoholic and malty with a solid bitterness. Balanced

Pours a very dark, hazy, slightly translucent reddish-brown color. A foamy, bubbly, cream colored head leaves flares and spots of lacing on the glass. A swirl of the glass reveals thick, sugary sheeting. The nose is rich and full, showing a hefty dose of caramel, toffee, dried figs, and golden raisons. Spicy citrus and earthy hops add balance to the nose, though it still falls on the malty side of things. Flavors are primarily the same, with sweet caramel and fruits working well with the significant hop billing. The 12% ABV is hidden fairly well. Medium-full, sugary body. Finishes slightly hot, with lingering citrus hop bitterness. Overall, a very nice barley wine. This could probably use some time to mellow, but its pretty damn solid right now.

Bottle. Pours opaque chestnut brown/amber with off-white head. Aroma is sweet malt, alcohol, toffee, raisins, bread...great intense smells in there. First sip has a bit of a bite, but the palate mellowed as I continued. Strong flavors of raisins, caramel, alcohol, and dried fruit. Very intense flavors with an alcohol burn. I’ll bet this would be fantastic after a year of two of aging.

Pours a dirty cloudy brown with a thick off white head. Aroma is very big caramel malt, pungent hop, and lots of alcohol. Taste is carmel, toffee, malt, spicy hops, and alcohol. A big ballsy barley wine and while very strong, is easy to sip.

Bottle. Pours hazy copper/ruby color with a tan colored head. Aroma is sweet malts, toffee, nutty. Flavor is again sweet malts, caramel, nuts, honey, earthy. Palate is full bodied, mild carbonation, finished sweet and warming. Nice stuff.

Transparent and pale copper in color with bubbles rising and dancing on the surface. Aroma speaks of sandpaper, bing cherries, toffee talc and chestnuts nesting in a moderate pool of brandy and honey, cunningly like a light fruited fig. Flavor produces a thick, sweet profile that doesn’t skip a beat. Amaretto and brandy plum crème brulee hum lovingly throughout the palate. A dry, earthen chestnut edge is won over sharply by an equally citric and earthen hop bouquet. Honey, lavender and rose intertwine as the tongue draws numb and the rater goes speechless.