Mikkeller Big Worse Barley Wine

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

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.

Bottle at Houston BA Tasting in October. Pours a muddy brown with no head. Nose is hoppy with dark fruit. Taste is of dark fruit and brown sugar. Mouthfeel is hot alcohol. The bottle was a year old, but that is not long enough with the high ABV in this one. Maybe a few more years are needed on this.

12.7 ounce caged and corked bottle, the bottle is at least a year old so it does have some age on it. Served in a pint glass, the beer pours a murky copper/brown color with pretty much no head at all. Not much lacing either. Aroma is very sweet and malty, it smells like brown sugar, dark fruit (raisins, figs), and caramel. Taste is similar to the aroma, it tastes like dark fruit (prunes, raisins), caramel, brown sugar, piney hops and booze. Alcohol is still a bit hot, maybe I should have aged this one longer. Mouthfeel/body is on the light side of medium, it’s somewhat slick and coating with low/moderate carbonation. Drinkability is OK, it would be better if the alcohol heat wasn’t so noticable in the taste. This is definitely a sipping beer. Overall I think this is a good enough beer, I’d try this one again in the future.