Mikkeller Big Worse Barley Wine

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

Pours a brownish color with a tan head. Aroma is of sweet malts, caramel, candied sugar, plums, and some alcohol. Flavor begins pretty sweet with the caramel malts, plums, and candied sugar. Finishes dry with some alcohol warming, although it was as much as I was expecting. Pretty good barley wine.

Pours opaque red/ mahogany with frothy head that disappates quickly. Nose is sweet and malty with pineapple influence. Flavor is complex and interesting, a little strong in alcohol, but not overwhelming. Fruit influences along with caramel and the candied sugar. Finish is dry with a lingering burn.

Bottle. Sweet, rich, high alcohol aroma. Murky, reddish brown body with a tan ring of head. Not much lace. Sweet, sugary, high in alcohol. A very good barley wine, although not one of higher rated ones.

Bottle. Very dark amber, brown body with a small beige-tan head that fades. (3+) Big fruit hop aroma, tropical fruit? pineapple? light pine or spruce, hard to decipher because big second wave of alcohol wipes the slate clean. (7+) Flavour is surprisingly subtle for such a big brew. Fruity up front, tropical fruit notes, good amount of bitterness throughout. Caramel malt undertones. Warming alcohol throughout, especially in the finish. Pretty solid. Boozier than I’d like, but it is quite nice. Thanks to Rudolf for picking this one up for us.

Dark red. Smells like sweet fruit and pine needles. At first the flavor is too sweet, but as it warms the hops balance it out. Can taste the alcohol a little too much, and a little too sweet for my taste.

This pours a dark amber body with ruby highlighting and a big beige head that’s soon reduced to a film. The aroma is complex, a blending of toffee & caramel with alcohol and spiced with hop scents of flowers, pine, herbs, and a mild earthiness. Very warm on the tongue, peppery with alcohol. A light fruitiness is blended into the flavor, but the malty sweetness struggles against the strong alcohol content and an herbal, dry bitterness. It finishes on a dry note with a solid alcohol burn. This is worth picking up a few bottles to lay down for a year or longer.

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This has a similar nose to the Big Bad, with that zesty orange marmalade fruitiness. Very present alcohol in the nose, with more of a flowery rosewater quality, along with a bit of doughiness. Hops are much more present this time around, with some herbal earthiness and dried leaves. Very full mouthfeel, powerful maltiness, with a heavy presence of alcohol on the top of the mouth which really detracts from some of the other complexities trying to fight their through for your recognition. This like its younger brother needs to age for a couple of years.
Earlier Rating: 1/20/2008 Total Score: 3.4
Pours a bit of burnt auburn and orange, with just a little hint of bubbly head. Nice nose, very fruity like orange marmalade with some fresh sweet bread. Flavor is very young and green and will definitely benefit by a year or two of cellaring. Lots of dark fruits, dates and plums. Lots of malt backbone, and an almost overpowering alcohol burn that I thought would be a little more integrated. Finishes with a mineral quality and very bitter. Will come back to this one in a few years and re-rate.

Plastic corked bottle. Pours a deep dark brown colour with a big long lasting creamy light brownish head. Aroma is sweet with plenty of ripe fruits, pine, hops and alcohol. Sticky mouthfeel. The flavour is quite sweet with lots of ripe fruits, alcohol, bitter hops, pine, malt, some wood and caramel. Dry sweet hoppy long lasting finish. Nice warming but rather too sweet a brew.