Mikkeller Big Worse Barley Wine

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

Lightly cloudy umber color with a moderate, actually larger head by style, beige head. Big fruity aromas. Tropical fruit, raisins, apple along with plenty of malt with caramel and sweet dough mix with some some floral and citric hops. Perhaps too sweet, but I prefer this over many of the latest, that seem to focus on the hops and strength. Sweetness in the front seems to focus on caramel and apricots. Middle is full of hops with lots of citrus, including grapefruit, lemon and orange zest along with some lime juice. Also quite hot and burning from the middle of the quaff well into the finish and linger. This shows more promise and is better now than many out there. A little too hot right now for a higher score on the palate. Hope to get another one or two of these to set for a few years. A real warmer now. I can see this being a real knock out in three to five years.

Hazy, light amber body with a tiny off-white ring of a head. The nose is caramel, toffee, citrus, grapes and light alcohol. The flavor is light/moderately sweet, moderately bitter with toffee, pine, grapefruit and cotton candy. Full body is soft with light carbonation.

Warm brown color with Cognac highlights and good off white head. Great beer with round full taste, good malty and beady taste and smooth sweetness and bitterness in the finale.

Bottle on New years. Poured brownish amber with a quickly diminishing head. Aroma of caramel and brown sugar. Tastes of caramel, yet not too sweet. I got hints of a fruit loop taste, and a mildly sweet finish with just a tad of alcohol burn. I enjoyed this.

Bottle. Quickly dissipating head - aroma was subtle fruit, sweet malt, alcohol - not great. Flavor is simple and plain - sweet caramel, mild bittering hops, alcohol. Needs a long time to develop - it’s good, but nothing spectacular at all. With a few years, this could be solid!

Reddish brown, moderate to small head, decent to good lacing and retention. Aroma is malt dominated with caramel, sugar, alcohol, fairly fruity as well. Medium to heavy body, fairly syrupy with a sweet finish with some alcohol burn. Good stuff.

Bottle. Muddy brown, slightly red pour, opaque, with a thin film on top. Aroma of peppery alcohol, caramel malt, sugar, and bittering hops. The flavor is quite strong; lots of malt and peppery alcohol, raisins, brown sugar, some yeast, and hops. Probably will be better with some aging.

Bottled. Pours out dark brown with red hints with a thick beige foam. Sweet and resinous aroma of fruitcake, brown sugar, pine-needles, caramel, figs and alcohol. Full-bodied with warming and sweet notes of brown sugar, dates, prunes and mild alcohol with dense undertones of sappy floral hops and citrus. Long warming finsh of raisins, gigs and dates with a tart undertone of lemon.