 mullet (801), Melbourne, Australia
| 2.9 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 5/10 | 5/5 | 6/10 | 2/5 | 11/20 |
Apr 29, 2009
A fantastically presented beer. From the label to the cork to the beer itself, which is a slightly hazy deep red with excellent head retention. Sadly it gets less positive from here. The aroma is dominated by a big whack of stinky esters like overripe fruit and shampoo which I initially thought must’ve been higher alcohols/ethyl acetate but the head retention and absence of piercing brain pain suggest otherwise. It’s tough to get much else out of the aroma but if you search there’s a touch of honeycomb and very mature pine. It tastes a lot like brown sugar. Surprisingly light, sugary body with some crystal malt but very little base malt structure. It starts out big but then disappears into inconsequentiality. Disposable, perhaps? The sweetness is a bit like the Holgate Xmas beer, but with none of the fun bits. Some US-style bitterness, soap, light alcohol and orange rind. I can’t imagine that age would sort it out either - there didn’t seem to be much malt to come through. Another expensive yet middle-of-the-road Mikkeller. I hope the Nøgne Ø beers are better than this.
CamdenD (625), Madrid, Spain
| 4.4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 9/10 | 5/5 | 18/20 |
Dec 27, 2009 Wow. This barleywine is NOT afraid to show its muscle. The 12% is all over this one. It’s certainly not hidden, and that is a very good thing. Hugely the most impressive Mikkeller beer I’ve tasted.
jcr (1190), Jasper, Indiana, USA
| 3 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 6/10 | 3/5 | 6/10 | 3/5 | 12/20 |
Dec 26, 2009 Bottle. Deep amber body. Short, light brown head, quickly diminishing. Aroma of caramel, leather, horse blanket, lacquer and pineapple. The flavor is moderately to heavily sweet and lighly to moderately bitter. It finishes lightly to moderately sweet and moderately bitter. Medium to full body, velvety texture, soft carbonation. Average barley wine except it has a muted aroma and a flavor that starts great with malty funky notes, but finishes with an alcoholic, lacquerish taste.
BoBoChamp (1424), Gent, Belgium
| 4 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 3/5 | 8/10 | 4/5 | 17/20 |
Dec 22, 2009 38cl, Danish brewery, from Slijterij van Bergen Eindhoven, very complex brew, not too heavy, balanced, cloudy, nearly no head, very good brew, top class!, but expensive
JCB (1796), Durham, North Carolina, USA
| 3.2 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 6/10 | 3/5 | 6/10 | 3/5 | 14/20 |
Dec 20, 2009 Bottle from Sam’s, Durham, maybe a year or two on it at this point. Pours quite still, murky amber,, with only a few bubbles visible. Slightly rough aroma, with malts and harsh booze in the nose along with some gamey yeast. The body is a bit cloying, despite the relative stillness. Taste has some spicey hops detectable but I found this generally to be a sweet, hot, indistinct barleywine.
5000 (2634), Hardened Liver, Washington, USA
| 3.8 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 3/5 | 8/10 | 3/5 | 16/20 |
Dec 19, 2009 Bottle: Garnet colored, somewhat of a dirty caramel hue, hazy, moderate off-white head, falls quickly, spotty lacing. Malty nose, sweetened or candied citrus peel, whisps of alcohol, as well as toasted caramel and brown
sugar. Smells pretty inviting! Moderate malt base, very little hop aspect, moreso a mild candied citrus peel twang! Some caramel and brown sugar as well. Warming on the backside. This is 12% ?!?!
Certainly doesn’t feel like it. Could use a bit more malt, but whats funny is that its not all that astrigent or bitter, so as is, its fairly well balanced. Not a hefty Barley Wine by any means, but it seems to hold its own.
Nothing out of the ordinary, but a solid performer. Warming finish. Good stuff! Thanks Bob for the bottle!
highlandlad (1278), Sydney, Australia
| 3.6 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 4/5 | 7/10 | 3/5 | 14/20 |
Dec 16, 2009 A thin, woody barley wine. A decent sipper but by no means this brewer’s best work and inferior to the very best of the style. Poured caramel-brown with a fat beige cap. The alcohol is prominent in the nose. This almost smelled like a fortified wine - tokay, sherry, etc. Stewed fruits and figs, grape juice, a pinch of white pepper and a floral note. The palate seemed thin for a barley wine packing this much grunt - a minor flaw IMO. In the mouth, it seems quite simple for the style and a little abrupt, with that sharp alcoholic finish. Sweet and sherry-like, with candied fruit and liquid brown sugars to the fore. I found the turpentine-woody notes heavy going. Overall, too thin, too woody. (375ml bottle from Platinum Liquor. BB 2/7/12)
SorenE (125), , New Zealand
| 4.2 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 8/10 | 3/5 | 8/10 | 5/5 | 18/20 |
Dec 11, 2009 thick rusty brown, no head and very little carb. Aroma stonefruit, malt, oak and some citrussy hop in the background. flavours are sweet malt, dark candisugar, stonefruit, caramel, alcohol. great beer, a little less alcohol and it would be superb.
mastabass666 (95), California, USA
| 3.1 | Aroma | Appearance | Flavor | Palate | Overall | | 5/10 | 3/5 | 6/10 | 4/5 | 13/20 |
Dec 7, 2009 mostly alcohol on the nose, plus sweet malt, some fruit/berry comes through,grains. flavor is all that plus more alcohol. would probably be really nice to let one age 5 or so years.
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