Moylans Old Blarney Barley Wine

Brewed by Moylans Brewery & Restaurant
Style: Barley Wine
Novato, California USA

22oz Bomber. Pours a dark reddish brown color with a quickly departing off white head that leaves no evidence of its existence shortly after. This smells of sweet fruits and some floral hops with a bit of alcohol lurking about. Very hopped up front on the taste with malty sweetness following shortly after. It finishes with a dry and bitter taste that lingers for a while and alcohol is quite warming. Mouthfeel is creamy and thick and this is quite drinkable. Overall it’s a good beer but not one of the best of its style.

Wine stained leather. Aroma of brandy, rich, deep, fruity malts, caramel, resinous hops and red wine. Nice, sugary malts of all types provide loads caramel and fruit flavors. I would have personally liked to see more hops in this barley wine, not because I like a hoppy barley wine, but because the sweetness of the malts was just a little to overboard. Still though, like most barley wines, this is pretty tasty.

Bottle. Ruby bronze beer with a small off-white head. Sweet malt aroma. Fruity malty flavor with a bit of honey, brown sugar, molasses, and some piney hops. Rich, thick body, but comes with some smoothness. A touch of alcohol warming. Just needs a bit more.

Hazy ruby body, soapy off-white head with good lacing. Sweet caramelly goodness with strawberry touches, grapes. Hops show up in the flavor... nice and balanced bitterness. Flavor develops in the finish with butterscotch and nuts. Smooth and silky mouthfeel. It is actually very balanced to me... and I am enjoying it quite a bit.

A unique barley wine. Medium mahogony color. Sweet malt, date aroma hints of nut brown. Mouthfeel is clean, light and semi-sweet. Has some assertive bitterness on the palate. Malts try to overtake the hops in the end. A pleasant beer, needs more balance and character.

Bottle - Oh man, does this stuff smell like Leviathan? The wood cask tannins, the wine grape aromas, the midium hopped silky sweet malt body. A light alcohol presence and a little bit of burnt plums and wood are present, helping this beer just radiate a beautiful nose. Thick body, but lacking a depth of flavor from the time it initially touches the lips to the time when it’s rolled back down the tongue and gone... the finish is where most of the flavors show up, and they are a big disappointment with respect to the aroma... some metallic hops, some rotten wood, and an overtone of chemicals... damn, I was really hoping for something different. Too hot all around...

This barley wine pours with an amber-brown body topped by a medium thick to thick, off-white head with a good amount of lacing. The aroma is sweet, caramelly and malty with a note of candy sugar, a slight underlying bitterness and a touch of grapefruit and alcohol. The flavor is slightly sweet yet bitter with a strong alcohol presence and a touch of malt and caramel. Full bodied, warming and slightly dry.

Thick redish brown. Very sweet tastes of apples, figs, a good, hops are restrained but provide for a nice finish.