New Holland Existential Hopwine

Brewed by New Holland Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Holland, Michigan USA

sampled with the phoenix crew. crazaaay bottle provided by sparky27. poured a hazy honey color with a small white cap. aroma of citrus blossoms... floral, sweet caramel malty, earth and grapefruit. initial flavor is quite bitter and somewhat resinous. but, somehow it turns vicious on me and gets sticky and sweet... sugary grain, grapefruit, light pine and a light bitter alcohol laden finish. medium to full body... syrupy and sweet.

Taste 7/8,bottle(date?) Looks: Gold and mildly cloudy. Thin head clings. Aroma: Citrus and floral hops. A little sweetness and yeast. Taste: Quite hoppy, not much malt chew for the 10.5abv. Very little carbonation. O.k.

22 oz. bottle, purchased 2007. Folks, I’ve built a backlog of IIPA’s in my cellar, waiting to get to them after I polished off the lower gravity beers. Now we’re moving, and I need to empty a few bottles, and the hoppy beers won’t improve with age. So let’s pop this one…
Okay, being classified as a Barley Wine, maybe this might have gained something from aging. Well, it’s been in the fridge longer than the "cellar" and I’ve popped the cap, let’s go…
Pour shows definite BW character. Dark copper body, craggy tannish head. Some phenols in the nose, along with a snigger of hops. When drunk, it’s got a very thick feel, like a runny syrup. Would taste very sweet but for a bulwark of hops holding back the saccharine. Bitterness hangs at the soft palate back of my mouth. Hazy orange impressions, or even orange blossom honey, come as the alcohol warming kicks in. Tiny dregs of yeast, or unfiltered particles left at the bottom of the bottle. Sweeter in total than my standard for BW’s, SN Bigfoot. Final impression is of a mead mixed with extra honey and steeped in hops. We know barley wines can run the gamut of experiences based on how long and how well they’re held. I’ve had this a year and a half, and it’s excellent at this stage.

22oz bomber pours a transparent, copper, orange with a thin, whispy white head. The aroma clubs you over the head, tons and tons of sweet malts and grain, light citrus, ripe fruits. Big nose. Flavor is just as strong with plenty of booze, sweet sugary malts, grapefruits, oranges, brandy, pine tar, lemon rinds. Mouthfeel is very heavy with alcohol and strong lasting bitterness. Big ol’ barleywine that’s ready to drink today.

This barleywine pours a medium orange gold color from a 22oz etched bottle. Small to medium sized white foamy head. The aroma is caramel, bready and sweet with some citrusy hops. A medium bodied barley wine. The malts are caramel and sweet, touch or orange rind. The hops are piney and grapefruity. This beer is one of those in between a hoppy barley wine or a sweet Imperial IPA. I would have to lean ever so slightly to the hoppy barley wine; it is a little more sweet than bitter, well it’s a lot more sweet than bitter but most of that sweetness is at the finish. Most of the bitterness is at the start. Touch of alcohol at the finish as well. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is sweet, with a touch of alcohol.

Sampled at Bockyhorsey’s Bocky Bash on 7-5-08. Hazy amber pour with little head. Aroma of citrus hops and caramel malt. Sweet malty flavor with grapefruity hops and alcohol on the finish. Slightest hint of carbonation. A good brew.

Bomber thanks to Axilla. Poured clear copper in color with a small white head. Aroma of piney and floral hops with an underlying sweet grainy malt nose. Tastes of strong piney, floral and citrus hops with some sweet malt backbone. Alcohol warmth in the finish. Certainly more like a Double IPA.

Bottle sampled at the 7/5/08 Bocky Bash locals tasting. Pours a hazy honey color with zero head. Nose is sweet malts, brown sugar and floral hops. Taste is citrus, caramel and resin. Creamy, medium mouth feel. Decent beer.