New Holland Existential Hopwine

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

Poured a creamy dark amber color with very nice off white head. Head was very persistant and created abundant lacing. Aromas were a little muddled, citrusy and caramely, not overpowering. The flavor was odd, actually cloying, with a muddled sweet caramel, biscuit, dry flower flavor...it tasted almost like it wasn’t quite fresh. It carried a strange taste througout, and the "hops" aren’t quite prevelant like it leads you to believe. Rather it gives it a resinous mouthfeel, without the punch. The only positive is that it covered up the alcohol quite good, but the flavors were way off.

Amber colour with an off white head. Malty, caramel and cookie sweet aroma with notes of hops and alcohol. Malty, toffee sweet flavor with a light alcohol warming note. Light dry hoppy finish.

22oz. bottle, thanks to Gregis. Aroma of sweet malts, brown sugar, honey, dough and strongly spicy, leafy hop fruitiness, along with faint pine and cedar notes. Light amber color with a light tan head ringing the glass. Flavor is comprised of nearly equally powerful malt and hop character, sweet caramel and brown sugar combined with fruity, spicy hop in massive amounts throughout. Some lingering roastiness late. Mouthfeel is thickly syrupy and warming with a moderate level of effervescence and a full body. Big Barleywine/Double IPA-thing!

Poured amber with fluffy off white head. Aroma of sweet malt and hops. More malt than anything. Good balance of malt and hops with some fruit hints. Heavy booze finish.

Bottle purchased at Corral Liquors, in Granite City, IL. Pours a hazy orange with a thin, creamy/frothy head that diminishes to a thin skin of off white lace. The nose reminds me of malted milk: big malt and little more. Medium to full-bodied and creamy it concludes with a dry, lightly bitter finish. The flavor is big malt with a pecan nuttiness and a dry hop finish that makes its presence known without helping you distinguish their type.

Second bottle, first by trade. My first attempt at this beer shattered in my wine caddy. The only beer that did not make the return from Chicago. Dark hazy orange. Big bubbly off-white head. Strong alcohol and hop nose. Hops are strong, earth and wood with a bit of citrus. Very thick body. Big malt. Big hops. Big alcohol. A heavy slow drinker. You can’t toy with it. A bit on the heavy side for me.

22oz bottle provided by Gregis at my tasting 10/12. Pour is clear amber-orange with pretty much no head. Aroma of sweet caramel malt, slight hoppiness at the tail end. Taste is the malt sweetness (very typical Barley Wine) with some slight heat to the finish. Hop bitterness to the finish. I liked this one, but could have used a bit more age.

22oz bottle. Golden orange color with a medium sized off white head. Appley malt aromatics with some spicy and herbal hop notes. Heavy, creamy malt presence with light alefruit, slight nuttiness. Sharp, acrid floral hop component with a medicinal bitterness. Higher alcohol notes in the finish, lots of heat. Doughy maltiness persists, medicinal hop character as well. Mouthfeel is a heavy medium, rather hot.