 Rastacouere (5343), Montréal, Quebec, Canada
May 1, 2008
Objectively speaking:
2003 bottle which showed obvious signs of age. A wheat wine in which the wheat remains shy.
I like:
Bottle-conditioned, though rather ugly sediments. Fruity (apricot, figs), toasty notions.
I dislike:
Headless. Quite yeasty rather than clean. Rather tough alcohol despite advanced age. Advanced sherry-like oxidation (vanilla, powdery nut skin, stale honey). Absent hops. Timid wheatiness. Loose body with quickly dying carbonation.
edden (923), cow- lumbus, Ohio, USA
Oct 4, 2008 10/4/08:Bottle.
Light brown body. Nose of Sherry cask. Oh dear God, this BW was TERRIBLE. Flavor is way wrong, rotten sherry cask and ick. I refuse to take another taste.
tjthresh (1316), Greenfield, Indiana, USA
Oct 1, 2008 Pours dark red with a white head. Leaves plenty of sticky lace behind. Big sticky aroma of caramel malt, fruity yeast, and pine hops. There some bubble gum and maraschino cherry juice as well. Lots of sweet and sticky malt flavor. Maybe too much. Finishes with a shot of evergreen hop bitterness and a punch of alcoholic heat. Certainly full bodied with just a bit of carbonation. Semisweet finish. Overall, this is a pretty enjoyable beer. No masterpiece, but certainly interesting. I really like the hop character.
grandridge (159), Port Clinton, Ohio, USA
Sep 28, 2008 Pours amber/orange in the glass and cascades to form a light head that dissapates rather fast. Aroma is sweet, mainly malt with some wood. Aroma is really nice, reminds me of a 8 year old vintage bigfoot. Flavor is different, not bad but interesting. Carbonation is almost non-existant and a silky mouthfeel that coats slightly but pretty watery for the style. Slight alcohol in the finish that is a little dissapointing. Upfront is sweet, wood, dark fruits, hops have all but vanished from this 2007 vintage. I really think the alcohol is a bit much for the body of this beer. This needs a few more years and I can see it being a really good barleywine.
Hank1980 (367), Athens, Georgia, USA
Sep 25, 2008 Bottle. Poured brown with red notes and a small tan head. Aroma of sweet fruit, caramel. Taste is of sweet fruit, malt, honey, light wood, and little hops. Finish is smooth, not at all bitter. Body is pretty heavy and sticky.
Dorwart (1618), Robbinsville, New Jersey, USA
Sep 7, 2008 Decent sized head. Frothy on top and nice and dense on the bottom. Loads of caramel malts, sweetness and dough. Lots of dough...Liquid bread. Smells fantastic! Crystal clear mahagony brown. Sweet and smooth with lots of butterscotch! So smooth and creamy in the mouth. Coats the mouth with a velvet sheet that is fantastic. Caramel, alcohol and some bitter hops presence. Finishes creamy smooth and delicious. I love the barleywine. At least, I do now. Lets see how I feel as I make my way to the bottom of this bomber.
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