New Holland Y2K

Formerly brewed at New Holland Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Holland, Michigan USA

Bottle shared at DLD 08 thanks to BillVanE. Even after 8+ years it retained its alcohol heat and the many flavors of a barely wine you’d come to expect. Always worth a try if you have the chance to find one.

Poured a hazy light brown with a thin off-white head. The aroma is not good. Oxidation, old paper and cheese. Some sweet malt underneath. The flavor is much better. Aged and mildly oxidized malt. Some sweetness and a touch of fruit. Medium bodied with some warmth. I can’t complain too much due to the age of this.

Date: 11/16/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Boboski
Vintage: 1999

muddy brown, wispy beige head, huge oaky aroma with vanilla sweetness and dark caramel, creamy body, rich dark hot caramel malt flavor, lots of woody character, touch of vanilla sweetness, lasting bitterness grows out of the oaky character,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

1999. What a surprise this was. Eight years after bottling it still had life and finesse. Good grief this thing looks murky. Dark caramel colors and a thin head that’s surprisingly resistant to decline. The aroma is composed of four major components, each sharing an equal portion of the bill: toffee, caramel, alcohol and dark nameless fruits. There are mild spice hints but they’re so miniscule they’re not innoffensive or bothersome, just sort of lurking at the edge of the reality that is the old beer nose. The flavor is quite charming in its relaxed state. Alcohol warmth is only mild. Sweetness is medium-high, bitterness low and a quaint astringency settles at the outskirts of the palate. The finish is lightly bitter and lightly spicy, caramel and toffee lingering a short while. The mouthfeel is not too dissimilar to sherry, medium bodied and lightly carbonated. Wow, a new Holland beer I would drink again, finally, and it’s irreplaceable. Figures.

Bottle... Dark, murky, caramel-colored ale with a small, fizzy, white head. Decent retention. The aroma is perfumey and full of dark-fruit with an evident undertone of toffee. Sweet, rich caramel flavor with faintly bitter hops. Full-bodied with a skim-milk mouthfeel and ticklish carbonation. Interestingly spicy finish. Bottle courtesy of boboski!

12 Oz Bottle. Thanks much Sean! Aroma with settled caramel, oak, vinous malt. Light spice and long reduced hops. A nice burnished ruddy brown, quite clear. No head. Flavor is a calm, gently spicy wood tone. Sandalwood to be exact, backed with some tea-like musk and a smattering of Mediterranean spices, bright. Classic old yeast and aging malt flavors, some certain oxidation, of course, at this age. Dry. Not bad after 7 years, really. I’m happy to have gotten a chance to try this really rare treat.

Courtesy boboski. 1999 vintage. Pours a dark caramel brown with no head. Kind of a soapy smell, combination of unusual spices and malts. Didnt care for the smell much. The flavor has a large dose of bitterness, sweet malts, with a syrupy texture. The age has seemingly taken an effect on it, but it is still drinkable and overall not too bad.