Newport Storm 00

Part of our hotel room tasting, GABF 2007. Thanks to whoever brought it (pretty sure this one was from Captain Cougar or someone from the Atlanta crew). Smell instantly reminded me of De Horste Signature ale in the granulation of the brown sugar and sugar cane aromas, like you were sniffing a snifter full of pure cane sugars; also had an undertone of musty raisins like a Thomas Hardy’s. Very smooth in the mouth, overripe cherries and caramel on a medium-bodied beer. There’s some dunkel-ish grain flavor late, right before the finish settles in, and some thin grape juice character too. Nice, sweet, and rich, but not my ideal barley wine, which I like to be a bit more full-bodied and a bit hoppier.

From a 750mL Bottle. Generously shared by cquiroga. Mostly transparent, ruddy amber colored pour with a thin halo of whitish head. Rich aroma of sherried pears, brandied apricots, and figgy spice. Lots of complex, fruity higher alcohols generally reserved for the classic British style barleywines. The malt characters seem to have tailored off some, leaving behind a trail of fruity caramels and peanut brittle syrup. Medium bodied, softly carbonated mouthfeel. A bit oxidized, expectedly so, but doesn’t destroy the beer by any means. Lots and lots of sherried fruits and notes of chewy caramel. Some leathery tannins work their way into the final smack, creating a somewhat tart, crisp finish that’s accentuated by some gentle black pepper higher alcohol spices. A bit past it’s prime, but still quite tasty. Thanks for sharing, Chris!

Bottle shared by cquiroga on 10/12/07: Pours a transparent copper amber with a thin, wispy ring of light tan head. Aroma of sweet slightly earthy and oxidized caramel malt with some light fruity notes and mild cherry tartness. Body starts with a fairly full caramel sweetness with some sherry and light fruity complexity. Finishes with a touch of tartness and toffee. Seems to have held up pretty well with its age, but I’m pretty sure it’s past its prime.

Poured a hazy ruby amber color with a thin off-white head. The aroma was of aged malt, raisins, plums, figs, alcohol and brown sugar. The flavor was full with fruity aged malt. Some thick notes of raisin flesh and brown sugar. medium bodied and very warming. Held up fine.

Date: 10/13/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

muddy dark brown, wispy beige head, sweet brown sugar aroma with a light fruity character and a hint of age, creamy body, rich malt flavor, lots of brown sugar sweetness combines with chocolate malt, nice fruity character melds well with the sweetness,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.7/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

Shared with Hophead and brought by some dude at Yankee Spirits! This was at the BBD 07. This beer held up surprisingly well even for a 7 year old barleywine. Pours a mostly clear deep amber almost brown with a thin lasting head and some spotty lace. Aroma has way less oxidation than expected- only slight papery and fruity notes. Tons of smooth toasty and caramel malts and lots of dried dark fruits, toffee and some maple syrup hints- light honey sweetness in the end. Medium and dark caramel malt sweetness, raisin, brown sugar, and hints of oak-aged rum, more maple, and hints of tobacco. Full body, and smooth as hell. This beer is still amazing and could probably hold up for a while to come. I almost couldnt beleive my eyes when I saw this guy pull out this beer, and even more surprised when no on seemed to know or care what it was. After my first pour, there was still a bunch left, so I poured a bit more. Kickass barleywine!

This ultra-rare bottle was shared by one of the Yankee Spirits beer managers at BBD 07. Hazy brown in color with almost no head. Got huge notes of caramel, fruit, and sherry in the aroma. Fruits were raisins/plums and apples. Caramel malts were oxidized, in a good way. Taste- very rich with tons of caramel, raisins, and apples. This was very smooth overall and aged incredibly well. Nice, syrupy full body that finishes with lingering fruit and a caramel sweetness across the tongue. Definitely lives up to it’s reputation.

Ok, so I had to go for it happy b-day to me. Poured out a dark, cloudy brown with thin lacing white head. The aroma is very complex, raisin, dark fruit and slight port. The palate is excellent, perfect. The taste is extremely complex and multi-leveled, I’ve had some very good scotches that haven’t been this complex. Dark fruit, figs, brown sugar and raisin give way to sweet malt, plum and a touch of earthy flavors. The finish is of some port with a slight alcohol taste. Very drinkable for the alcohol content. I almost wish I could have waited longer, but I had to go for it. This beer is truly world class, and its a shame it will never be brewed again. Impressive