Newport Storm 01

Formerly brewed at Coastal Extreme Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Middletown, Rhode Island USA

This well-aged beauty opened with a nice pop, which was a welcomed sign. The pour yields a cloudy, golden-amber body with a minimal, swirly tan head. Random spots of sudsy lacing mark the glass. The nose is really nice and malty, showing notes of rich caramel, brown sugar, light toffee, vanilla, and mild spice. The flavor continues this sweet, malty theme, as the rich caramel and vanilla is joined by a distinguished cinnamon component. The medium-full body is slick, going down easy, and finishing with a very lightly peppered floral hop presence. Overall, very nice. Coastal Extreme should stick to barley wines, as these are clearly what they do best.

bottle courtesy of beerlando: pours a murky brown dirty colour with a small off tan head. aroma of good caramel malt and slight apple adn fresh flowers. flavour is slightly weak, some malt slight spice kinda watery finish.

Bottle, thanks Beerlando, Merritt Is. Throwdown. Warm reddish-brown, thin white head, muddy. Aroma of pepper, brown sugar, pie. Flavors are smooth and mainly jaggery and other brown sugars. Viscous palate.

Big thanks to Beerlando for sharing this rare gem! Pours murky brown, with a small swirly off white head. Smells of dark fruit, bready yeast, dark caramel malts, and a touch of tartness. The flavor has really smoothed out over time. Alot of sweet vanilla characters, caramel, and a touch of some grape or plum too. Aged quite nicely, really well done brew. Pretty flavorful and memorable for a style that I havent been digging on recently.

Corked, Blue colored, slim 750ml bottle. Deep copper/brown color. Aroma of super wort. Slightly vinous nose. Flavor is big caramel. Very balanced. This beer has aged exceptionally well. Thanks Matt (TBC).

Merritt Island Throwdown ’08: Bottle, courtesy Beerlando. Pours dark amber with a thick tan head. Malty, caramel, hoppy aroma. Taste is malty sweet, hoppy bitter with hints of toffee and chocolate. Hops are still there in the finish, having not mellowed over the years. Very nice.

Merritt Island Throwdown ’08: Bottle, courtesy Beerlando. Nice vintage treat. Pours a copper color, with a thin head, and sparse lacing. Caramel aromas, toffee, banana, cotton candy. Flavor has big creamy caramel notes to it, toffee, chocolate, sweet brown sugar. Medium-bodied, sweet and very drinkable, despite the ABV. Has held up exceptionally well with age. Won’t see another one of these anytime soon.

Cleveland tasting

This was another one of those beers that I never expected to see. The chance to try it makes me want to seek out the 2004 and 2005 releases. This one might be a little over the hill. If you have a bottle and aren’t drinking perhaps you should just send it my way to be disposed of safely.

Aroma / Appearance - The pour had no life to it after seven years. Cherry, wood and the scent of two day old pine resin were a solid indication that this barleywine has mellowed after so much time.

Flavor / Palate - Much to my suprise the first sip was richer than I expected. Chocolate, creamy resin and toffee kept things interesting. The mouthfeel was dense and chewy. It was nice to slow down and spend some time with this after the rush to get through so many of the other beers. I’m not sure how many years it has left but if I ever get the chance to try this again I’ll going to take the opportunity.