Newport Storm 01

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

Bottle, from Lukes Liquors. Good nose. Fruity yeasty. How about musty? Raisin/date/fig. Little berry. Wood/Cork. A brandy like quality. Clean brownish orange that had a great reddish hue as I held it up to my kitchen light. No head to speak of, little to no lacing. Bitter flavor, like aroma with a little coffee & chocolate. Hints of herbs. I didn’t like the mix. Medium body, smooth oily mouthfeel, bitter dry finish. Eh, I wanted to like this more than I ended up. Maybe because it’s oxidized and I didn’t like the way the flavors came together. Oh well, next.

The pour reveals a cloudy dark amber color with a thin light brown head. Great aroma and flavor of caramel, candied fruits, hops, malt and alcohol, it’s on the sweet side but balanced and not cloying at all, it finishes mildly bitter. The body is light to medium with a liquorous texture and soft carbonation. Very nice.

Poured a clear deep glowing amber color with a small beige head. Aged malty aroma with big notes of dark fruits. Light alcohol in the nose. Matching flavor of aged fruity malt. Tastes of prune. Medium to full bodied. Nice warmth.

Nutty and caramel sweetness laces the herbal hoppiness admirably...Lactic notes smoothen the alcohol warmth, as supporting hops preserve complexity...Obvious lineage with their ’02, a very noble family tree this was!...

Post-mondial Tasting. Couleur brun très brumeux, peu de collet. Arome de porto délicieux. Goût très bon d’épice et caramel.

Well contained alcohol does not hint quite at the huge 12.5% of this monster. It obviously lost a fair bit in terms of texture, but the nose on this beast is still quite spectacular. Not unlike the marvellous 02’, it combines the generous malt character of a barleywine with fitting earthyhops, but malt dominates at this stage obviously. Everything approaching brown sugar, maple, honey whatever is hinted at in the nose that nonetheless avoids to be too sweet. Its character then heads toward a toastier form that reminds of well baked cookies. Vague fruitiness is hard to define, perhaps white grapes or figs. Grows almost chocolatey towards the end which blends with the remaining hops to keep on the nuttiness and finish all malty, yet not too sweet. Sure oxidation process is well started, but it doesn’t carry any unpleasant aspects yet, though the body is loose and lacking in carbonation.

Nice thick looking liquid viewed while pouring. Thin head which dissipates quickly. Loads of sweet caramel in the aroma. Brown sugar and alcohol also present. Sweet thick palate. Lots of alcohol in the flavor. Great legs up the glass. More caramel and sweet malts in the flavor. Very slick in the mouth. Rich complex aroma. Finish is soft and coating with a nice alcohol warming. This is a damn fine barley wine.

Thnaks to TheBeerLover for the trade. Very dark ruby/brown. Small, white head meets an untimely death. Complex brew. Aroma: rich malt, roasty caramel/toffee, oak, dark fruits, nostril warming alcohol, and some nutty notes. Flavor: all of the above plus: bittersweet and milk chocolate, nice hop presence, and a kind of airy sweetness similar to marshmallows or cotton candy. When drank, the alcohol warms the soul instead of the nostrils. Full, balanced body. Truly an excellent barley wine. Have to find some more to see how a decade or so treats it.