 beerguy101 (3468), Newark, California, USA
May 11, 2008
This Barley Wine pours a murky dark reddish brown color from a corked 375ml bottle. Small sized white foamy head, that quickly disappears. The aroma is caramel, dark fruit, raisins, oak and bourbon. The barrel character is more pronounced here than with the Brandy Barrel beer. A medium bodied Barley Wine. The malts are caramel, dark fruit and sweet. The hops are earthy. This one is more oak and bourbon sweetness than the Brandy Barrel aged version, it has more oak and wood than fruit. Still very smooth tasting. . Hides the 14.5% alcohol very well. Some chocolate and toffee flavors emerge as it warms. Nice beer. There are lots of flavors mixing going on around here. It is interesting how the different barrels completely change the character of this beer. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.
RollinHard (527), Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Aug 8, 2008 Hats off to moejuck for sending this bad boy over! Pours dark brown with orangey red highlights and a short-lived moderate tan head. The bubbles are oddly weak on this and rise to the surface quick as soda. Aroma is a lovely mix of brown sugar, peppermint, toffee vanilla, wood, sweet booze, wood, and just a bit of raspberry glaze (like for cheesecakes). Fantastic nose, a bit hot, but what do I care when it smells so good? Flavor is a bit more subdued than the aroma in comparison with a heavily boozy, woody flavor; some brown sugar, toffee, chocolate, vanilla and lot of alcohol make their appearance as well. Finishes very hot with a pleasant vanilla and brown sugar flavor up front, wood and buttered toast on the back and a mellow toasty bitterness. The body of this beer seems a bit strange overall. What should be thick and creamy is only somewhat thick, and completely lacking in that soft creamy mouthfeel that I know this beer should have. What happened to the carbonation? It’s plenty carbonated, but without the creaminess. The regular 05 Old Stock behaves a lot more normally. Anyway, the aroma here is just fantastic, but the flavor could have been a little better and the heat shouldn’t have gotten this out of hand. Worth trying though!
AmEricanbrew (907), Left Coast, Louisiana, USA
Aug 6, 2008 hazy chestnut color with a fleeting tan head. Huge bourbon vanilla aroma with pit fruits in the background. Smooth, full body. Big whiskey vanilla and wood flavors riding a heavy, boozy pit fruit base brew. The big alcohol gets in the way a little bit. A great fire side sipper, but not so satiating on this hot, humid summer afternoon.
decaturstevo (1181), decatur, Tennessee, USA
Jul 30, 2008 A brown and hazy pour with tan head and lace. Aroma of bourbon flavored raisin juice. Solid flavor of dates and raisins cured in bourbon. Full palate and solid carbonation. A beer I would trade my next born child for.
Snojerk321 (943), San Diego, California, USA
Jul 26, 2008 375 ml bottle via trade with cloudskipper. Thanks for this one man, wow! Pours dark brown almost black with a tiny beige head that didn’t last long. Nose of sweet malts and bourbon. Flavor was big on alcohol, molasses, spice, dark fruit and vanilla. The only that keeps this beer from being spectacular was the abundance of alcohol, it was over powering, still a great Barley Wine.
blankboy (2562), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Jul 20, 2008 Bottle (375ml) shared with HogTownHarry & garthicus -- courtesy of HogTownHarry. Pours a hazy dark reddish-brown with a small diminishing fizzy off-white head. Big malty aroma along with alcohol, spices, lots of bourbon and vanilla, oak, dark fruit and light hops. Flavour’s also quite malty, along with vanilla, oak, bourbon, dark fruit, spices and a good amount of alcohol. Very nice stuff but definitely a sipper -- and a little goes a long way.
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