Olde Hickory Sinatra Barleywine

This beer pours an orange amber color with a pale yellow head. It smells like a field of wildflowers in a glass--really beautiful aroma. It is lightly carbonated and has the really full flavor of caramel and citrusy hops. I was suprised by the absence of heat from the alcohol. The mouthfeel is both creamy and sticky. The flavors are quite intense, and it would be difficult for me to properly enjoy more than a 2-3 oz. snifter at a time.

Draught at the brew pub in hickory. Amber-brown, medium beige head, semi-hazy. Aroma is caramel and hops--pine and grapefruit. Flavor similar to aroma, hops in your face--pine, grass, citrus. Could use some aging.

Date: 12/20/2006
Mode: Draft
Source: Taproom

Appearance: muddy amber, wispy beige head,
Aroma: candy sweet caramel malt aroma,
Flavor: rich caramel malt flavor, good earthy bitterness balances a nice fruity sweetness, a hint of alcohol comes and goes
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Date: 12/21/2006
Mode: draft
Source: brewpub

richer sweet fruity character
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Date: 01/06/2007
Mode: growler
Source: blind tasting
Score: 3.1

Appearance: hazy amber, wispy beige head,
Aroma: big earthy hop aroma with a slight funk,
Body: creamy body,
Flavor: nice fruity flavor, lots of balancing earthy bitterness, fruity richness grows as it warms but stays well in balance, a touch of alcohol appears
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Date: 07/28/2007
Mode: draft
Vintage: same 1st batch
Words: amos howards

Aroma: aroma is all sweet and fruity,
Body: creamy body,
Flavor: spicyness is the first flavor component to show itself but then fades into the earthy character, still the rich fruity flavor and all of the earthy balance, only a fleeting hint of alcohol,
Overall: six months of age does not appear to have had much change to this beer
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Date: 05/17/2008
Mode: draft
Words: Taproom

Aroma: rich caramel and fruit aroma,
Body: big tick body gets a bit sticky,
Flavor: rich caramel malt flavor comes out first with the fruity character coming in the second wave and taking over, plenty of earthyness still present to keep the balance but allows the caramel sweetness to come through to bring out the fruit,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.9/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4
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Date: 04/12/2008
Mode: draft
Source: hickory hops brewfest
Vintage: 2006
Score: 3.6 to 3.9

Aroma: sweet and fruity aroma is ripening really nice,
Flavor: rich sweet fruity malt flavor, the earthyness has faded to just a touch of balance, only a hint of alcohol,
Overall: aging beautifully

Can a beer be "nicely harsh"? That’s how I’m gonna call it. Nice fruity notes mix with creamy, bready malt notes. Some alcohol heat in the finish, and oddly quenchiing, for such a heavy beer. At the OH Tap Room.

"The Chairman of the Beers". Aged for over 13 months to result in a 120 IBU behemoth. Pours an oily amber orange color with little head. No lacing, but rather a constant sheeting action. Aromas are rich and moist with hearty fruitiness, alcohol, sugary malts, and dark caramels. Flavors slide over the tastebuds, then seem to infest every nook and cranny of the mouth. Sticky and coating. Sweetness overwhelms the further you get through the glass. Towards the end of the serving, I was hoping the glass was more of a "taster" size.

on tap-pours a white head and amber/red color. Aroma is sweet, medium fruit, yeast. Taste is sweet, medium fruit, yeast, medium malt, alcohol. OK for style, not my style.

Draught during my NC brew tour. Pours a deep red with a white head. The aroma is very full with notes of tobacco and wood. The mouthfeel is just moderately sticky with notes of bourbon. The alcohol is just warming and appropriate, not in the foreground. Slightly herbal, floral finish. Plenty of wooden, spiritous flavors abound while the hops take a back seat. Pretty good stuff.

Blind tasting of 19 BWs. I thought this was going to be a huge beer. It looked and smelled thick and full but upon tasting it, the body was on the light side. It had a glowing deep copper color and thin off-white head. The sweet aroma had earthy and doughy notes. The flavor had a caramel sweetness but the bitterness seemed to start too soon, quickly taking over the malt and bordering on harshness. It could have used a little more balance. Light to medium body.