Orkney Skull Splitter (Cask)

Brewed by Orkney (Sinclair Breweries)
Style: Barley Wine
Stromness, Orkney, Highlands & Islands, Scotland

Cask conditioned at the 32nd Cambridge Beer Festival, gravity dispense. Dark reddish brown colour. Complex aroma of dark fruits, spices and oak, various woodwork, some chocolate. Flavour is spicy, oaky, malty, chocolate, there’s vinous qualities (old sherry, marsala). Nutty / dusty hops finish. A great beer!

Aroma is lightly smokey peaty malts, quite a bit of sweetness, grassy floural honey i assume from some sort of hop character. Taste is similarly complex and sweet but increadibly drinkable, like 2 pints out of a plastic jug drinkable!

Purchased in a 330ml bottle at Acquistapace’s Covington Supermarket in Covington, LA. Poured it into a Pilsner Glass (yes, yes, I know, give me a break! ;) ) Poured a deep ruby/brown with a light brown head that produced nice lacing. Nose is predominantly nutty with pecan being the predominant note. Fruity notes, specifically, cherries underneath. Taste was consistent with the nose with a nuttiness predominating. Slight frutiness as well with a neutral buscuit finish. This was a thrououghly enjoyable brew. Not too obnoxious and heavy as barley wines can be sometimes. Complex enough to be interesting, smooth and clean enough to be refreshing. Very good!

Tried at Pizza Port’s Real Ale festival from cask. Bought a bottle, but ended up trying it at the festival. I love the funky strong farmhouse malty aroma. Common red-orange color. I can’t get over the smell, almost buttery, but in a good way.

Cask - White Cliffs Beer Festival. A red hued barley wine with a loose, beige head. Whiskey and spices on the nose with dark fruits and some woody notes. More spiciness in the flavour with some toffee apple and sherry-like properties. A pleasant, syrupy body and mouthfeel. The alcohol is well disguised, which makes this dangerously quaffable!

Cask conditioned at the White Horse, Parsons Green, London. Tasted during the Old Ale festival. Sickly, almost vomit inducing, it’s actually really quite nice though. The strength is almost well hidden, but the alcohol comes through in bits. A rich, sweet malt character with fruit. Good.

Cask handpull at White Horse, Parson’s Green. Chestnut colour with thin beige head. Great sweet malt. Some appley woody texture. Good candy sugar. Very nice. Best example I’ve ahd of this beer. Very drinkable.

Cask Dark red-chestnut beer with a small cream-coloured head. Vinous nose, old wine, even old beer casks, alcohol-sodden wood. Vinous flavours, with a wine-like acidity, alcohols & fusels. Tastes of casked Tarragona wine, if less fruity. Some malt apparent, just a hint of caramel. Pinch of mild curry powder. Surprising MF - without being anywhere empty, it has no more than a slight oily viscosity, and presents medium body only - making it dangerously drinkable; still, after some time the alcohol presents itself. One of my all-time favourites.