Pelican Stormwatchers Winterfest 2006

Formerly brewed at Pelican Pub & Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Pacific City, Oregon USA

Bottle from 11026 - thanks Steve!

This is a malt monster in the extreme, dripping with alcoholic caramel sweetness, an absolutely stretchy concoction, with intense spun brown sugar. If it was warmer bees and ants would be swarming. This is a diabetic’s nightmare - but in a good way. Lordy, lordy, is this incredible in the English toffee flavor!

However, there is a slight hoppiness; not of your normal pine, cirtrus, rind bitterness variety but subtler, more integrated, spicier and more flowery.

I started this at over 60 deg, and it had this gorgeous head, multicolored tan and lighter off-white. Now the head is minimal, and the beer is still and a bit heavy. The alcohol is huge, but handleable (well, maybe not - might have to ask the wife for help...). I rarely am able to savor a malt masterpiece such as this. Highly recommended.

22oz bottle. 2006 vintage. Enjoyed at P4 thanks to pantanap. Pours red brown with a tan head. Charred toffee, caramel, and dark fruit in the aroma. Flavor is charred with red fruit, and dried fruits. Pretty decent.

22oz bottle shared with the Chi-Town crew at P4. One of the last bottles of the night, so my palate was getting shot, but this was still a great beer. Spicy hops and chewy malt initially on the nose. Slight oxidation (metal). Spiced honey and cinnamon apple pie. Pours dark ruby with brown accents. Flavor is very hop forward and spicy. Honeyed malt. Coriander and an odd hint of leather. Medium to full bodied with excellent carbonation. This has aged quite well. Thanks Kan!

22oz bottle. 2006 vintage. thanks to Kan for sharing! sampled at P4. pours ruby with thin white head. nice oxidation in the nose with sherry and brown sugar. flavors of sherry, tobacco, with a bit of an astringent woodiness to it. pretty nice aged barleywine.

bottle thanks to todd and shared at the latest P tasting..... appearance shows a dark reddish brown with little to no head.... aroma is heavy on the caramel and dark fruit maltiness. a lot of sweetness all around..... flavors of sweet caramel malt, dark fruit, and a lingering hopness in the end. i had the alaskan barleywine earlier tonight and i felt that this was a little more solid. still a little bit boozy in the flavor though.....

On tap at the 08 GABBF. Ruby red color with a creamy deep beige head. Nose of dark fruit and toffee. Well balanced with toffee sweetness, ripe pit fruit, and something green in the finish. The alcohol sort of floats along with this beer rather than dominating it. Really enjoyable beer. It won first place in the 2008 Great Alaska Beer and Barley Wine Festival.

Bottle: Deep brown with a heavy amberish hue, moderate beige head, a few rings of lacing.   For some reason this looks like a Cognac and it has me thrilled to try it.   Big malty nose, a little resiny, dark pitted fruit abounds, figs and dates, somewhat bready.   This is my kind of Barley Wine.   Moderately sweetened malt laden flavors, figs, dates, prunes are all there but not as heavy as say a big Doppelbock.   Good breadiness, but not overly heavy.   Warming, but for a 13.3% Barley Wine this kick some serious butt without being overly alcoholic.   Granted, it has had a year to settle down?   As it warms it does pick up a bit more alcohol, but its not overly sharp or detracting.   This is most certainly a sipper.   Very vague cough syrup invades this one as it comes to room temperature.   Moderate to full body and mouthfeel.   Low hop bitterness, good malt base, warming, with all the flavors I like in a Barley Wine.   Happy to have tried this one.   I wish I had more of this.

(Bottle 65 cl) Courtesy of Ungstrup. Clear, deep, amber golden with a beige head. Fat aroma of caramel and overripe fruit and also some oily aroma hops. Quite full-bodied with plenty of burned caramel, vanilla and overripe fruit. There’s a distinct and warming alcohol burn. 191207