Pizza Port Barbarian

Brewed by Pizza Port (San Clemente)
Style: Barley Wine
San Clemente, California USA

Tap at Strong Ale 2009. Pours dark amber with a tan head. Nose is hoppy and sweet. Taste is hopped up and has a good barleywine.

On tap at SD Strong Ale Fest 09. Red/brown pour. Caramel, sweet malt, some dark fruit, and nuts. Decent barleywine.

Draft at San Clemente. A deep red beer with a thin off-white head. The aroma is sweet malty combined with notes of caramel, alcohol, and nuts. The flavor is sweet with strong notes of caramel and alcohol, as well as medium notes of malt and nuts, leading to a dry, nutty, and alcoholic finish. The alcohol leaves a burn on the palate.

On tap at PP San Clemente. Really dark for the style. Red and brown clored with a tan head. Aroma of vanilla, caramel, fruit, yeast, and a light hint of brown sugar. Flavor was very smooth and surprisingly yeasty. Also, caramel and fruit in pretty solid doses. Not elite, but I liked it more than most people have.

Draft @ Pizza Port - San Clemente. Pours a dense, cherry-cola color; light-tan head with excellent, fine-bubbled lacing. Lots of sticky brown sugar and dried fruits in the aroma; some toffee and caramel; comes off a bit heavy in the brown sugar. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: lots of dense dried dark fruits and brown sugar and dark malts without much balancing bitterness or crispness; underattenuated. Lengthy finish: brown sugar, dried fruits, toffee, and a light toastiness at the far end.

The aroma and flavor were nutty with dark fruit and alcohol esters. The beer poured a rich reddish brown color with nice head and lacing. The mouthfeel was creamy and full bodied.

On draft at O’Brien’s for CBC/WBC. Appearance is a dark yet clear amber hue, light off-white head dissipates, minimal lacing. Smell is sweet chocolate malts, grassy and piney malts, alcohol, and dark fruits, overall muted for the style. Taste is blast of chocolate malts, piney hops, and dark fruits, malts quickly drop out leaving the hops to dominate throughout, some fluffy marshmallow near the end, finishes dry and pine bitterness. Mouthfeel is full-bodied, watery thin texture, moderate carbonation. Drinkability is fair, the thin texture and hop dominance is out-of-whack for the style, the malt and fruit presence is sorely lacking, plenty of better BW choices out there.

From tap at San Clemente. Pours dark brown, almost unclear and with a light orange glare and a lacing tan head. Fruity and mild hoppy aroma. Flavour is dense fruity with a solid and dark caramel malt note. Fruity dark finish with a touch of liqourice and hops.