Portsmouth Barleywine

22oz bomber courtesy of MrRetardedMonkey poured into a snifter. Pours a deep reddish brown that shows a clear copper when held up to the light. There is a small short-lived off-white head that stays on as a swirl of bubbles and a collar. The aroma is very sweet, like caramel apples, and definitely more fruity than most barleywine aromas. There is plenty of dark sugar sweetness as well, with only a hint of hops. There is more of a citrus presence in the taste, especially up front. The taste also has more of the toffee sweetness I was expecting in the nose on top of the caramel malt base with lots of apples and raisins in the there as well. The alcohol is not hiding much in the finish and leaves a noticeable burn going down. The mouthfeel is on the fuller side of medium-bodied and has some soft carbonation that helps the sweetness stick on the palate between sips. This is a great barleywine and, despite the alcohol presence, is still very drinkable. The fruitiness makes it a bit original and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Bottle, thanks Nelson. Pours hazy copper/brown, with aa off white head. Aropma is caramel, fruit, and malt. Flavor is toffee, caramel, malt, alcohol, raisins, and a bit of hops. Nice creamy, medium to heavy body. This one is a wonderful surprise.

Stopped downtown for a pint today and had Donna pour me a Barleywine. It arrived in a standard pint glass with a nice light skim of white lace. The body of this ale was a hazy brown with reddish highlights. Aromas of sweet grain and caramel filled my nose from this one. The flavors follow the nose in some ways sweet, and almost like eating toffee. There is a slight warmth to this one but not to much considering the 11.5%. Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy it feels great just sipping away at this puppy. Great sipability on this, I try to limit myself to just one a sitting, but it is hard to do. Another fine brew from the guys here at the brewery.

On tap at the brewpub. Dark reddish mahogany with a nice beige head. Sweet nose and flavor, sweet malt, fig, raisin and earth. Alcohol is very well hidden. Easily one of the most drinkable barleywines I have had. Well done!

Vintage 2007 Pours mahogany with crimson hues and a half inch head of off-white. The humble layer of suds retreated quickly leaving barely a trace on the surface and zero lacework. Aromatics are malty, figgy, and caramel stuffed. Tropical fruit lay underneath a massive malt presence, and layers of toffee, wet leather, and nougat rise up as it warms. Very much in the English vein in the nose. Creamy, sticky and chewy mouthfeel. Substantial. Raisins, plump malt, chewy caramel, toffee and alcohol lead off the pallet. The throat warms as residuals and a firm bitterness linger and ripe fruit pulls through. Finishes with a blend of resinous pine, boozy alcohol, and leathery malt. This bottle at cellar temperature is superior to the draught version served fresh and cold. Not even close to peaking.

Amber-mahogany body and nice rocky medium-sized off-white head. Great earthy, nutty nose. Full-flavored, complex and rich. Nice lacing and wonderful balanced finish.

[bottle purchased 10/14/07] Sweet malt aroma, plenty of hop character. Somewhat hazy, reddish brown appearance with some decent lacing. Flavors are pretty straight up, tons of caramel malt sweetness, and some really nice English hop character. Alcohol is certainly there, but it doesn’t come off as overly hot. Really nice, overall.

(Draft @ brewpub)...Candy Land...Very dark amber, almost brown. Lightly hazy. One finger of biege head. Nose is fruity hoppiness with caramel and rock candy maltiness. Nice strong lacing. Mouthfeel is full and quite sticky. Taste is sweet and hot. Lots of candyish malt, like candy apple glaze. Not very complex but tasty, and oh did I mention, hot. Barkeep said this was about 3 months old. Probably close to Smuttynose Barleywine (although I ain’t had that one yet). Another sweet, hot, tasty offering from Portsmouth.