Pyramid 5,000 Year Ale

Formerly brewed at Pyramid Breweries
Style: Barley Wine
Portland, Oregon USA

On tap at the Great Alaska Beer and Barley Wine Festival. I'm rating what I drank, but I think the keg had turned. The beer was a murky orange with a thin beige head. There were nice hope flavors and some initial sweetness, but it was quickly overpowered by a strange sour flavor that those of you who know could probably identify as a specific spoiled flavor. I remember it being better last year and I would try again to see if I got a bad beer or if it is a bad beer.

Exceptionally fruity barley wine with very strong alcohol heat which rather overshadows anything else

Tap at the Berkeley Alehouse. A rich amber color. A resinous dark fruit aroma with grapefruit, apricot, and caramel.

This beer was bottled in 1999 and has been lovingly cellared since that time. The box that the beer came in says this is bottle #8798. The beer is an opaque , rusty red-brown color with a very slight amount of sediment. Head still looks good, considering it is a vintage. Aroma is definitely on the alcoholic side, with some malty sweetness, too. This beer has quite a unique flavor. The alcohol is on top of all the other flavors the entire way. There is some typical barleywine sweetness, but mostly the flavor is fruity, with some berry and wine-like red grape flavors. The hops have likely been tamed considerably throughout the aging process, although they are here. They do add some flavor, but also seem to serve to make the body and finish a bit astringent. The mouthfeel is also very different, going through several stages. Low in carbonation, overall, to be sure. Aftertaste has some bitterness and a little bit of bitey tartness as well, which was unexpected. So far I can definitely see where the comments are coming from that state that they wouldn’t want more than one of these at a sitting, I’m thinking the same thing, which is very rare for me. Overall there is some complexity and I like the way the flavors come together. The mouthfeel and body are...interesting. This beer generally improves and becomes more expressive as it nears room temperature. This was quite a different beer experience, and I have legion242 to thank for it! Cheers, man! I just realized that a few years ago I most likely would have hated this beer. Something to be said, then, for experiencing as many beers as you can; it leads to a wider appreciation.

Nice balance. Rich. Not something I’d want more than 1 of. Tried at the brewery before a Mariners game.

Evenly flavored, sweeter than Oregon barley wines. A nice fruit flavor.

Intersting barleywine, fruity malt flavors balnce almost perfectly with the hops, one of the few barleywines that does this. nice color and flavor, complex malt profile!

This barley wine intrigued me, as they always do, with its deep maroon color and candy-wine smell. However, unlike many barleywines, this beer smacked of incredible balance attributable to fine craftmanship. Sweet, lovely candy/fruity flavor, but not a bit cloying--nor alcohol tasting. Unlike typical barleywines, this beer is exceptional even when cold--which is how it was served to me. Superbly balanced--this barleywine definitely warms me up to the style--but in the meantime--I will be content to drink this one.