Real Ale Sisyphus

Brewed by Real Ale Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Blanco, Texas USA

2008 Bottle from Santa. Pours a ruby reddish burnt orange color with a small foamy off white head. Nose is light hops with a datey kind of sweetness to it. Palate is syrupy and full. Flavors of the dates and light cherry like notes with some sticky resiny hops as well. Candied sugars and some more dried fruit ntoes.

( 12oz bottle 2007 vintage) Pours amber with hints of ruby when held near light. Nice carbonation and lacing from this one, but minimal head. Nose of caramel sweetness, molasses and light hops. Taste is pretty deceptive of its 11.5%. Tons of caramel, some hops to lightly balance the sweetness. Still sweet overall. Perfectly carbonated, perfect weight, and very creamy.

2008 12oz Bottle. Hazy dark honey colored with a small dissipating head. Light lacing. Lots of hop character, yet nice blend of doughy yeast, malt and floral. Quite complex, alot going on. Creamy mouthfeel couldn’t be better. Well balanced flavor from malt and hops. Slight numbing effect on the toung. The alcohol is well hidden. Overall a very nice BW.

This is a review of Sisyphus 2008 Beer pours a small 1 finger white head. Body is golden honey in color with lots of bubbles rising. Head retention and lacing are good Aroma is of sweet booze. Not too overpowering since it’s mixed with some honey and a bit of citrus. There is also a medicinal smell in there that I cant put my finger on First taste is of bitter stale hops. This is mixed with viscous caramelized sugar. Dried apricot also comes through and it finishes with some tartness and alcohol. Mouth feel is great. Carbonation is typical for a barleywine, just enough to liven up the thick body. Beer goes down very smooth, has a syrup like consistency, mixed with a small cloud of head. Over all this is a pretty good barleywine. Drink ability is good for such a high strength beer. Gonna put some away for another year and see how it evolves.

VINTAGE 2007 Pours a nice caramel color. Slightly hazy and with a light rose tint. Minimal head appears and disappears quickly. Slight filmy foam remains. Lacing is foamy and lightly sticky. Big notes of toffee and malts. Big nose of sweet dates. Slight hint of spices. A very mild nose, overall, but if you give it a little attention, you can find some nice scents. Very butterey taste. Caramel taste is subdued, but there. Hints of dark fruit notes, rise and fade. Hop spice, but not much bitterness. Very interesting, and quite light. Medium body. Kind of light for a barleywine. This is actually a fairly good thing, though. Smooth, with a nice touch of creaminess. One of the more drinkable barleywines I’ve come across. Light and easy drinking. Not overpowering.

12 oz bottle I believe from lb4lb. Thanks, Deniz! Pours a lightly hazy fiery orange amber, almost a bit of burnt sunset, a good offwhite head that dies to a smaller layer, laces well enough. Aromas are a dulled citrus hop, bringing on orange and marmalade, caramel malts, citrusy lemon and florals, a touch of toast and graininess underneath. Nothing too crazy, but still appealing. Initial is heavier mediun body, good bitterness of lemon and oranges, sweet caramel and orange marmalade, toffee, toast. A touch of grass, hops really take a hold further in, leaving a good dry and bitter floral quality on the palate and helping to play out some of the sweetness. This is a solid beer, and that comes from someone who really doesn’t care for Barleywines. Nice, pretty hoppy, helping to tame the sweet malts. Reminds me of a DIPA kept a bit too long.. Meh.

2008 Bottle - thanks Jordan. Poured a glowing orange amber with a thin white head. Smells sweet with citrus, caramel, and faeded hops. Smooth caramel and citrus blend and retains a nice citrusy/caramel sweetness. I really enjoyed this overall.

Bottle: 2008: Clear ruby red color, thin light head, nice lacing. Nose of light hops, alcohol and some cardboard. Sweet impact, not a ton of complexity but a nice caramel note in the flavor. Sweet finish with a hoppy balance. Yum!