Ridgeway Criminally Bad Elf

Brewed by Hepworth
Style: Barley Wine
Horsham, England

bottle thanks to dad. hmmm. this was a strange one. Poured crystal clear orange copper, with a head that disappeared just as soon as I poured it. Loads of carbonation. Nose is fruity, with some bready notes, and alcohol. Taste is a bit sweet, with a good hop character too back it up. Middle of the road, I think.

hazy coppery orange color, tiny white bubbles rim glass for a head, lacy. milf aroma of sour fruit, trace of malt. flavor is dried fruit, caramel, mildly creamy. kinda oily mouth feel, sweetish, creamy finish. as beer warms, the creamy sweetness seems to be more prominent. interesting, but not a lot of fun in my mouth. bottle from binnys beverage depot in orland park.

Jan22, 09. 500ml bottle.
Malty aromas dominate with carmel and toffee being key. No hop character, slight diacetyl, slight fruity esters of golden raisins
Medium Amber, light off white skim of foam on the top of the beer that never really built up. lots of bubbles in the body. Mostly clear with a slight chill haze.
Sweet start with malty flavors all over (carmel, biscuit, toffee). Moderate bitterness in the middle and a sweet, coating finish. No hop flavor. The malt/bitter balance is definitely toward the malt side, but the bitterness does provide some balance.
Full bodied, Med carb, slight prickliness, but coating in the end. Hint of astringency
This is a very malty winter warmer. Very malty considering the color. Bittered just enough to provide a counterpoint to the sweetness. The coating characteristic gets in the way I think, but otherwise, a very tasty offering.

Bottled. Sweet, caramel malty nose with faint dried bitter orange and alcohol. Flavor is sickly toffee syrupiness, loads of banana liqueur, warming alcohol and little dried fruitiness. Medium bodied, sticky sweet yet smooth palate. Definitely not the most balanced beer, but manages to be nicely warming.

Bottle from Tbone, thanks! Orange color. Malt and pineapple in the aroma. Hints of smoke. Malty, salty alcoholic flavor. Plums and peach fruit hidden behind the alcohol. Surprisingly drinkable.

Cask @ d.b.a. Brooklyn. Pour is completely flat and the color is a clear, dark copper. Aroma is a bit too buttery with apparent English malts and alight astringent ethanol alcohol presence. Altogether its actually very bland smelling. Taste is a bit more flavor with a more syrupy sweetness common to the style and some cherry candy.

Bottle picked up at Bellingers Garage Near Grove, Wantage, Oxon a few months ago. Pours cystal clear amber with medium white bubbly head. Aroma is a bit of burnt toffee along with a wispy booziness. The taste follows along same lines more toffee and caramel and plenty of wamth from the alcohol, bit harsh at times and also drier than expected but overall its not bad. A6 A4 F6 P3 OV12 3.1

Pours a nice clear coppery amber; head is sort of thick and does not stick around. Aroma is strong and more fruity than hoppy, like a cider. Flavor is rather cider-ish with a fierce alcohol bite, about what I expect from a barleywine. There is a harsh, smoky undertone and a bit of unpleasant bitterness in the aftertaste. Still, worth a try if barleywines are to your liking.