Rock Art Ridge Runner Ale

Brewed by Rock Art Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Morrisville, Vermont USA

(Bottle from <A HREF=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/vermont/woodsto target=blank>Gillingham’s) Unfortunately pretty bland...Pours darker-than-normal-for-style red-amber brown, rather clear. One finger of biege head. Aroma is rather weak rock-candy malt sweetness, light vanilla, bit of bitter pine. Mouthfeel fairly thin and prickly. Fairly nice light rings of lacing. Flavor is light candy malt sweetness and bit of bitterness through finish. No hint of alcohol. Nothing objectionable but too timid and watery to be a good barleywine.

Pleasant sweet bread dough aroma; at times I smell rootbeer, other times I smell chocolate milk. No hint of what lurks within. Looks like root beer. Creamy head. Taste is heavy and bitter. Coats your mouth with what seems to be grapefruit rinds, but not quite that pure. Alky malt bitterness is prevalent. Pretty good creamy carbonation., turns an otherwise disappointing brew into something special.It’s like I’m eating bread that has been soaked in really good wine. I can see the streams inside the brew, quite pleasing. Medium medicinal bitter flavor lingers for awhile after the last sip. Not bad for a bready barley wine. Thanks to JJPM74 for getting this for me. Most enjoyable BW yet!

Poured a clear mahogany color with a lrge beige head. The aroma is semi-sweet and fruity. Also notes of caramel and earthy hops. The flavor is mildly sweet with light fruit and caramel malt. Some hops toward the finish. The finish thins out leaving a semi-dry bitterness. Light-medium body.

Light for a Barley Wine, has more of an English feel to it despite the hops they used. Heavy on sweet malty tones, with nothing too complex. I expect something a little more heavy hitting from the style, but if you go into it without expectations it could be nice and drinkable.

Draught at Ginger Man, 36th NYC
Dark brown color with rocky head; creamy head. Aroma of roasted malt and milk. Good mouthfeel, caramel and roasted malt taste. The smoothness makes it easily drinkable, but not special.

This had a deep red-brown color, and a very strong aroma of nutty malt and alcohol. The flavor wasn’t bad - not quite up to my barleywine expectations, but it had some nice malt, yeast, and hop flavors.

Bottle - from sampler pack. Dark copper color. Pretty good, but a bit weak for a barleywine. Fairly rich.

Deep brown coloured body with a small tan head. Aroma of fresh figs, malt, a bit of hops a tiny amount of alcohol and a lot of nuts. Medium-bodied; Strong malty flavour with some sugars and a little spiceyness...nothing more. Aftertaste is fairly bland, some cardboard, malt and a tiny bit of alcohol is noticeable. Overall, not a barley wine at all - more of a brown ale than anything else. Now I understand why this 65 cL bottle was only $4. I sampled this 65 cL bottle purchased from K&E Discount Beverage in New Paltz, New York on 25-May-2007 on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.