Rock Art Ridge Runner Ale

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

bottle. light red body that is mostly clear with a minimal head. smells of ... well, nothing much, copper? tastes like wet warm nickels and grains. a bit of caramel, but nothing much to speak oof.

Bottle. Sweet malty aroma. Deep reddish body, small head. Woody taste, with fruit and a bit of bite. Not much finish. Not bad.

Bottle at GABF 2008. Dark brown - offwhite head. Chocolate, cookies, grains, barley, straw, dark bread, dryness, fruity. Wierd but nice.

My first impressions we high of this beer. Nice piney nose. Fairly solid flavor, quite a typical american barley wine. But about halfway through this beer I am noticing some dms. I think this beer is a bit underrated, but nothing to top any lists.

Style and Glass: Barleywine, Snifter ABV, Volume & Calories: 7.5 % in 22 fl oz. estimated at 400 C Purchased at: Canal’s Lawrenceville, NJ for $3.29 Aroma: okay, soft, gentle. Visuals: bad label, bad packaging, ruby, angry, color, clear, thin white head, long lasting lace. Taste: unbalanced, little malt, no hops, no strength. Palate: low quality, smooth texture, no finish. Overall: like water. Hard to believe this is 7% abv, not a repeat, not a favorite, okay value, little craft.

As the head goes away it resembles very much a thomas’ english muffin, this can only be a good sign... uh oh, smells horribly sweet relative to hops i smell... Not very carbonated, kind of chocolaty, a bit sweet, with a hint of hops backing it up, that seems a bit backwards... i was expecting this to be horrible... It’s not great, it could use more or a hop presence, but it certainly is not terrible... It clearly is NOT a barley wine, strong brown ale maybe...

12 fl oz bottle via Lubiere, served at cellar temperature in a tulip glass.

App.: Clear, deep copper with remnants of a tan head. Aroma: Caramel, peppery pine hops, toffee, sweet, some darker malts – burnt sugar and rye bread crust, some fruitiness. Palate: Medium+ body, moderate effervescence, fairly smooth and full. Flav.: Like the nose – the spicy pine hop character takes the lead with restrained malts behind that, definitely some caramel, raisins and dark rye bread crust, a touch metallic(?); fairly dry with a hint of bitterness and a bit of left-over dark bread crust.

Pretty light – I’d be inclined to call it a brown ale or a weak IPA.

Bottle: Poured a deep clear amber color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma consists of sweet with loads of overcooked vegetables. Taste is also dominated by some overcooked vegetables with some oversweet malt. Body is really thin with some good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. I thought there was way too many brewing flaws in this beer.