Scuttlebutt Old No 1 (Vintages 2004 and later)

12 oz bottle, via 5000. Pours a clear dark amber to brown body with a small fizzy off-white head that faded quickly to a wispy film. The nose is a little grainy with some resiny hops, caramel malt, and a bit of brown sugar. The flavor is a bit simple, mostly dry caramel and husky malt with a moderate leafy resiny hop presence. Finishes with a bit of an alcohol kick before the toffee and caramel sweetness comes back. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with soft fizzy carbonation and a slightly resiny sticky finish. Overall, pretty drinkable for being almost 13% ABV, but there’s a lack of any subtlety or complexity in it.

Brown color. Hops. Some oxidation unfortunately. Medium sweet with malt. A little fruit and caramel. Even with the oxidation, this is good.

2008 bottle, consumed April 2009. Pouring a dark and hazy cherrywood color, the body is crowned with a fleeting, foamy, beige hued head. Delicate, sticky ribbons of lace circle the glass. The nose is quite grainy for a berleywine, showing notes of acrid, burnt barley and wheat, with scorched caramel sweetness, figs, and prunes. Flavors follow suit, overly roasted and grainy. Traces of cocoa comes through, but aren’t enough to counter the strikingly bitter, burnt, earthy flavors. Dark fruits serve as an afterthought. Big bodied, syrupy, and acrid, the palate shows significant alcoholic heat. Not a good barleywine by any stretch.

pours a dark burnt caramel with a thin beige head, some lacing that goes away quickly, and some lacing. smell of caramel, dark fruit, some roasted nuts, and brown sugar. taste is dry, bitter, caramel, dark fruit, a touch of citrus, and roasted nuts.

12oz bottle thanks to riversideAK. Pours murky brown with a foamy tan head. Aroma is of hops, malt, grass, alcohol, and dark fruit. Taste is of very earthy hops, grass, malt, dark fruit, and alcohol. Very nice caramel and booze taste underneath everything. Very warming alcohol presence. Mouthfeel is very light, almost watery. Not bad.

12oz bottle; typical barley wine flavor with mellow floral and hints of bitter; nothing to much more to boast about. (#22)

Received a single 12-oz bottle via trade with riversideAK. Pours a semi-clear dark brown brew with a thin beige head that slowly dissipates to a fine film and some spotty lacing. Aroma of caramel malt, some prunes, dark pitted fruit, and brown sugar. Taste is medium bodied, caramel malt, some citrus zest, prunes/raisin and a hint of vanilla. Finish has a brown sugar and alcohol bite, followed by a dry hop bitter finish that slowly disappears. I would like to try this one with some age to it.

12-oz., 2008 vintage. Slightly hazy medium amber that looks almost black without light behind it. Thick, creamy tan head with plenty of webby lace. Big boozy, buttery, caramelly nose. Creamy, slightly woolly body that could stand to be a bit thicker. As it is, it is a little shy of medium. Dark wood, wet leaves, biscuit, caramel, butterscotch, and vodka on the mid-palate. Too harsh and hot to really enjoy, though the the combination of flavors looks nice enough on paper. Hot, dry finish. Not sure if age will help this much. The flavors do not have much power as it is, and this will need at least a couple years for the booze to settle down. By then, the flavors will not have much power left at all.