Siletz Noggin Knocker Barleywine

Brewed by Siletz Brewing and Public House
Style: Barley Wine
Siletz, Oregon USA

22oz bottle. Bottle labeled bottled October 2004. Poured a deeper mahagony color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of dark fruits (cherries and raisins), toffee, wood, roast, nutty, and chocolate. Tastes of dark cherries, toffee, and caramel. Had a tart cherry finish (going south due to the age?).

This isn’t a typical barley wine, it isn’t trying to be one. It’s more like a Christmas-flavored highly hopped English stong ale. Murky brown and purple colored body with a filmy sand colored head. Intensely sweet nose of brown sugar, maple, chewy, caramelized sugars, woody, mossy hops and some interesting spicy, peppery yeast notes, even containing a little smoke. A little reminiscent of a fresh Bigfoot. First taste is very pungent, striking, pasty texture, with a peppery, biting, sour and lactic grass flavor. I can see what this is trying to do: it’s almost a nice, peppery and grassy hop bomb.. The finish leaves a coating of gritty paste-like resin all over the mouth. Reminds me of an English style barley wine on steroids. It’s very interesting, overall very sweet - but the underlying juniper, pine sap and "tree" spices are surprisingly good after a few short glasses. Dare I say this reminds me of Anchor OSA at times?

Sampled bottled
Dark brown, almost black, tan oily head, light lacing. Nose of special B & lots of heavy roasted nuts. The flavor is hot & a bit of chocolate & strong bittering hop. Finishes sweet, cloying & just unrefined.

Head is initially small, frothy, light brown, fully diminishing. Body is hazy dark amber, bottle conditioned. Aroma is moderately malty (caramel, cookie), lightly hoppy (apricot, resin), lightly yeasty (sweat, dough). Flavor is heavily sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is moderately sweet, moderately acidic, moderately bitter, unclean. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation. Yikes. Pretty poor stuff...bland aroma, kinda dirty tasting. Blah.

Aroma a bit medicinal. Can be poured as a beatiful, dark ruby - or with sediment. Has that underlying Siletz acidity - sometimes bothersome. It’s bitter, but lacks citrus. Perhaps a bit too sweet, sort of molasses flavor, but the finish is fine.

Poured a hazed brown color with a small off-white head. The aroma is of aged dark fruity malt. Notes of caramel, paper, chocolate, figs and tobacco. Dark fruity malt with a tart middle and finish. Oxidized taste. Medium bodied with a smooth mouthfeel.

From the bottle this pours mahogany with a light tan head. Very sweet barleywine aroma with a nice caramel warmth smell and light hopping. The hops are much more obvious in the flavor than aroma, big bitter finish used to offset the sweetness up front. Seemed a bit thin on the palate, but very drinkable. Still young with some alcohol showing in the finish, but not bad for a new release.

Murky brown. Funky, dirty feet aroma. Dusty brown sugar. Very citric. Somewhat acidic. Rather hot alcohol. Zingy sourness. Sour, bitter, funky and peculiar.