Smuttynose Barleywine Style Ale

Brewed by Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

Vintage 2007 Pours dark amber with a chill haze. Beige, thick head of two inches with an exagerated pour. Lacework of mostly dots with a few streaks throughout the duration. Aromatics are laden with pineapple skin, tangerine pith, and caramel drizzeled grapefruit. Medium malt with grapefruit oils and peppery alcohol. Mouthfeel is on the full side of medium, sticky, and puckering. The pallet starts off aggresively with plenty of high-alpha bitterness, citrus bite, and caramel malt. Almost numbing on the tongue with alcohol, hops, and puckering grapefruit. Very nice. Finishes with lingering warmth, drying bitterness, and pithy citrus flesh. I prefer this barleywine screamingly fresh, as this one is, as opposed to a vintage version.

Hazy red pour with a a thin quick diminishing off-white head. Big Pine hop aroma. Pine bitterness that end with a subtle but nice sweetness. Medium bodied. Very nice Barley Wine

01 Nov 07, BW Tasting. 22oz bottle, 2006 Vintage. Deep, hazy orange hue. Tan head. Aroma of musty bottle. Oak smell. Lots of vanilla. Big Alcohol. Big malts balanced by a huge hop. A big beer.

A hazy dark amber ale with a thick light moka head. Rather strong alcohol in aroma, almost too much and unidimensional, with light biscuitty malt. In mouth, an overly strong barley wine, with warming alcohol, british hopping, light citrus orange, but overall, a bit unbalanced and astringent. This agressive barley wine is not my favorite.

Appearance: Pours a clear, dark amber body with a full, foamy off-white head. Smell: Sweet-smelling aroma of oranges and lemons with only a light addition of caramel. Hint of green peppercorns and breadcrusts. Taste: Sweet caramel maltiness with a slight toasted quality to it. Faint spiciness. The hops provide a rich citrusy flavor, but yield only a mild, reserved bitterness. Finishes bittersweet. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: A good barleywine and another fine offering from Smuttynose.

I kept putting off tasting thsi one, but after opening and sampling it, I figure I must have been crazy. Pours ruby red with no discernable head. Only a a few bubbles dot the surface. Smells of port wine, some cherries, molasses, syrup, some bitter peppery splashes. Tastes of dark fruit, lots of tofee, cognac, caramel, some cherry hints, some peppery splashes. The alcohol is present but does not overwhelm this one. I was happy to see a dark English style barleywine when I poured this one.

22oz bottle. Dark plum colored body, lightly opaque. Rich, sticky plum and black cherry malts, heavy hop presence, high bitterness, reminds me of Bigfoot with a few years in the cellar. Sweet maraschino cherries and assertive hops in the nose, very nice smell. Very sweet up front, with pear, plum and fruit cocktail sugars, a little more tempered over the middle, still sweet but not cloying, and finishes sharp and bitter, but very flavorful and rich. Texture is prickly and snappy, with a lingering cherry flavored tobacco flavor. Very good, but a little too sweet.

Date: 10/19/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Cellar Stock

Appearance: clear dark blood red, pours with a huge head that settles down to a whispy tan head,
Aroma: sweet malt aroma with earthy hops, initial hot alcohol aroma,
Body: creamy body,
Flavor: rich sweet carmel malt flavor, earthy hop flavor and bitterness, alcohol shows up after warming,
Overall: a basic barley wine
-------- /> Date: 09/06/2008
Source: tasting
Vintage: 2005
Score: 3.2 to 3.6

developing a nice fruity character,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.6/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4