Smuttynose Barleywine Style Ale

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

2003 bottle thanks to Matta. Wine like heavy aroma intense caramel. Pours light brown with red around the outside. Malty caramel, some sharp hops. It has a very soft and creamy aftertaste with notes of licorice

Deep copper colour with a small off white head. Malty, caramel sweet aroma with a light hoppy note. Caramel and alcohol sweet flavor with a hoppy note.

2006 Pours copper with a light tan head. The aroma has rich caramel and toffee, very heavily toasted malt with lots of the typical barleywine mustiness and alcohol presence. Thich body that is rich and smooth with minimal sharp carbonation. Flavor starts with thick sweet malt with some earthy woody hops - thick and tasty. There is some sugary aspects here as well. The finish has more of a hop presence, bit of an abv burn and lingering thick malt and woody hops. Very nice and enjoyable.

2006 bottle. tasted 2/13/2007. pours nice clear copper with a nice light tan head that settles into a thin film. nice barley wine aroma. molasses caramel light chocolate vanilla light toasted wood light alcohol/hop presence. bittersweet roasted flavor molasses caramel toffee spicy black pepper light tart green apple notes. finish spicy bitter black pepper hops warm alcohol caramel tart green apple almost mouth puckering at the end. mouth feel a bit thin for the style. good but not the best barley wine. the flavors seem a bit disconnected. not as flowing and balanced as i would like but it is respectable.

Generous fruit and spice complex aromas, beutiful copper/amber color, persistent head. Nicely balanced barley wine big and hoppy and not too sweet. On tap - Gingerman NYC

Bottle. Hazy amber/orange color with large tan head. Fruity aroma. The taste was mildly fruity with some caramel and bitter hops in the back ground. Smooth mouthful with good balance for a barley wine. Not too sweet and not too bitter just right.

Hazy orange-brown with an off white head. Aroma of pineapple, pepper, and pine along with a detectable alcohol presence. Flavor is hoppy, but not overly so, which seems to be a common flaw (IMO) in American Barleywines. Piney hops blend nicely into a biscuity caramel sweetness. Could benefit from a fuller body. Alcohol is a bit too prevalent for 10%. Maybe putting this down for a couple years would help this. Still a very good brew that I would definitely buy again.

This stuff was shared with ross last night. We had a Double Bastard before this thing so our pallate was a bit out of wack but once we followed the bottle’s advice and sat down with some decent cheese and crackers the beer really opened up! Smell and taste were about the same and it was a nice blend of hoppyness with a balanced sweet finish. A little grassy like my friend ross says but no too overpowering. I felt the alcohol a bit on this one though. Not bad stuff at all. I’m on the hunt for more stuff from this brewery.