Smuttynose Barleywine Style Ale

2006: usual reddish brown body. Small to moderate head, decent to good lacing on the glass. Good aroma here, lotsa fruity hops with a big caramel malt base. Flavor was less impressive though. Felt off balance and there was quite a bit of alcohol in the finish. Not drowned in it, but much more than I prefer. Bitter finish with a syrupy mouthfeel. Not bad overall.

2006 22 oz bomber. Pours an amber coppery color with a small white head. Aroma is full of citrusy hops with hints of sweet malts. Taste is very hoppy with citrus and piney overtones and hints of malt. Alcohol is hardly noticeable. Excellent !!

Thanks to ja noth, I get to drink this whole bottle with reckless abandon. First impression is "whoa, dude, you gotta work tomorrow!". Strong and nice. This is how a barley wine should treat you. It shouldn’t try to hide anything except for your pride as you brush your teeth in the morning and pray you don’t have to talk to anyone face to face. Malty and strong. This is how it should be. I’m a fan. I want more.

Bottle: Poured a medium dark copper color ale with a medium foamy head with average retention. Aroma of sweet malt with some traces of dry figs. Taste is mostly dominated by some strong and sweet malt with a nice subtle floral touch. Dry figs and prunes are present though not overly dominant. Body is above average and alcohol is well hidden. Overall, this is a very nice barleywine but lack of complexity doesn’t allow to elevate to great status.

22 oz bomber thanks to slob. Excellent beer I thought. Deep copper color with an excellent head. Aromas were caramel, molassas, bright cherry, raisin. Flavors were similar with an alcoholic middle and a nice hoppy citrus finish. Very Good

Bottle. Beautiful looking beer, nice copper, brown color with a medium beige head with nice lacing. Aroma is quite hoppy. Flavor is also hoppy, but it has a very good malt balance. String alcohol afterburn with a nice warming effect.

22 oz. bottle from 2006. A slightly hazy, cherry pour with a medium-sized British khaki head. Lots of hops and red apples in the aroma. Piney resin, grapefruit and some caramel in there too. Medium body. Much more balance than I expected from the aroma. Starts with some red apples and caramel and proceeds to some toastiness with vanilla extract. The finish is only slightly bitter and dry. It lingers though. Some burnt tastes at the end. Oakiness pervades throughout. The alcohol is nicely hidden and only pokes its head out at the end.

aroma of citrus and some malts floral hops, flavor has a very nice malty character, grapefruit and a hoppy resiny finnish. reminds me of a suped up grearys HSA. quite good, quality, but not spectacular. would have rated higher if i was a fan of this style.