Smuttynose Barleywine Style Ale

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

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.

[2006 Bottle] Strong alcohol presence, right from the beginning. Malty, sweet. Flavors have elements of vanilla, brown sugar/caramel and plenty of alcohol. Nice hop bitterness. Very good.

The label on this 22 oz. bomber (bottle conditioned in 2005) obtained in a trade via BA warriorsoul promises a big beer in a big bottle. The bottle is certainly big, let’s see about the beer. The body was clear dark reddish orange with a nicely proportioned two finger foamy head sitting atop it. The viscosity looked a little thinner than a typical barleywine. The aroma was malty and grassy, and bit closer to a dopplebock than a hopped up American barleywine. Although a lot of English varieties do exhibit this fruity mature smell. Some alcohol was also showing up in the nose. The taste was balanced mid way between bitter and sweet, with neither taste overpowering. The fruity malts were backed by molasses and brown sugar, and the sweetness reminded me somewhat of a Belgian Quadruppel. The herbal hop bitterness however was much more cranked up than that style, or an English barleywine. As good as the taste was, I could somehow not shake the feeling that the body was a bit too thin, and the beer too well attenuated. Not a hollow empty thinness, but more of an unreached potential in my opinion. The aftertaste was a lingering peppery alcohol burn, which in the end could not hide under the depleted body and mostly earthy hops.

22oz 2007 bottle courtesy of UncleJedi, thank you very much! I always like to put my nose to the bottle immediately after opening and this one gave me a blast of hops that made em smile and transitioned into orange and toffee. The smells from my snifter are more citrus and toffee but not too hoppy. There are also a slight bit of alcohol fumes. The color is a nice red-orange and looks like an Ameican style barleywine to me. The taste is very nice, hoppy, chewy, bitterness that is nice! The second sip makes me think of bubblegum. This is a nice barleywine and almost seems West Coast like Bigfoot. Smuttynose is a brewery I don’t hear a lot about but all of their beers have been very good. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 04-08-2008 02:21:34

Very hoppy, with the requisite syrupy sweetness following. Lots of juicy citrus flavor, with a pine bitterness thrown in. Tangy almost chewy mouthfeel, and very noticeable alcohol flavor.

Pours deep, hazy red with a small off-white head. Sweet, citrusy aroma with a good deal of grassiness. Sweet, caramel-ish malt. A touch of graham cracker in the background. Piney hoppiness throughout the flavor, with a good sweet malt background. Probably the freshest-tasting Barleywine I’ve come across. It’ll be interesting to see what age does to this.

Another very tasty offering from Smuttynose. Pours from bottle to snifter with a clear deep amber-ruby red color forming a frothy, medium size tan head which persists the duration of the glass. Rich, intense aromas of caramel candy, toffee, malt, raisin and some faint citrus fill the nose. Palate is full, smooth and chewy. Excellent balance of the hops and malt here for an American BW. Flavor is initially a bit sweet; again noting caramel, toffee, honey, vaniila taffy and crystal malts. Late palate reveals a moderate hoppy bitterness and a pleasant alcohol warmth. For $3.99 a bomber this is a fantastic deal on a superb BW.

Bottle, poured dark coppery red. Very hoppy aroma for a barleywine, but big malty nose too. Big sweet malty flavors, and some bready hints.