Smuttynose Barleywine Style Ale

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

Hazy amber colorwith a small off white head and some lacing. Aroma of watermelon and fruity hops. Sweet malt and a burning bitter alcohol feel.

2003 bottle. Nice dark brown/chestnut. Good amount of light yellow/brown head. Medium cloudiness. Smells of lots of malted barley and some spicy hops. Quite strong, Opens up very profound with lots of barley malt and some alcohol underlying the flavor. The hops reserve themselves for the finish which is moderately bitter and acidic. Great balance, as it warms gets slightly thinner is my biggest qualm. Very good flavor though. No aging needed.

Nice barley wine although not quite strong enough. Deep red with a decent lasting head. Very malty but balanced by a generous amount of hops.

(Bottle) Copper body with almond head. Cask and weak rum nose. Thin flavour; alcohol surprisingly detectable in mouth but not upon swallowing. Mellow. Finishes dry and bitter.

[Bottled. Akkurat, Stockholm] Deep ruby colour, good head. Dried fruits and heavy almonds in aroma along with honey. Big on hops here too. Very thick and roasty mouthfeel, with much of residual sugars and sweetness from alcohol, a bit too much of the good here. Superb finish that lasts long.

Bottle. Pours a clear amber with a small diminishing off-white head. Nice, sweet and hoppy aroma along with some fruit, plenty of malt and wood. Flavour is fruity and a bit boozy with some hops, wood and sweet malt. Medium bodied. Not as complex as some of the better Barley Wines out there but still very good and a joy to drink -- I’ll tell ya though, drinking a whole bomber of this yourself can sure make you feel fine.

22-oz bottle received via trade with beastiefan2k. Pours hazy tawny with an average, fizzy and frothy, off-white head, mostly lasting with good lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (bread, cookie), heavy hops (flowers, grass, citrus), heavy yeast (earth, dough) with notes of pineapple, peach, pear, and brown sugar. Medium bodied, sticky texture, average carbonation, and a bitter finish. Average duration, moderate sweetness, acidity, and bitterness.

Pours a translucent copper with a smaller creamy/bubbly off white head. Aroma of dark fruits, toffee, caramel, butterscotch and some hints of vanilla. Flavor of dark fruits, butterscotch, vanilla, nuts, light hop...not sure of the year for this bottle...my guess is a 2006 since it has seemed to mellow a bit.