Smuttynose Barleywine Style Ale

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

[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.

This is one huge barleywine. According to the web, this was brewed at 26 plato and is over 10% ABV. Pours a beautiful clear orange with a tan head. I went into this thinking it was 7% and no big deal, because that is waht is listed here. This being the third beer, splitting this 75% for myself and 25% for mkobes really got me plowed! Anyway, Citrus aroma of American hops and malty carmel undertones. Flavor has malt up front, with lots of hop flavor, lingering bitterness and lots of sweet malt. Very warming and it will kick your ass big time!

Appearance: beautiful, rosey, garnet color, with a solid, 1/2" algae-green head o’ foam. Aroma: big, fat, and sugary, fruity, sweet, while still soft, and well-rounded. A lovely fruit-punch in the nose (but not a fruit punch-in-the-nose), with notes of strawberry, cherry, melon, & more. Discernible alcohol, but not rough at all. Taste: great hops, tasty malt, but potent booze stands tall every inch of the way, traveling through every corner of the mouth, treading every path of the senses. Long presence on the palate, with a resilient boozy finish. Great taste, full fruit, thick malt, and in the final analysis, the strength proved to be managable, but the alcohol remained long into the finish. One delicious barleywine!

Not deep copper in color,more like murky brown,like it has substance. Nose is sweet and malty,like a concoction of toffee and rich fruity syrup.A little raw but sweet and good with the hops coming up to the front and not allowing the sweetness to overwhelm the flavor

Bomber. Pours a deep copper with slightly off-white head that doesn’t last (probably due to alcohol content). Aroma is piney and florally hopped with a bit of citrus. Nose also has a bit of caramel sweetness and malt. Flavor is big. Lots of green pungent hops....pine, citrus, flowers. Great hop profile. Malt flavor is of crystal malt sweetness and bready/biscuity goodness with some toffee. Mouthfeel was great, though not as syrupy as the sweetness would suggest which is a good thing. Everything was quite balanced for an American barleywine: hops, sweetness and malt. Very good, doesn’t rate like BIgfoot does, but still solid nonetheless.

pours a lovely caramel color, slightly opaque. nice mix of sweet and bitter but just a little oddly flavor for my taste and I really appreciate smuttynose products.

22oz bottle, 2006. Medium amber color with little head. Nose is a nice balance of hops, sweet caramel malt, and alcohol-- aromas of earthy hops, medium caramel malt, big alcohol burn lending a medicinal note, mild fruitiness, and initially some faint sourness, like rotting apples. Flavors of fruity hops, bitter hops, and sweet malt, fairly well balanced, though bold and spicy enough to be in-your-face. Medium body, with the hops a bit rough on the palate, which I adore, and the alcohol very present and warming. Long, hoppy-sweet finish. I really enjoyed this, another fine brew from Smuttynose.

Slightly hazed brown pour with tight off white head and lace. Very dried fuitiness with a hint of abv on the nose. Nice fruity and raisins and a good bitter stand out on the taste. Full bodied with good carbonation. Solid to the style.