Sockeye Old Devils Tooth Barleywine

Brewed by Sockeye Brewing
Style: Barley Wine
Boise, Idaho USA

A hazy amber beer with a small orange head. The aroma is very sweet with notes of caramel and hops. The flavor is dry malty and very hoppy. A nice barley wine because of the hops.

Hazy caramel pour, tiny white flecks of a head. Caramel and alcohol form most of the aromatic components while biting orange and soapy hops, sprucey and resinous offer a counterpart. Even soapier in mouth, trying hard to feel English, but the greenish attempted freshness, leafy and tannic betrays American origins. Light bodied, medium carbonation. A competent middle-range example, still focusing on the hops despite a few years of age. Thank you Sham!

The Lure:
Citrusy, wooden hops proliferate atop teh cranberries and sour cherries. Grapefruit and brown sugar don’t exactly blend harmoniously, and the pricking alcohol does not help.

The Festivities:
Pretty thin-bodied for the style, the grapefruity and resinous hops run amock like they own the place. Bitterness is of course plentiful, but there isn’t much malt to back it up. A capable sipper, but somewhat boring to my tastes.

Transcendence:
Fiery eyes and a wicked grin aren’t as fun to watch when they’re in your face.

Bottled: Clear orange coloured. Light beige medium sized head. Malt, herbs and hops is quite dominant in the aroma and flavour of this beer. Some notes of chocolate as well. Ends on a bitter and alcaholdense note. Not the most complex barleywine I’ve had, but still fairly decent. Yet another thanks goes out to Bück Dich for this.

Pours a deep ruby amber color with a small head and a little lacing. Aroma is lightly sweet with a very citrus & caramel smell. Flavor is moderately sweet (tasted before put to tap) and hoppy to balance. This doesn't have too many complexities but is very drinkable for the abv. Once they bottled this for the public the alcohol is fairly well hidden, very nice barleywine.

Hazy ruby amber hued with initial frothy off-white head that fades into a ring, some lace. The aroma hints of grapefruit, berry, caramel, pine, some clove, and dusty yeast esters. The taste starts piney and bitter but then a nice dose of sweet caramel malts comes thought to make this quite balanced. Undertones of grapefruit, strawberry, toffee, and yeast adds to depth. The finish has a nice spicy kick and moderate alcohol presence. The mouthfeel is lightly sticky and full. Warming but not massive or aggressive. This is a solid brew that doesn’t overpower but still lets you know not to gulp it. Appears to be able to age an additional year but I wouldn’t go much past that. Thanks Jordan for the bottle.

Pours a cloudy brown color with a ring of white lace. Aroma of caramel and alcohol. Flavor of caramel, hops and alcohol with a strong bitter finish. The body is light with a liquorous texture and soft carbonation. An unremarkable barley wine.

This was tasty, but more like drinking prune juice, perhaps a barleywine light. The aroma is hoppy, like popping an IPA. The flavor is overly acidic to me, and is too lately complemented by the malts and sugar. Lots of dark malts and fruits make up the taste, with a sharp acidic hop presence. Lots of caramel and toffee are also present, with a bit of an alchohol burn in the finish. Good but not great, a slight disappointment from a great brewery.