Speakeasy Old Godfather Barleywine

Brewed by Speakeasy Ales and Lagers
Style: Barley Wine
San Francisco, California USA

Bottle. Pours a reddish copper color, with a half-inch of foaming vanilla-colored head. Lots of sticky lacing. Aromas of floral hops, citrus, plum, and some faint molasses. Flavor is fairly hoppy. Some grapefruit and citrus. A decent malty background, steering the beer from DIPA range to more of a barley wine, but barely. Caramel finish. Medium-bodied, bitter mouthfeel. Has a tangy factor on the tongue. Wouldn’t strictly classify this as a barley wine.

Poured from tap a darker shade of orange with a thinning off-white head that left lacing as it vanished. Little to no carbonation. The nose on this one seem floral hoppy with a touch of citrus. The taste comes off like a double IPA with a big dose of floral cascade hops mixed with a some gratefruit and burnt orange. There is also a big caramel malt presence which makes this BW rather smooth. Nice one.

12 oz bottle. OK, so I can some it up very simply...NyQuil. No shit, it taste just like the medicine. I even had my wife verify my conclusion, which she concurred. There is a nice aroma of sweet malt, dark fruit, and alcohol. I will have to pass on this one.

Clear copper color with a thin fleeting head. Decent smell is piney hops, sweet spicy malt. Malty pit fruit flavors with a very strong, harsh alcohol that kills your taste buds and drowns out whatever else there is to taste here. 12607

Color is a muddy reddish brown that turns into brilliant copper when held to light. Good clarity, smallish off-white head. Not much lacing or retention. Aroma is mainly citrus hops and some caramel sweetness. Taste is a bit lopsided in favor of hops, with some orangey citrus and pine cutting through the caramel maltiness. Finish is bittersweet and dry. Carbonation is a bit high for a barleywine, body is medium, finish is smooth and pretty clean. Not hugely complex, but really drinkable.

12oz bottle. Pours a clearish brown orange color with a thin off-white head that fades pretty quick to just afew thin bubbles. Not a huge nose on it. Faint spicy hops and some malts are all I get. What a hoppy BW. It’s like an imperial IPA with more malt. Very spicy hops up front on this one with sweet malts there to back it up quickly. Spicy, thinnish mouthfeel, nice vibrant carbonation. Very tasty brew. Not a classic BW by any stretch, but still good, and high alcohol.

12 oz. bottle. Pours a clear dark amber color with a medium sized mostly diminishing beige head. The aroma is citrusy hops and sweet caramel malt with a touch of pine thrown in for good measure. The flavor has good caramel malt, citrus notes (grapefruit bitterness), pine, soap (different bitterness). The alcohol also makes an appearance and then fades. This is very dry in the finish. I am curious what a little age would do for this? I have had many BWs that are better.

Bottle from River’s Bend. Poured clear brown color with an average off-white frothy head that was mostly lasting with fair lacing. Moderate spicy malty and alcohol aroma. Medium body with a light sticky texture. Medium sweet spicy flavor with a medium sweet finish of moderate duration. Drinkable, but below average for style.