Speakeasy Old Godfather Barleywine

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

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.

Vintage 2006 Pours hazy, dark copper, with an off-white head of a half-inch. The thinnish head falls within two minutes to a partial skim coat on the surface with some errant lacework. Aromatics are a blend of grapefruit and caramelized malt, with a pungent edge that promises bitterness. The mouthfeel is on the full side of medium, sticky and chewy. The pallet is quite malty with plenty of ridgid bitterness and citrus zest. Assertively hopped and certainly along the lines of an American style barleywine. The malt backbone is substantial, as is the bitterness, and hop flavors in general. Alcohol is warming and the brew has a slight numbing quality on the tongue. Still pretty brash and aggresive, but there are already some faint wet cardboard notes coming through.

Bottle 2006 vintage poured a clear reddish copper with a minimal lingering light amber head. Aromas of light oxidation, toffee, dark fruit and light carmel. Palate was medium bodied smooth and lightly warming. Flavors of carmel, toffee, figs and dates with a smooth lightly warming lingering bittersweet finish.

Dark brown amber with a big thick creamy head and sticky lacing. Big hops and ripe fruit aroma. Flavor is overripe fruits alcohol and caramel...I can really taste the caramel! Finish is caramel and citrus with a nice alcohol bite.