Block (363), West Lafayette, Indiana, USA Mar 6, 2009 Hazy orange pour with a thin white head. Seemed thick pouring it out. Strong aroma of hops and citrus. Thick texture and mouth feel. Real nice hops and citrus flavor initially with the bitterness and alcohol hitting at the finish. thejon375 (390), Tampa, Florida, USA Mar 3, 2009 Great barley wine. Almost like a kick in the balls but one that I liked. Great robust flavor and smooth on the palate. wilkie (1189), Raleigh, North Carolina, USA Mar 2, 2009 Bottle 2009 vintage. Pours hazy, orange-gold, with a thin white head. Aroma of cereal, and hops but kind of faint. Flavor is very hoppy, citrus, pine, grass definitely overpowers the malt. Chewy, bitter, with a strong kick in the aftertaste. Definitely a silent killer. Beershine (2678), Hue, Vietnam Mar 2, 2009 Double dry-hopped version, draught @ Abraxas. Nice hazy orange-red. Great earthy hop aroma, and the hops come through nice and bright but body is too thick, sweet and syrupy for me. mspindler (301), Alta Loma, California, USA Mar 1, 2009 Updated: Oct 30, 2009Bomber, 2009 vintage. Pours a hazy copper with an off white head with good retention. Lots of hops in the aroma, floral and earthy. A touch of caramel, but surprisingly not as much as expected. Flavor is very bitter. Not overpowering, but enough bitterness to overpower the malt. I have had aged bottles of this beer that were far more balanced. While this is good fresh, a couple years of cellaring really makes it amazing. Still very good at this point but too much hop bitterness to allow the malt to shine. Quite sticky and well carbonated..
UPDATE 10/30/09
Drinking an 08 bottle and wow...this beer can’t get any more perfect than it is right now. Smooth and sophisticated in every way, tons of toffee and caramel, a bit of earthy and citrusy hops left in the aroma, mellow and wonderful. Bumping my score up a few points as this is definitely one of the best barley wines I’ve had. keepersj12 (774), Sicklerville, New Jersey, USA Mar 1, 2009 Excellent. Wonderful aroma. Beautiful amber with a lacing head. Sweet start and bitter end. Where’s the alcohol. Oh there it is. Rustyham (545), miami, Florida, USA Mar 1, 2009 While a delicious beer unto itself, I could not see any difference between this and the Oaked Bastard. Meanwhile, this tastes nothing like a Barley Wine- it has no buttery farmhouse flavor and sports a lot of head. I seriously see them repackaging the Oaked Arrogant Bastard under this name. Consumed at Abraxas in Miami Beach for $7/glass at the South Florida Keg Opening/ release party BigDaddyBlues (39), Columbus, Ohio, USA Feb 28, 2009 Beautiful deep amber in color with a perfect beige head. Malty with a strong but balanced hop finish. Great stuff.
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