Stoudts Old Abominable (Whiskey Barrel Aged)

Brewed by Stoudts Brewing Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Adamstown, Pennsylvania USA

Aroma of cardboard, brown sugar, and a slight oxidation. Good mellow sweet flavor, woody, brown sugar, earth. Medium to thick palate, slightly too drinkable for me, a bit of heat on the back. According to my notes the flavor was very nice, so I’ll take my word for it!

Aroma is hoppy and sweet caramel, oak, and some alcohol. Taste sweet alcoholic biscuit malting, and some higher gravity cloying sweetness. Palate is club soda fizzy with some dryness that cuts the sweet malt and a touch of bitter hops. 736313

Bottle, 75cl corked. (RBNAG 07) It looks pretty in the glass, much more pretty than the label, with an almost clear, deep golden body, and an off-white head leaving lacings. The nose is malt based, with a sweetish touch and a nice American-style hop level. The sort of beer that I could bury my nose is for hours. The flavor is a more hop-dominated than I would like, without being to bitter, but it’s sure malty and sweet too. It has a full body, but still feels watery in a way. The finish is fruity, hoppy and sweet. Except for it being a bit thin and having a slightly unbalanced flavor, it’s a wonderful beer. Thanks to the_epeeist for providing it. (071103)

Draught at Bar Great Harry. Poured into Fin Du Monde tulip. Mahogany with a big frothy almond colored head, leaving sheets of lacing. Aroma marked by fruit--cherry and plum--above hints of vanilla and barrelwood. Flavor was surprisingly meek. Basic caramel with a bit of vanilla and spice, but not as rich as I was expecting and would have preferred. Thin mouthfeel. A bit of a letdown, but pleasant and drinkable anyway.

Bottle @ RBNAG’07. Quite clear mahogany body with a thick beige head. Strong aroma of malt, oak, vanilla and even some traces of coco. Flavor is very sweet malt, rather bitter and some oak. The alcohol is well hidden. This beer is full bodied, harmonic and nice. Not much to complain about here, still something is missing. With this kind of a big beer I expect something extra, something more depth. It’s a great beer, but it’s still potential for something more here.

Bottle at RBNAG 07. Brown colour with a beige head. Aroma is sweet, caramel, malt. Flavour is sweet, fruit, malt, hop, roasted, caramel. Nice beer.

An unclear brown beer with a low beige head. Medium sweet dark malts, earthy and grassy hops, and dark dried fruits in the aroma. Taste is medium sweet, lightly roasted dark malts with a fair amount of edgy bittering hops, and some wooden notes. Medium body. Bitter finish. (Bottle @ RBNAG’07)

Sampled bottle, RBNAG 2007 in Grimstad, as Stoudt’s Old Abominable Barley Wine Ale, aged in a whiskey barrel. Hazy brown colour. Sweetish, malty and oaky aroma. Sweet, oaky and malty flavour, maybe too sweet.