Sweetwater Donkey Punch!

Brewed by Sweetwater Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Atlanta, Georgia USA

DANK TANK Bomber Bottle. Holy sweet Moses this beer is hoppy, I was hit by it the second I cracked the cap. Pours brilliant ruby with some haze and a huge beige head that retains until the end. Aroma- pine, grapefruit, floral hops, toffee, brown sugar, DANK fucking White Rhino, Northern Lights, Skunk#1, generally pot resinous. Taste is certainly bitter but not overly done, partly becasue of the balance of toffee, fruit and brown sugar. Thick body, great smooth carbonation. All flavors are present and the taste buds are having a great time. Somewhat of a peppery finish. Incredible beer, they can call it a Barleywine or whatever the hell they want to but I’m saying it’s just awesome. Best I have had from Sweetwater, 142.0 IBU’s, that’s awesome. I just wish I could buy this on a daily basis but unfortunately it doesn’t make it to Tennessee yet.

Bottle:   Rusty amber, fairly cloudy and hazy, moderate off-white frothy head, decent lacing.   On the nose this already seems aged, malts that are a little dusty, slight earthiness, dull hop aspects.   Rather citrusy up front, not very malty, mild sweetness, some basement.   After having a bad bottle I am happy to say that this, while only about 1.5 years old, seems as if has aged longer but still has some legs.   A rather light and simple Barley Wine, clean, but not very big.   Body and mouthfeel are moderate... perhaps could stand to be a bit thicker.   Lingering citrus peel, not overly sharp... but thats about it.   A bit more hop and much more malt would make this an outstanding brew, but as is its fairly good.   Thanks Tom for the opportunity to try this!

bottled. Hazy amber yellowish ale w/ decent off white head. Nose of sweet hoppy booze. Sweet malts, tons of hops, and heat till the end. Its good thou. Should be available in 4/6 packs.

In short: A mega-hoppy fruity barley wine that feels like a buttery Triple IPA. Good.
How: Bottle 22oz. Consumed fresh soon after purchase. Tasting session with Montreal crew
The look: Slightly cloudy dark orange body topped by a ring of foam
In long: Nose is mega-hoppy, lots of fruity hops esters, mostly citrus fruits. Taste has lots of caramel, round and chewy. Lots of fruity hops with flavour of citrus fruits and marmalade. Non aggressive fruity bitter finish. Well balanced. Comes through as a Triple IPA more than a barley wine. Simple but effective flavour spectrum. It could have been very good but it looses points because I was getting a light but annoying buttery flavour. All in all it was just good with the potential to be very good. It’s a Donkey Punch and it doesn’t kick ass. Logical.

Bottle 75cl. w. swing top @ LCRBM09 - Low Countries RateBeer Meeting V, Kulminator, Antwerpen, Belgium.
Clear dark orange amber color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, off-white head. Aroma is moderate to heavy malty, caramel, moderate fruit hoppy. Flavor is light heavy sweet and bitter with a long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft, finish feel is moderate alcoholic. [20090905]

Got to try a bomber of this recently. Colour... medium gold with no head. Nose... sweet with plenty of tropical fruits and toffee. Palate... light CO2, dried stone fruits, Medjool dates, a coating quality and a long finish.

Bottle courtesy of bhalter8. Pours a clear amber with thin white head. Aroma is sweet and malty with notes of floral hops, caramel, light citrus. Flavor is sweet and floral with notes of honey, citrus, grapefruit, caramel. Medium body with a floral hop finish. More like a DIPA than a barleywine.

A Mes rate. Bottle at LCRBM #5.
Hazy amber coloured with a thin off white head. Rather sweet all round with lots of caramel. Deep chewy malt with a bit of balance from some nice fruity hoppage. Bitter citric finish with a drying feel and an alcoholic aftertaste. Decent beer.