 Drnk_McDermott (1537), Downers Grove, Illinois, USA
Feb 17, 2005 Updated: Dec 11, 2006
Bottle: Undated, but bought at Bell’s Oct. 2004. Tasted Feb. ’05. Deep brown color, under a thin head. Everything about its appearance screams malts MALTS MALTS. Couldn’t pick up much besides a wonderfully sweet malt taste, slightly nutty, with pinprick effervesence. Alcohol warmth slowly builds to a nice burn before you find the temerance of a northwestern (?) hop bill: bitter and just slightly piney. I’m presuming this is a very young bottle, so I will have get some for cellaring later. Finishes up with a nice malty coating on the tongue.
Draft sample 12/2/06, on tap at the Eccentric. Light ale color as barley wines go. Murky brown color, a thin persistent head. Slight sugar note in taste. Good alcohol warmth, a modest hop balance. I took notes on this tasting because it was just listed on the menu as "Old Ale," but I’m sure it’s this one here. Even though my impressions are different than my original, and my naumbers are 8-4-8-4-17, it still adds up to my original total score of 4.1.
nqualls (113), Tennessee, USA
Aug 19, 2008 I loved this beer. Poured a hazy amber color into a brandy snifter. Aroma was of dark ripe fruits, malt and raisins/plums. Lacing was minimal. Flavor reflected the nose very well, with a little brown sugar flavor and a little alcohol warming at the end. Medium-full bodied with minimal carbonation. Great beer. Must be presented at the correct temperature and in the correct glassware to be appreciated fully.
jetzler (571), oklahoma city, Oklahoma, USA
Aug 16, 2008 Bottle, batch 8135 pours a very ruddy cloudy color with no head at all. Smells like a carmel chew, toffee, and coffee tons of malts nice sweetness. Nice a nice barley wine alcohol is well hidden, very delicious. Once again Bells proves to be one of the best breweries out there.
hellbilly (837), scottsdale über alles, Arizona, USA
Aug 13, 2008 batch 8211 bottle from ucusty... pours a hazy dark amber with a medium sized khaki colored head and some light lacing. foamy film and ring last until the end. smells good but not a whole lot going on... malty, caramel and some fruitiness, maybe raisins. the palate is terribly sweet all over and lacking anything to balance it out. very light bitter-ish dry-ish finish before a wafting of alcohol. medium to full body. smooth slick mouth feel with a sugary residue left on the lips. i suppose i should lay a few down...
1_2many (194), Ohio, USA
Aug 12, 2008 Bottle. Reddish amber without much head. Only a small film remains after a minute or so. Aroma is subtle with caramel, alcohol, and some fruit. Flavor is sweet with some bittering hops that weren’t in the aroma and some peppery alcohol at the finish. Low carbonation with a biting alcoholic aftertaste that isn’t overpowering. Quite warming. A good beer. I can see the similarities to a barley wine but something about it sets it apart from that category.
kosko20 (73), Bemidji, Minnesota, USA
Aug 12, 2008 Aroma is fruity, mostly red grapes. Like a wine but not as powerful as wine. Notes of malts and hops are there too. Appearance is beautiful, deep amber like the description says with a thick reddish white head and streaming carb bubbles. Flavor is pretty complex. Nothing sticks out to dominant. I say it tastes most like grapes, cherries, fruit flavored malts, and a bit of alcohol. Palate is pretty smooth, the alcohol comes through in the end and the aftertaste isn’t much. Overall its a good beer, my first barely wine and a good one.
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