Three Floyds Behemoth Barleywine

Brewed by Three Floyds Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Munster, Indiana USA

2007 Bottle, Pours a hazy orange color with a medium off white head. Aroma of hops, pine and grapefruit is intense. Taste is hoppy bitterness with only a slight hint of malt. Probably should let this one sit in the cellar for a bit to mellow out. Flavor of hops is dominating. Finishes with a complex bitterness.

BIg, bad and dirty. Skunky hops and dark crystal malts make this one of the best Bwines out there.

My 200th rating!!! YAY!!! Poured a nice copper color, no head...Smelled absolutely fantastic! Sweet molases and citrus! And the taste. Where does one begin?? Honestly, this is the MOST complex beer I have ever had. While this is blended very very well, it is amazing that sooo many flavors come out in succession...Sweet, caramel malts, citrus in the form of grapefruit, plums, cherries, and definitely some pine...The alcohol is incredibly well hidden here. So much so that I was quite drunk before I knew it! HAH! This is fantastic! Not sure its worth 20 bucks a bottle, but definitely worthy of its high ratings!!

the most intense beer i have ever had the pleasure of drinking! i have drank only a sum total of 4 bottles in my brief beer history(all but one of them shared in good company...and no taps, alas, though i have tried to coax the local distributor to indulge my hedonism!)...the first 2 came from the 2004/2005? pink wax topped batch(although i believe they were brewed in 2004 i purchased them locally in the fall of 2005)...intense aromas of pine, flowers and multifarious malts encrusted with molasses were indeed present and nearly overwhelming in intensity...flavors were chameleon-like in their depth and fleeting essence---every sip revealed a new degree of flavor and minor changes in temperature altered the overall flavor profile noticeably---long, lingering caramel malts encircled a deep, piney hop center (as if Dreadnaught had been coated with some ambrosial, malt nectar)...2 bottles from the 2006/2007 batch were sampled prematurely, but showed much promise...one awaits in my beer fridge, whilst three others stand by in my beer ’cellar’(aka a three floyds bomber box occupied by several other late-blooming, tasty ales)...acquire and/or horde if at all possible...

22 oz bottle: Coppery brown w/ a light tan head. Piney & grapefruity hops up front. Lightly sugary w/ caramel and toasted malts.. Mildly estery, like pears & green apples. Sweet up front but dries out toward the medium dry finish. Caramelly & toasty malt cut through the hops and mild fruitiness. Lingering aftertaste is toasty malt and citrusy hop. Warming alcohol, full body, low medium carbonation.. Very nice if just a bit sweet for it’s age.

On tap (if I remember correctly) at Three Floyds brewpub. Quite a big barleywine-- loud and proud. Has that distinct 3F hop flavor-- helps hide the alcohol. I couldn’t drinkt his all night-- one glass was plenty. But it was extremely complex in flavor and well balanced for such a potent brew. 3-2-08 on tap at FFF: Better than I remembered. Did they tweak the recipe, or did the brewing gods just smile down on this batch? What a wonderful initial hop aroma and flavor. And then the complex barleywine flavors slowly take over the palate-- just sublime. Closest beer to a perfect rating that I’ve had in a long time.

Bottle. Powerful barleywine - quickly becoming my favorite style. Alcohol is very apparent - favorably. Thick mouthfeel. A very identifiable Three Floyds product as the citrus, resinous, pine flavors dominate the taste. A powerful hoppy finish preceded by a sugar sweet malty flavor. Very smooth and enjoyable. My full rec.

Bottle(2007) from Ughsmash. Pours a very dark amber color. Minimal foam. Sweet stick hop aromas. Some citrus. Flavor is pretty sweet. Has a moderate amount of citric bitterness to balance it out. Alcohol is well hidden, even in a fairly fresh bottle.