 pint_size (1004), Austin, Texas, USA
Feb 5, 2008
2-3-08 bottle shared at tasting.
Ruby amber color with little head and lacing. Smell is decent - caramel sweetness and very little alcohol. Flavor is sweet and balanced but not very outspoken. Alcohol is very well hidden in smell and flavor. Overall, surprisingly drinkable and enjoyable and easy.
LilBeerDoctor (475), East Setauket, New York, USA
Aug 29, 2008 2008 bottle courtesy of inkubus27 (thanks Tim!) Pours a medium-colored brown with a small light tan foamy head. Aroma of brown sugar, molasses, citrusy hops, raisin bread. Very interesting and a nice balance of bitter citrusy hops to the malty sweetness. Flavor is a bit sweet--lots of citrusy and caramel malt, lemon iced tea, and apple skins. Nice and flavorful. Not overly sweet like a lot of barleywines I’ve had recently. Wow, I’m a bit tipsy now but I would definitely not have guessed that this beer was 12%!! No alcohol presence whatsoever. I had this beer aged in bourbon at a beer fest earlier than this year, but in my opinion, this beer is best as is. Awesome stuff and pretty similar to SN Bigfoot. I’m not usually a barleywine fan, but this was a really superb beer.
scraff (1656), Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Aug 23, 2008 Pink Wax - Dark hazy coppery crimson, thin creamy white head. Complex aromas of orange marmalade and floral pine ride undercurrents of sherry, burnt brown sugar, and swirls of black cherry. Big sticky bitter pine and orange flavors weave through notes of musty caramel and cherry molasses. 12% warms throughout. Massive full bodied, soft carbonation, bittersweet finish. An awesome barley wine that has aged gracefully...
AndrewKScott (330), Lemont, Illinois, USA
Aug 22, 2008 Purple Wax. Bought this to celebrate living through my first week of law school. Dark red pour with off white head. Very piney nose, with some citrus, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, and cherry notes. Taste is a bit sweet but balanced by the piney, spicey hops, Orange peel, apricot, and grapefruit as well . I get some cherry and caramel, with the alcohol noticeable but not offensive. Mouthfeel is almost syrupy, a bit creamy. Finish is dry hops. This is the definitive example of a barley wine, worth the price
bbobb (2), , Indiana, USA
does not count  Aug 22, 2008 Bottle. Yellow wax. First time having a barley wine and overall my impression was that it was too sweet for my taste. Very rich, just shy of syrupy. Hints of citrus helped cut sweetness, but not enough for me. Very expensive and not quite worth it.
satan165 (105), River Grove, Illinois, USA
Aug 21, 2008 i wonder how many people like myself have tried 100s of beers but are still very intimidated to try their first barley wine. i had no idea what to expect. ive drank 11% IIPAs and tons of strong beers so that was not my worry, looking back....im not sure what was! well rest easy little ones, i uncorked this baby (purple wax, the thickest ive ever dealt with) and took a sniff. my first thought was ’hops!’. that might sound obvious but i was worried this would stink like pure booze. well it doesnt, and it doesnt taste like it either! this is syrupy like an IIPA often is, its sticky and thick, its robust from all the malts, its meaty, its substantial. i think its those qualities that make it NOT an IIPA but a barley wine. there is almost a candy like quality but not in terms of any kind of cloying sweetness, its almost a sharp taste intermingled with so many other wonderful malt notes. this is honestly one of the most balanced beers ive ever had which is amazing considering how wildly strong all of the notes are. the hops are overwhelming right off the bat as any FFF is but the malt is so upfront...its very intense. this is a BIG BEER and very satisfying, this is truly a revelation for me. i have enjoyed letting many a strong porter and stout warm and discovering new notes, but this almost begs for warmth. i look forward to drinking some highly warmed behometh’s this winter.
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