Two Brothers Bare Tree Weiss Wine (2002 and later)

Brewed by Two Brothers Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Warrenville, Illinois USA

What gorgeous bottles this beer used to have... such a shame. 2007 Bottle enjoyed Jan 22. Pours an unclear cloudy glowing orange with a small thick sudsy frothy white head with generous lacing. Sweet aroma, rich and full, ripe banana, clove, caramel, a bit spicy, hint of alcohol, light fruit and a bit of a vegetal note. Taste is...O... yikes... sweet and well infected... grrr. Well I didn’t want to but I’m opening up 2007 bottle #2 to see... #1 was definitely infected...crap. Ok rating the 2nd bottle now: Same appearance except being clear instead of cloudy, aroma is similar but a bit soapy and sans the vegetal note. Flavor is much cleaner, still a tad sour though, quite yeasty at first than fades to malty, medium sweet wheat taste smoothly melded with richer caramel malt, hint of green melon/ banana, white grapes and wisp of honey, oaky finish almost like in a California Chardonnay. It almost taste like a French Crepe... kind of sweet and eggy. Fuller body for a wheat, big glassy feeling, very smooth and full, syrupy without being sticky which is odd for the tongue, softer soda carbonation. Candy sticky finish though. Disappointment about that other bottle as I wanted to age one. [Also, even though its a wheat its probably better at near room temp. ]

750 ml bottle, 2007 Vintage, purchased at Archer Liquors. Pour is hazed golden, with a thinnish white head. Aroma of waxy grapes, with some vinegar behind that. Interesting nose, clover floral also shows as it warms a bit. Taste is the white wine grapes, apricots, light honey notes, all somewhat balanced against the wheat. Palate is medium, coats the mouth. Interesting.

2007 vintage. Golden pour with a white head. Caramel and toffee notes with light fruit aroma. Light fruit in the flavor with sweet malt and some spices.

2007 Bottle thanks to yem25. Interesting barley wine. Pours with a largish, white head that flattens and leaves good lace over a murky golden body. Aroma is weak, but has notes of alcohol, wheat, coriander, citrus and caramel. Taste is a wit on steroids...coriander, Belgian yeast, citrus, and melon. Sweet throughout. Lively-ish carbonation, with a syrupy mouthfeel.

Pours and orangey golden hue with no head. Aroma is of citrus with come alcohol and wheat. Flavor is sweet all the way through - with a highly warming alcohol sensation. Feels really good! Medium texture with light carbonation. Not a bad tasting barley wine at all!

Briliant amber orange with a viscous white head. Dusty pale malt and tart wheat aroma with spicy yeast. Medium body with a frothy mouthfeel. Big grainy tart wheat malt flavors with spicy yeasts and bananas. Wheat beer on steriods.

750mL Bottle. 2007. Smells distinctly of black olive pizza, a phenolic aroma so concentrated that it reaches that level. Singular. A clear pale brandy pour, with a little head. Flavor brings a seltzery rubbery and weird yeast character. Alpine Apple Spice packets. Some Gibson on the side. A little overly phenolic and dead. Meh. This is dead yeasty, a bit meaty and heavy on the olives. Nothing to get excited about.

Never had a barleywine like this before,this is what I would expect those wheatwines to taste like. Description says there is subtle banana in the aroma and taste,I beg to differ,its dominating, that along with the tartness of the wheat,and a face slapping alcohol flavor makes this a real tough guys brew. Bitter and tougue twisting finish,nice enough ,little to bold for me