Woodfordes Headcracker

Brewed by Woodfordes
Style: Barley Wine
Broadland Brewery
Woodbastwick, England

Bottle. Bright-golden, slightly hazy. Honey-sweet, slightly strong and attractive aroma. Nice and hop-dominant followthrough in the flavor, mixed with some champagne/white wine effervescence. Thanks to SIlktork or whoever sent this to Fly.

Cask conditioned at the White Horse, Parsons Green, London. During the Old Ale Festival. Surprisingly pale. Evident alcohol, sweet malt and banana-ish notes with even some citrus in there. It held up very well on the day, amongst some real killer competition, thanks to the good beer keeping here at the pub.

Malty initial taste with a sweetness that does not overpower.Pale appearance and an alcoholic content that you respect without being scarred off. The title is misleading as this is not one of your pour it down your throat and lets get drunk beers.It is a very good example of a strong pale ale which the brewery should be proud of.

Cask @ Camra National Winter Ale Festival, Manchester, UK 27 Jan 2005
More an IPA than a strong ale, to me. Plenty of hops and a quiaffing quality. Strength is not noticed.

Shared a trial of this one with Dr. David Crease, the head brewer, straight from a collapsible cask in the QC dept. of the Woodforde’s brewery. Batch was about two months old and at this stage still falling bright. Assured it is brewed with 100% Maris Otter malt and Goldings hops.
Onto the beer. Medium gold and syrupy looking in the glass. No carbonation, no head. A quick swirl revealed some tight sweet malts, tangy, spicy citrus fruits, light vinous notes and a tickle of alcohol. Syrupy in the mouth, feint echo of residual carbonation upfront and its all smooth and treacly from there on in. Simple flavour mix of rounded, biscuity-sweet, toasted malts and assertive well, defined hops that add a floral and spicy, vine-like bitterness to the back end. Alcohol is evident, in sync with the malt and hop profile whilst the swallow dries out slightly and has a nice citric tang to it. This was a lovely strong ale. Tight, well balanced and an excellent example of good old, simple ’malt and hops’. Would have loved to have asked Dave for a few bottles to fly on home with me. Next time maybe.

Hazy orange amber ale with a thin white head. A herbal hops in aroma with coniferous notes. In mouth, a fresh alcohol menthol like quality, hops, and citrusy notes. Rich and smooth. However, not true to the barley wine style. Still, a good beer. Bieropholie imports 2006.

Robe orangée surmontée d’une mousse blanche mince qui s’estompe. Arômes d’agrumes et de malt caramel. Saveurs d’oranges, de pommes, de houblon floral et de malt caramel. Très ronde, mais barley wine???

Aroma of sweet hops and honey. Color of marmelade with a thin head. This beer had a very big flavor, yeast, white grapes, notes of caramel with a slight alcohol bitter finish. Not a bad beer, but the mouthfeel was slightly slimey....respectable overall though.