Mikkeller Big Worse Barley Wine

Mikkeller
Brewed at De Proefbrouwerij
Style: Barley Wine
Copenhagen V, Denmark

38cl, Danish brewery, from Slijterij van Bergen Eindhoven, very complex brew, not too heavy, balanced, cloudy, nearly no head, very good brew, top class!, but expensive

Bottle from Sam’s, Durham, maybe a year or two on it at this point. Pours quite still, murky amber,, with only a few bubbles visible. Slightly rough aroma, with malts and harsh booze in the nose along with some gamey yeast. The body is a bit cloying, despite the relative stillness. Taste has some spicey hops detectable but I found this generally to be a sweet, hot, indistinct barleywine.

Bottle:   Garnet colored, somewhat of a dirty caramel hue, hazy, moderate off-white head, falls quickly, spotty lacing.   Malty nose, sweetened or candied citrus peel, whisps of alcohol, as well as toasted caramel and brown sugar.   Smells pretty inviting!   Moderate malt base, very little hop aspect, moreso a mild candied citrus peel twang!   Some caramel and brown sugar as well.   Warming on the backside.   This is 12% ?!?!   Certainly doesn’t feel like it.   Could use a bit more malt, but whats funny is that its not all that astrigent or bitter, so as is, its fairly well balanced.   Not a hefty Barley Wine by any means, but it seems to hold its own.   Nothing out of the ordinary, but a solid performer.   Warming finish.   Good stuff!   Thanks Bob for the bottle!

A thin, woody barley wine. A decent sipper but by no means this brewer’s best work and inferior to the very best of the style. Poured caramel-brown with a fat beige cap. The alcohol is prominent in the nose. This almost smelled like a fortified wine - tokay, sherry, etc. Stewed fruits and figs, grape juice, a pinch of white pepper and a floral note. The palate seemed thin for a barley wine packing this much grunt - a minor flaw IMO. In the mouth, it seems quite simple for the style and a little abrupt, with that sharp alcoholic finish. Sweet and sherry-like, with candied fruit and liquid brown sugars to the fore. I found the turpentine-woody notes heavy going. Overall, too thin, too woody. (375ml bottle from Platinum Liquor. BB 2/7/12)

thick rusty brown, no head and very little carb. Aroma stonefruit, malt, oak and some citrussy hop in the background. flavours are sweet malt, dark candisugar, stonefruit, caramel, alcohol. great beer, a little less alcohol and it would be superb.

mostly alcohol on the nose, plus sweet malt, some fruit/berry comes through,grains. flavor is all that plus more alcohol. would probably be really nice to let one age 5 or so years.

Bottle shared by badnewsbeers. Fiery red-brown, sediment-laden body, thin buff clumping head. Nose of hot, burnt caramel, alcohol, and oxidized citrusy, piny hops. Sweet body with caramel and brown sugar, with a cerealy Fruity Pebbles character, tea-like with oxidized, faded citric hops. This tasted past its prime.

Pours a flat amber colour. Very alcohol nose, almost uninviting. Very nice taste though. Has a distinct alcohol flavor but taste is dominantly dried fruit. Raisins shine through the most with slight sourness of dried cherries. Finishes oily. Aging one for later.