Half Pints Burly Wine

Brewed by Half Pints Brewing Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Winnipeg, Canada

Brown bottle, 341 ml, 2009, purchased at the Manitoba Liquor Control Commissions on January 20 2010, savoured on February 4 2010; eye: copper, turbid, no effervescence, tiny sheet of beige head that turns rapidly into a tiny ring, no lacing; nose: malt, caramel, resinous hops; mouth: malt, caramel, resinous hops, grapefruit, alcohol warmth, finale in caramel-malt with really good presence of resinous hops, full body, not much carbonation, rather bitter, good astringency, mildly sweet, harsh texture; overall: fine FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 341 ml, 2009. achetée à la Manitoba Liquor Control Commission le 20 janvier 2010, savourée le 4 février 2010; œil : cuivrée, trouble, pas d’effervescence, petite couverture de mousse beige qui se transforme rapidement en un petit anneau de mousse, pas de dentelle; nez : malt, caramel, houblon résineux; bouche : malt, caramel, houblon résineux, pamplemousse, chaleur d’alcool, finale en malt-caramel avec très bonne présence de houblon résineux, corsée, peu carbonatée, plutôt amère, bonne astringence, moyennement sucrée, texture rugueuse; en résumé : bien

At a tasting, thanks David, small head that dissapears quite quickly, lightish brown to deep burgundy red colour, subdued aromas of hay, spice and touches of dates, flavours of candy, butter, nuts, dark cherries and some berries. Fair.

Bottle sample at a tasting. Thanks David Cohen. Almost clear red color with no real head. Aroma of malt, caramel, some dark fruits, a bit of chocolate and honey hints. Sweet malty flavor with some molasses, licorice notes, dark fruits and a rather bitter finish with some hops. Full-bodied.

@ a tasting, thanks David, pours shiny amber with a small tan head, aroma of cherry liquor, cognac, honey, vanilla and oaky tones, flavor is bitter with some malt, caramel, butter, raisins and some forest fruit like cassis, bitter finish, almost full-bodied. Nice one

Bottle: some tropical fruits, weak coffee, brown sugar, charred wood, lightly roasted malt, some milk chocolate, cooked butter, raspberries, bluberries, blackcurrants, balanced and a pretty good beer.

In short: A fantastic English/American barley wine with a great refreshing fruity character.
How: Bottle 355ml. Age unknown (probably recent). Sent to me by Hobbersr. Thanks a lot Riley.
The look: Almost clear dark red body topped by a medium beige head
In long: Drank side-by-side with Bourbon version. Almost identical appearance. Nose of fresh fruits (red fruits + tropical fruits), leafy hops and caramel. Body is full and the appropriate medium carbonation is spot on to make it more drinkable than it should be. A big fruit cake with lots and lots of fruits (strawberries, pineapples, citrus, apricots, red apples, more…) dipped in smooth caramel. The fruity character is very refreshing and makes the beer just too easy to drink for a 10%+ brew. Finish brings a resinous and fruity bitterness of medium intensity, enough to balance out the sweetness. A great brew that comes through as a cross between an English and American Barley Wine. Its high drinkability, low sweetness sensation and refreshing fruity character makes this one stand out as a superior example of the style imho. A really nice brew. I wish I could brew beer like that. Unfortunately I have no talent. I thought I had talent for gardening but turns out my green thumb was just a nasty bacterial infection.

This little waxed twist off bottle is courtesy of tpd975. Wax twist off? I think that’s a first for me. Pours hazy deep copper with thin off white head. The aroma brings up muted pine then moving into dark fruitiness, oxidized apricot meat and a touch of heat to the snoot. The taste begins sweet with muddly puddly chewy malts and then turning into a modest sensation of crisp pine hop bitterness and malts. Toward the finish sweet aged muted pine hops and then thin layers of dark fruitiness take this to closure.

(bottle from presario). Cloudy brown color. Medium off white head. Malty alcohol aroma. Sweet malt flavor. Avg duration. Light alcohol finish. Slick texture. Soft carbonation. Fair lacing.