Tröegs The Flying Mouflan

Brewed by Tröegs Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania USA

22 ounce bottle. Served in a nonic pint glass, the beer pours a brown/ruby red color with about a half inch tan head. Head retention was low, but the lacing is good. Aroma is caramel malt, pine and citrusy hops, raisins, toffee and some brown sugar. The taste is similar to the aroma. There’s pine and citrus hops, raisins, toffee, caramel malt and molasses flavors all noticable. Nice lingering bitter hoppy finish, too. Also, good balance between the hops and malt. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it’s a bit creamy and slick with moderate carbonation. Drinkability is good, it’s smooth and easy to drink, although I think this is more of a sipping beer. I’d buy this again, I thought it was a good overall brew.

2009 bomber. Pours clear dark amber with a lasting light beige head and very good lacing. Aroma is caramel, roast, and rough citrus and earthy hops. Pretty hoppy despite having some age on it. Flavor is caramel, toffee, and mild roast, maybe even a little chocolate. Also very hoppy, mostly orange/grapefruit, but some earthy notes in there as well. Some dark fruits. Medium-plus body with some real palate-wrecking hop oils. Overall another very good one from my hometown brewery (my real hometown that is, not where I currently live).

Appearance: Slides out a lightly hazed, amber-brown body with a short-lived, modestly-sized, off-white head. Smell: Sticky malts smelling of caramel and toffee with hints of dried fruits and a fresh, vibrant hoppiness that’s citrusy, piney (which is really jumping out at me), and delightfully herbaceous. Taste: Toasty, bready malts with sweetened tastes of light caramel and crisp toffee candy. As implied by the nose, it’s positively popping with hops. Flavors of sticky sap-coated pine wood, standard grapefruit, and spicy dried herbs make their presence known. Boldly bitter. Also some supporting raisin fruitiness. Drying, warming, bitterish finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: Friends, there’s absolutely no doubt about it, it’s a hop-forward (and then some) American barleywine. So, when it comes to the b-wines, if you like’m warming and you like’m potently hoppy, then, go ahead, give it a try.

Bottle:   Deep dark caramel, almost pond like in its brownishness, moderate to large frothy light beige head, fairly sticky lacing.   Strong sweet biscuity malt aroma, low hops, mild toffee or molasses.   Has a smidgen of candied citrus peel.   Heavy sweet maltiness on the tongue.   Comes across as very English like.   Hop bitterness is on the low side, if at all.   Biscuit, molasses, toffee, caramel malts are fairly heavy.   As it warms a bit more hop aspect emerges on the backside.   Body and mouthfeel are moderate to full, leaning to full.   Underlying sweetness is there, but is a little dull and not very bright.   Could use a little bit of hop, and sharp sweetness to balance out the heavy malts.   Otherwise, this is my kind of Barley Wine simply because the alcohol is hidden well and its not a hop bomb, but instead relying on its malts.   Thanks to fogdog for this treat!

22 oz bottle from the Ratebeer Tasting. Pours a dark brownish near opaque hue, dark, a small offwhite head laces fairly well. Aromas are fruity, pear and apple with a touch citrus, some light spicy yeast with a touch of stibk. Ighjt, yeast, a nice fruity fairly boozy ale.with some light spive, fairly good bitterness. Finish is largely sweet and yeast, with a decent bitterness.

Notes from Troegs Scratch #4, before Flying Mouflan came out. Pours a clear amber- with a thinning head. Aroma is fruity hops, mostly amarillo- mango sweetness, caramel toffee, and big malts- gets a bit catty. Toffee, molasses, big malts, nutty, sweet thick caramel malts, brown sugar, lots of fruity and citrusy hops, -fairly big overall- would probably age nicely. I think I still have some of this in the cellar.

Hazy amber with a medium off white head. Aroma was sweet with caramel and hoppy notes. Flavour was sweet with caramel, malty, hoppy and piney notes. Finished bitter.

Note: this is a rating for a bottle that’s almost a year old. I’ll try to re-rate when I get another bottle... and I will get another bottle!!!!! From a 22 oz into a pint glass. Pours with about a half inch of thick white head which dissipates in a couple minutes leaving no lacing. Aroma is of molasses, brown sugar and piney hops. Color is a dark copper brown; very, very good. Mouthfeel is thick and creamy, great for a barleywine. Taste is creamy, piney, slight grapefruit, brown sugar. It’s both sweet and hoppy at the same time. I really like this one. It’s powerful all around but not over the top. Surprisingly well balanced for a big beer. I’m feeling the alcohol towards the bottom of the bottle but the alcohol is not overpowering in any way. A great beer, too bad Troegs only makes it only once a year.