RateBeer
Score
457
OVERALLStyle
Brewed by Abbeydale
Style: Barley Wine
Sheffield, England
Serve in Snifter

bottling
unknown

on tap
unknown

distribution
unknown

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RATINGS: 26   MEAN: 3.04/5.0   WEIGHTED AVG: 2.98   EST. CALORIES: 330   ABV: 11%
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COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
Cask; Regular (but not in continuous production).
Brewed only with pale malts and American hops, this is a pale, fantastically strong barley wine with tons of flavour. It is dangerously more-ish and some people have drunk far more than was good for them.
High A.B.V. beers have been described as "gimmick" beers, to be enjoyed only in small quantities for their hideous potency. They are also often dark - to hide the murkiness. This is not the case at all with Last Rites. Patrick set out to create a high gravity beer which was as pale as it could be, and truly drinkable.
Last Rites really IS a premium brew, unusually pale in colour and full of rich malty flavour to tease and satisfy the palate. At 11% alcohol by volume, Last Rites is more of a wine than a beer and its drinking should therefore be treated with the respect becoming such a solemn undertaking.
It is brewed only two or three times a year. Whenever we can it is lagered for 100 days to give time for the flavours to mature and develop. This gives an unusually smooth beer with strong tones of smooth subtle toffee and a hint of roasted sugar which doesn't overpower the full malt flavour base. The bitterness from the hops keeps the sweetness in check and allows the fuller spectrum of flavours to reach the palate without the cloying burning honey and acid effect of many high alcohol recipes.
In short, in spite of its fearsome alcohol content, Last Rites is a thoroughly delicious drink which has been brewed with every care for it flavour and potability.


highest score

4.3
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 18/20
StueyD (812) - Heacham, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, ENGLAND - AUG 23, 2006
A dark amber coloured beer with a thickish off white head. A strong fruity malt aroma, vinous with plum and cherry evident. The taste is bitter to start, vinous again, with lots of plum and cherry fruit in a sweetish malty flavour. Well balanced with only a tiny hint of the alcohol content! (Cask - The 2006 Peterborough Beer Festival).

3.9
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
Nuffield (3347) - Roseville, Minnesota, USA - JUL 20, 2007
Light golden, still. The aroma is definitely sweet, with notes somewhere between muscat wine and bug repellant. The flavor is complex and spicy. Good, rich, oily palate. This was really quite enjoyable. It’s not much like an American barleywine, and I don’t even know if it fits the barleywine label, but it was good. (on cask at Turf Tavern, Oxford)

3.8
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 16/20
DJMonarch (9153) - Northwich, Cheshire, ENGLAND - DEC 14, 2005
UPDATED: FEB 11, 2007 1. Cask Stillage at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Oldham 29/03/2003 Golden coloured quite a rich feel and very strong in alcohol. Some fruitiness and a warming finish. Listed in the festival program as 11.5% ABV 2. Sampled a month later at Wilkie’s Tavern, Warrington 17/04/2003 with the same results as above and a very reasonable £2 a pint! 3. Cask Handpump at the Marble Arch Inn, Manchester 20/01/2007 Fruity very strong aroma. Golden coloured hoppy and very strong in alcohol. Some citrus flavour. A little dryness in a crisp and bitter lasting finish.

3.7
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
Gary (1132) - Rochester, Kent, ENGLAND - MAR 1, 2009
cask Bricklayers beer fest putney.Well I like it.I’m surprised by the negtive press this ale has recived but mayb i’m just a juice head and duff who was drinking it at the same time hated this. Heavy and thick malt bomb.Remined me of samiclause .Peachy fruit esters -petrol and shitloads of syrup.Hey I digged it.

3.5
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 14/20
Svesse (5196) - Hässelby, SWEDEN - JAN 12, 2011
(Cask at White Horse, Parson’s Green, London, 27 Nov 2010) Copper colour with brief head. Malty, fruity nose with dried fruit, fruitcake, raisins and hints of old socks. Fruity, malty taste with notes of raisins, prunes, dried fruit, caramel and treacle. Full body with slightly oily mouthfeel. Vinous and warming. Very sweet with some spicy bitterness coming through the alcohol veil. A bit boozy and unrefined, but quite enjoyable in moderate amounts.

3.5
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 14/20
chriso (7254) - London, Greater London, ENGLAND - MAY 3, 2005
Gingery orange colour. Estery tropical fruit aroma with some bubblegum. Unctuous, sweet orangey flavour - reminded me of Grand Marnier. Obviously alcoholic, with a big afterburn. Syrupy mouthfeel. There’s a touch of late acidity but it could do with a touch more hop bite to cut through. This really grabbed me on first taste but it became a bit overwhelming after a while. Nonetheless, rather more palatable than many British high alcohol beers. Cask (gravity dispense), White Cliffs beer Festival, January 2005.

3.5
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
MesandSim (7118) - London, Greater London, ENGLAND - JUL 15, 2007
A Mes rate: Cask at Chelmsford Beer Festival. Was expecting this to be awful. Was pleasantly surpised to find it was drinkable and quite tasty. Petrol blonde colour. Very sweet aroma with no chance of hiding the alcohol. Some melon and pineapple in there too. More of the same in the flavour but it is suprisingly drinkable. Not quite so dominated by the alcohol as you would think. Lovely and full in the mouth.

3.4
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
jter9 (12) - Suffolk, ENGLAND - JUN 10, 2009
Cask at Keele postgrad bar april 09. medium amber in colour. Extrmemely alcoholic but thoroughly enjoyable in small doses. worth a try.

3.4
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 13/20
Carlus12 (361) - London, Greater London, ENGLAND - FEB 21, 2008
Cask @ Croydon BF ’07. Aroma is caramel, honey, fruity alcohol. Taste is syrupy, malty, some hops, dark fruits. Finish is alcoholic and malty.

3.4
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 14/20
weaselkenievil (1094) - Cheshire, ENGLAND - DEC 21, 2010
Too thick and you can taste the strength. Maybe not all 11% but there is something assaulting my throat. Has a decent amount of fruit but the thick caramel like finish is a bit much for me. Would try it again but not in a massive hurry.


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