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AleSmith Old Numbskull

Score
10099
OVERALLStyle
Serve in Snifter

bottled
common

on tap
available

Regional Distribution

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RATINGS: 933   WEIGHTED AVG: 4.04   EST. CALORIES: 330   ABV: 11%
COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
Bottle conditioned.
Old Numbskull is AleSmith’s first barley wine offering. You may find the name "Old Numbskull" curious. Barley wine has its origins in England and tradition is to begin the name with "Old": Old Nick, Old Sampson, Old Jock, etc. Tongue-in-cheek is often the spirit in naming a barley wine. After drinking a glass or two, you may agree that Old Numbskull feels like a fitting description. It also reminds us of the Three Stooges, one of the greatest comedy teams of all time, so it’s meant to bring a smile even before the first taste. Exotic fruit aromas, along with clean ethanol, caramel, honey and toasty notes are present in the nose. At five months of age, the Numbskull flavor begins malty and the hops become more evident from the middle to the finish and linger nicely in the aftertaste. The aroma notes also show themselves in the flavor.

1999 - waxed cap
2000 - dated as such. Pictured at left
2002 - Silver foil with electric blue design and NO filling in the anvil spaces
2003 - Silver foil with electric blue design and blue filling in the anvil spaces
2004 - same as 2003 but with "Alesmith" below the logo in white lettering.


4
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
phaleslu (3177) - Saint Louis, Missouri, USA - FEB 8, 2012
750 ml bottle shared by Lynux- thanks again, Sean! 2009 vintage. Pours a clear, bright amber color with a small eggshell white ring. Aroma of caramel and toasted malts, toffee, dried fruits, brown sugar, molasses, and earth. Flavor of sweet, toasted, and caramel malts, raisins, dates, toffee, and some bitter earthiness. Medium-full bodied, with moderate carbonation and a chewy, sweet mouthfeel. Dry finish. Just a big, good American barleywine.

3.9
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
OmegaX (367) - Florida, USA - FEB 5, 2012
Snifter pour. Aromas consist mainly of cherries and dark caramel. Slight alcoholic notes, but not much. Some slight citrus from the hops, as well. Poured a golden amber color with a touch of haze and a very foamy head. Small bubbles. Taste was similar with malts that give off flavors of red fruits and luscious caramel. There was even a light grainy aftertaste. The alcohol disappeared in the flavor. Extremely well hidden. This is a very easy drinking barley wine. Another excellent brew from Alesmith.

3.9
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 6/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
Chipalsa (467) - Florida, USA - FEB 4, 2012
UPDATED: FEB 5, 2012 What a catch this one was. This gem of a brew poured nice and golden with a fluffy ol’ head. Aromas were mainly boozy and cherry with only a hint of roasted caramel. The taste was bright and complex like most barley wines, but had much more hops than others, and the alcohol was very well hidden. 11% percent!? Great!!!!!!!� A great big thanks to OmegaX for sharing!

4.8
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 19/20
Beerathon (18) - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA - JAN 28, 2012
The barley wine I’ve had, and it’s one of my favorite styles, so I’ve had many. The hop notes are beautiful with the decadence of the malt. Slight fruitiness in the aroma with that strong alcohol burn. Love this beer!

4.5
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 18/20
hollardustin (192) - Indiana, USA - JAN 27, 2012
Pours a dark reddish amber with huge creamy off white head. Aroma is very malty with rich caramel, honey, and some notes of piney, citrus hops. Taste is delicious with lots of rich sweet malt and the perfect amount of hop bitterness to bring balance to the palate. Very well executed barley wine.

5
   AROMA 10/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 20/20
MPosey (130) - , Georgia, USA - JAN 20, 2012
2002 bottle. I received it as a wedding gift from my brother. Pours a nice ruby red with a bright white head which quickly fades from the top. Strong notes of malt and carmel, as well as rasin skins. Sweet attack which fades to a warm and sweet, mellow, malty finish. A wonderful, wonderful brew.

3.7
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 14/20
PapaSkeetSkeet (551) - Corvallis, Oregon, USA - JAN 13, 2012
Brown, tan head, significant cloudy yeast sediment at bottom (nice). Aroma is caramel and resinous, floral hops. Flavor is straightforward, caramel obscuring the details of the hops. Medium, clean bitterness. Medium-heavy body. Drinkable. slight appricot, hint of bubblegum (just a hint). Not as complex/interesting as I was expecting.

4.1
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
dukeredhair (103) - California, USA - JAN 7, 2012
Aroma of toffee/ caramel/ malts/ brown sugar. Appearnce is reddish brown with thin head. taste is sweet with a hint of hop on the back end but little bitterness. Palate is a bit thin, wanted more oily, viscosity. Overall this is a really nice barleywine that would really warm the guts on a cold day.


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Rating Notecard:
Beer: AleSmith Old Numbskull Rating Avg: 4.04 No. of Ratings: 933
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