3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
Thanks to Alcoholist for sharing this. Pours a cloudy copper with an off-white head. Rich malty aroma. Hints of alcohol. Notes of fruit. Flavor is rich and rewarding. Full-bodied, creamy, big and beautiful. One of the best barley wines available. Wish AleSmith was more available in the Midwest.
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
750 ml bottle-pours a cloudy ruby red appearance with nice off white head. nice sugary, malty and hoppy aroma that was very strong. smooth palate and silky mouthfeel. licorice notes on the finish. This is a top notch barleywine. thanks to BigBastard for sending it to Whaleman.
4.4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
Reddish-orange body and fading soapy white head. Piney hop nose with some medium toasty malts underneath. Juniper, pine, and nutty notes in the flavor. Tastes great. Excellent full body. Thanks to BigBastard for this fantastic brew.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Pours a cloudy amber with a thick dissipating head. Big malts and caramel aroma. Sweet flavor followed by a bitter hop finish. Great body. Very nice.
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Hazy amber coloured body with a thin but nice tan head. Aroma of many fruits, spicey flavours, alcohol and a strong malt. Medium to Full-bodied; Sweet flavour with fruit and malt the most noticeable, but not harsh in any way. Honey, caramel, oranges and hops are present in the aftertaste. Overall, a great barley wine, simply put: one of the best i've ever had! I got this beer in a trade back in September 2003 from Dave (Rodolito)...thanks again!
4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 16/20
apricot nectar color, fruity malt, dried fruit, not overpowering in its sweetness, finish that just won't quit
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 16/20
Fantastic barleywine. Aroma is sweet malt, caramel, hops, and alcohol. Thick mouthfeel that makes for a long, lingering finish. Flavor is as expected, flavorful malt sweetness and floral hops, some alcohol. Another winner from Alesmith.
4.5 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
(22oz bottle) Many thanks to TChrome for making this available to me. Pours a copper body and a medium white head. Hoppy nose, grapefruit, floral. Balanced with biscuit malt, cascade hops, bubblegum. Tart with marshmellow finish. Very, very good! Thanks again TC!
4.2 AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 16/20
UPDATED: JAN 16, 2005 2003 green bottle, cheers CapFlu Hazy orangey amber, very sticky off-white head, fully diminishing into a beautiful film. Aroma displays extremely complex malt profile which I’m bound to fall in love with. Potent maple, honey, caramel, cookies, molasses treats. Assertive fruitiness (lots of mango, plenty of peaches, dried bananas, oranges, watermelon, cantaloupe). It smells thick too with notes of bubble gum and brown sugar. Hard to describe overall, but every flavor is well presented and balanced by a subtle hop character and frankly, the best dessert pie never smelled that good. Taste displays more of that bubblegum I adore along with that chemy melon and soft marshmallows. After a few sips, the bitterness gets very pronounced, grapefruity, dry and bitter, a bit too much for me to appreciate in great quantities. It’s a little sad though because it’s my new favorite Alesmith and prefered California barley wine and there was more alcohol than I had hoped for in the taste despite being completely hidden in the aroma. Mouthfeel is top notch though, smooth as hell, velvety, chewy and creamy, medium-bodied and showing a perfect amount of carbonation. Did I say I like the aroma?
Upon resampling, the aroma is still remarkable, but the palate is really too dry and I feel it really takes out fmor the enjoyment. Agressive finish. I lower from 4.4 to 4.2.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
UPDATED: JAN 17, 2005 Re-rate (16-Jan-05 - 8-3-7-3-14=3.5): Sweet, round, heavy, dark and pendulous malt aroma with some hoppiness. Opaque, dark brown with large-bubbled, thin, tan head that recedes to cover. Heavy malt flavour seems dry and over-attenuated. Dry and very bitter in the finish. Quite roasty. Overbalanced towards the bitterness. Mild fruitiness and light phenols are overwhelmed by the hops. Definite strong alcohol flavour and warming. Very dry, somewhat puckering. Low carbonation. Bottle (2004) enjoyed back-to-back with the barrel aged version with asheft, beerbuzzmontreal, MartinT, muzzlehatch, Rastacouere and Yowie.
Original rating (3/21/04 - 9-5-8-3-14=3.9): 2003 edition. Citrusy grapefruit (cascade hops?) clean refreshing nose with a biscuity malt aroma and lots of fruity esters - banana, peach, apricot, plum - maybe a bit of bubblegum. Glowing orange colour with decent white head that recedes with good lacing. Big hop flavour with excellent supporting malt base - toasty, biscuity. Hops are citrusy with a vegetal undertone. Nice and complex. Some yeast flavours noted as well. Mouthfeel is incredible - thick, chewy, smooth. Big body. Some sherry sweetness. Just a bit sticky with a dry finish. Hops build and become a bit much by the end of the drink. Seems like an Imperial IPA. Green bottle.
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