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AleSmith Old Numbskull 4.03 774

AleSmith Old Numbskull

Percentile
100
overall

bottled
common

on tap
available

Broad Distribution
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RatingsAverageScoreABVStyle PctlServe in
7744.04/5.04.03/5.010%98.2Snifter
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.
 Most Recent Top Raters Highest Ratings Who's Rated This?  
 MesandSim (5999), London, Greater London, England
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/517/20
Apr 16, 2008  
A Mes rate: Bottle at Tom’s UGT Pt. 2.
Awesome amber colour with a thin white head. Very well balanced malt and hops, Alesmith ROCK for not over doing this one. Big alcohol finish. Lots of vanilla and caramel. Glorious but delicate hoppage. Not massively complex but I just liked everything about this. Plus it’s bigger brother is one of the few US barrel aged beers that I have enjoyed so far.


 BMan1113VR (2981), Los Angeles (and Dallas), Texas, USA
4.4 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/105/518/20
Apr 15, 2008  
Silver foild around the cap. Bottle apperance fits 2003 discription. Pours with a creamy, off-white head. Hazy amber body. Aroma of roses, peaches, prunes, raspberries, caramels, pralines, brown sugar, and so many other things. Taste is mainly creamy caramel and fruity flavors. Creamy mouthfeel.


 ilovedarkbeer (1369), Dallas, Texas, USA
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/105/517/20
Apr 14, 2008    Updated: Jun 13, 2008
Big thanks to BMAN1113VR for bringing this back from California.Tasty BW. Pours a reddish caramel color with an off white head that has some sort of strange greenish highlights when the lights hit it. Nose is caramel malty sugar dark fruits. Taste is the same plus pralines and other nice sweet things. Mouthfeel is nice a syrup like and the finish is warming and bitter. Very good beer but my socks were not knocked off.


 Enjoyit (1787), Vadum, Denmark
4.3 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/105/518/20
Apr 14, 2008  
Clear amber of color with a beige/orange head. An aroma of bread, malt, hops, citrus and weak notes of caramel. A flavor of raw malt, bread, hops and citrus.


 hombrepalo (790), Chicago, Illinois, USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/517/20
Apr 14, 2008  
Thanks big time to ODEED. Pours a cloudy reddish-brown with a small off-white head. The aroma: WOW! Aroma of fresh hops, citrus, caramel and roasted malt all combined in a great way. The flavour: Ka-Pow!! Starts off with a delicious citrusy hops bitterness and followed by a tasty malt sweetness. The 10% alcohol is barely noticeable. This a fantastic beer and one of the best Barley Wines I’ve ever had.


nparikh (20), New York, New York, USA
4.7 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
10/104/59/105/519/20
Apr 12, 2008  
25oz bottle, not sure of the age. Gold foil wrapper. An English-style barleywine (so on the maltier side), and the best BW I’ve had so far. Very rich and powerful aroma that flies right out of the glass: honey, caramels, dried fruit, malts, treacle. Taste was a complex layering of malts, but there are hops in the long finish. Full-bodied, velvet mouthfeel. Not an expert on BW, but thought it was really impressive. One of my recent favorites.


 TheEpeeist (1501), Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, USA
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/103/517/20
Apr 11, 2008  
25.4 oz bottle, at least 2 years old. Light brown with some bubbly froth. Nose is caramel with a touch of butterscotch. Taste is caramel, vanilla and toffee with a fruity hop bite. Very good but not quite special.


 AgentSteve (1379), SF Bay Area, California, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/104/58/104/518/20
Apr 5, 2008  
Bottle, 11% listed on the bottle w/ electric blue writing. Pours ruddy brown with a two finger, frothy, cream colored head that lingers. Nose is sweet maltiness and dried fruit, along with some sugars. The flavor is similar in complexity and sweetness. Very solid BW, not lacking in any way.



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