 kramer (1866), sunbury, Pennsylvania, USA
Mar 20, 2007
25 oz bottle, acquired in 2005, via a long ago trader. Pours a slightly hazy dark orangish copper colored body under a small tight bubbled off-white head that ran to a thin ring. The nose is heavy toffee and sweet caramel malt with lots of balancing hoppiness. A little alcohol, but not much for a 10% beer. Pretty well balanced flavor, for all that malt there’s pretty minimal sweetness thankfully. Nicely balanced with lots of bitterness on the finish. Surprisingly well hidden alcohol. Some notes of brown sugar. Mouthfeel is thick and full bodied but never sticky or cloying. Nice moderate slightly fizzy carbonation. This is the finest crafted Barleywine I’ve ever had. My second highest rated, but my first is Midnight Sun M, which is really a whole different animal. This was just so incredibly drinkable it went down faster than any other 10% beer I’ve had. I really tried to sip it but I just kept taking big gulps.
ElGaucho56 (376), USA
Aug 24, 2008 Silver foil, blue lettering, sliver color in the anvil, 750 ml bottle. Pours a ruddy brown with minimal head, pours a little stronger and thicker on the second pour. Nose is musty roasted rich malts with an underpinning of slightly minty leaf hops; very rich and full on the palate, starts with ruby malts then moves towards a lovely cocoa character before finishing with a warming oaky scotch character and a hint of leafy hops. Wow is about all I can say.
ucusty (1015), Wake Forest, North Carolina, USA
Aug 21, 2008 Bottle from 2006. Thanks to Paul and Josh for these bottles! Copper cloudy pour with a thick tan head. Rich malty aroma combined with a huge fruity presence. Hops, honey, caramel malts, and a little heat on the finish... Well balanced and it really mellowed out with some age. Another fine beer from Alesmith! N’yuk- n’yuk-n’yuk!
JMFG (1117), Florida, USA
Aug 17, 2008 Sampled @ Alesmith, RBSG. Kind of absurd that I had BA Numbskull (twice) already and didn’t try regular Numbskull until @ Alesmith, but whatever. Clear dark amber color, moderately thick tan head. Alcohol, hops, and spicy malts in well balanced proportions on the nose. Robust hops, spicy malts on the taste, lingering hop and heat finish. Another barleywine right up my alley.
derekbang (101), Indiana, USA
Aug 15, 2008 Good barley wine. Not much head and poured and amber color. Aroma was hops and citrus - similar flavor. Alcohol was definitely distinct - probably would be better after aging a year or so, because it was a tad "hot".
enginaaron (63), San Diego, California, USA
Aug 12, 2008 On tap tasting at AleSmith. Pours copper/amber with tan head. Very clear. Slight alcohol in aroma with some yeast. Very smooth with alcohol at the end. Nice maltiness with a sort of rich fruity or pear flavor. Overall good, but barrel aged would be much better, as is the case with barley wines.
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