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AleSmith Old Numbskull

AleSmith Old Numbskull

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 Percentile 
99
overall
A Barley Wine brewed by
AleSmith Brewing Company

San Diego, California USA

bottled
common

on tap
common

Regional Distribution
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 Ratings  Average  Score  ABV  Style Pctl  Serve in  Advanced 
6294.05/5.04.04/5.010%96.8 Snifter P  Stats

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 RecentTop RatersHighest Ratings Who's Rated This?
 greenhorn1 (367), Eugene, Oregon, USA
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/59/104/518/20

Aug 1, 2007  
750ml bottle. Pours a murky amber, little head, and large slow moving bubbles. Aroma is just as complex as the flavor. fruity, sweet caramel notes, and yes even a cinnamon roll. Flavor is delightful, woody, candy, hoppy, just the right balance. Nice long dry finish, with a medium to full body. This is an awesome BW, so many out there are just to harsh. Old Numbskull is smooth and relaxing.

 ElGaucho56 (376), USA
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/59/104/517/20
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
4.1 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
9/104/58/103/517/20
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
4.2 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/105/58/104/517/20
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
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
8/103/58/103/517/20
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
3.9 Aroma Appearance Flavor Palate Overall
7/104/58/104/516/20
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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