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Score
10099
OVERALLStyle
Serve in Snifter

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution

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RATINGS: 1108   WEIGHTED AVG: 4.03   EST. CALORIES: 330   ABV: 11%
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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.


portableparty's rating

4.3
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
portableparty (1596) - Blaine, Minnesota, USA - APR 2, 2011
Bottle shared by DalzAle (Greg). Pour is cloudy copper with a creamy off white head that slowly fades to a film a noticable lacing. Aroma is sugar malt and faint vanilla and coco. Taste is hops upfront with a sugary malty coco finish (awesome). Palate is fizzy creamy and finishes dry. This is amazing barley wine, I want more (Thanks Greg)!


most recent ratings

3.5
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 14/20
Zita (3487) - Assentoft, DENMARK - MAY 20, 2013
light hoppy malty aroma,orange, clear, off white foam, light sweetness, medium bitterness, soft carbonation, nice hoppy finish.

4.1
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
VastActiv (805) - Oulu, FINLAND - MAY 18, 2013
Bottle 0.75l at Gallows Bird, Espoo. Helsinki. Colour is clear dark orange with small white head. Aromas and flavours: Fruits, raisins, hops and malts. Fabulous.

3.9
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 16/20
piscator34 (1798) - Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA - MAY 18, 2013
Bottled sample via and shared with oakbluff. Murky amber in colour with medium carbonation. Aromas are of cereal grains, caramel, and light hops. Flavors are of pale malt, bright herbal hops, mild caramel, toast, and booze. Not overly heavy, and super drinkable. Quite surprizing that the hops taste as fresh as they do inspite of the bottle being at least a couple of years old. Quite good overall.

4.1
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
mikkopen (662) - Oulu, FINLAND - MAY 11, 2013
750 ml bottle. Hazy coppery colour, thick off-white head. Aroma of caramel malt, dried fruits, grapefruit and pine. The flavour is sweetish fruity, caramel malty, with a finish of grapefruit, bitter piney hops and a little warming alcohol. Very enjoyable.

4
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 18/20
mnmike (609) - Minnesota, USA - MAY 7, 2013
Found a bottle in Seattle. Boozy on the palate and some fruitiness on the taste.

4.1
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
_angst_ (1745) - Göteborg, SWEDEN - MAY 5, 2013
750 ml bottle bought @ Systembolaget. Pours clear copper with a small frothy offwhite head that quickly dissipates without leaving much trace on the glass. Smell is sweet, slightly fruity and tiny herbal with caramel, grapefruit juice, biscuits, alcohol, pine needles, resinous wood, lemon zest, orange zest and hints of peat. Taste is sweet and bitter with crackers, caramel, biscuits, lots of grapefruit rinds, alcohol, pine needles, resinous wood, toffee and hints of peat and burnt cookies. Mouthfeel is soft, round, tiny oily bitter, slightly boozy and near full bodied. Finish is sweet and bitter with caramel, grapefruit rinds, pine needles, resinous wood and orange peal.

4.1
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 18/20
tdmuel (80) - South Carolina, USA - APR 20, 2013
Pours a deep hazy red with a light khaki head. Lots of hops on the nose, mostly piney and floral with a touch of citrus, there’s also lots of malt up front with a good bit of fruity sweetness and some caramel. Lots of malty caramel and breadiness up front, dark fruits like cherry and plum in the middle and lots of thick piney hops on the end. Medium bodied and well balanced, one of the better barleywines I’ve had.

3.9
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
Fukito (682) - Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA - APR 17, 2013
Slightly hazy brownish / copper with a medium, dense, off-white head. Aroma is dried fruits, cake and some caramel. Flavor is sweet with some toffee/caramel notes, dried fruits, some nuttiness. Full palate, robust, but gentle at the same time, nice sweet and peaty aftertaste.

3.8
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 15/20
spacecube (342) - Leeds, West Yorkshire, ENGLAND - APR 14, 2013
From a 750 ml bottle, pours a deep golden brown with a foamy head, malty aroma of caramel, biscuit and bready malts, balanced nicely with pine & citrus hops. Thick & slightly viscous mouthfeel with warming alcohol, aftertaste is crisp and balanced. Quality brew.

3.8
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 15/20
pentaz (460) - Frederiksberg, DENMARK - APR 13, 2013
Bottle. Pours clear amber brown with a good lacing frothy off-white average head. Aroma is booze, cheese, toasted malt, lime, caramel, toffee, ripe fruit, bread, hops and anise. Taste is medium sweet and medium+ bitter. Body is full, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. Finishes bitter and warming.


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