Alpine Beer Company Great

Brewed by Alpine Beer Company (CA)
Style: Barley Wine
Alpine, California USA

Serve in Snifter

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Poured a hazy amber color with a small, off white head that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of vanilla, strong oak, sticky malts, and bourbon. Taste was dry oak, light vanilla and dried fruits, sweet caramel malt, light citrus, and bourbon alcohol in the finish.

A: Poured a murky brown color with a small tan cap that fades quickly S: Caramelized brown sugar, toffee, faded hops, bourbon and some booze T: Bourbon, maple syrup, caramelized sugar, toffee, faded citrus hops, dark fruits and some wood Earthiness M: Big body, lower carbonation O: Unsure which vintage I sampled but I felt this beer was falling off and peaking already

Deep, dark amber color. Very sweet, lots of brown sugar, fig, nice bourbon aroma.The taste has the sweet caramel malts and raisins up front before giving way to the oak and bourbon which leave a tingly finish on the tongue. Full mouthfeel.

From notes. First reviewed 12/14/2011. Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a snifter. Lots of thanks to Dunt for bringing this over. The beer is a full brown bronze color with a small off-white head that fades to a thin ring around the edge. I have never smelled a barleywine that smelled this good, or that had an aroma that jumped out of the glass like this. Caramel, toasted malt, vanilla, figs, dates, and bourbon simply explode out of the glass. The flavor is sweet to start out. Vanilla, caramel, and dark fruits blend well together but also retain their individual characteristics. Dates and figs flow into a vanilla and oak bourbon flavor. The end is still sweet, but has a soft bourbon dryness to it. Full bodied, with soft creamy carbonation. The truly impressive fact about this beer is that it is 14% with not a hint of boozy taste. It warms my stomach, but that is it. A slight sticky residue is left after each sip. So far this is the best barleywine I have had. Enough said.

Tasted on 2/11/12 from a capped 12oz bottle obtained in a trade. Pours hazy dark amber with a thin beige head that quickly dissipates, leaving nothing more than a thin collar of lace. The nose is pretty hot with tons of burnt bruleed brown sugar, toasted coconut, vanilla, caramel, and tons of whiskey. The flavor is sweet caramel, toasted coconut, vanilla, bitter burnt brown sugar, raisin, date, fig, and tons of whiskey. The body is full and thick with light carbonation and a long whiskey finish.

On draft at alpine during sdbw. From notes. Pretty brown body with a sweet smell of bourbon and malt. Goes down so smooth. Glad I got a bottle to go home.

Aroma is a vanilla punch in the face with macadamia nuts and white chocolate. Intense, sweet, lightly burnt caramel, vanilla, and toasted coconut flavor.

Bottle from drewbeerme...thanks Andrew! - Pours clear rosy brown with a thin ring of tan head. Big sweet nose with molasses, vanilla, honey, cherries, and a touch of booze. Big dark bread and a touch of yeast....nice. Really smooth taste too--sweet and bready. Booze-soaked vanilla notes that end with a huge honey/toffee finish. Thick and viscous in the mouth with no carbonation speak of. A sipper. I like it, but it’s not my style and didn’t really live up to the hype.

dont know what was wront with this one, but it was a drainpour, and i dont do that often. total oxidation, cardboard, undrinakable past a couple sips.

Bottle generously shared by colonelforbin. Thanks Mike. Pours a golden reddish amber with no head and no lacing on the glass. The smell is glorious. The aroma is bursting with vanilla, coconut, caramel, some light alcohol, marshmallow as well as some bourbon. The initial taste is some sweet caramel followed by some oaky bourbon, marshmallow, toffee, and vanilla. All the flavors come together quite nicely. The finish has a slight alcohol burn, but nothing unexpected given the ABV. Medium-full body. No carbonation. It could use slightly more carbonation, but it is certainly amazing the way it is. Easily one of the best barley wines have had.

On tap at Alpine Beer Company Brewpub. An absolutely phenomenal BA Barleywine. Pour is a dark red/amber with a very thin head around the rim. Nose is bourbon, maple and lots of toffee and some oak. Taste follows the nose with a great amount of nice sweetness balanced out with malt and bourbon. Lots of dark fruit as well. I’m not sure there was a single hop used to brew this and that is more than ok. This one is very special.