Arcadia Cereal Killer Barleywine

Brewed by Arcadia Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Battle Creek, Michigan USA

Serve in Snifter

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From now on, I will only be buying beers with "Killer" in their titles. To wit, the last three beers I bought were: Pink Killer, Boulder Beer Killer Penguin Barleywine, and this, Arcadia’s Cereal Killer Barleywine. Well, here I am tonight, getting dru- I mean, winding down after the long day, and I realize I hadn’t been reviewing barleywines as much as I used to. So I dug out my notes taken recently at a local gathering. Appearance: Pours a medium amber, mahogany-esque body with a foamy, khaki-colored head. Smell: Alright, right away, you’ll notice just how boozey the aroma is. Those disdainful of a strong, alcoholic scent might have difficulty progressing much further, but beyond that you’ll find plenty of caramel, with minor notes of chocolate, raisins, and even cherries. Taste: From the start, there’s a strong, consuming sweetness with flavors of toffee, fresh-baked bread, burnt sugar. There’s some hints of vanilla, cherries, and dark fruits mingling around in there as well. While there is a hop presence to this beer, its just enough to add a bit of bitterness to an ultimately sweet finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body, with the creamy nature of the brew in addition to the overall soft carbonation helping to elevate it from being merely ’medium’. Drinkability: While never overly complex, I found it to be quite nice, quite drinkable, and it really delivered when I was looking for a beer with a lil’ "kick" to it.

Pours a syrupy cloudy brown. Aroma is honey and grape mixed with earthy grains. Taste is very sweet up front followed by a stingy spiciness mixed with alcohol burn. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

12 ounce bottle from Tooch. Thanks! Poured from a bottle into a mini snifter. Appearance is a dark copper, nearing a reddish hue. Minimal white foam head. Aroma is reminiscent of hand sanitizer and cinnamon. Taste is mostly burn and grainy alcohol with a finish that reaminds me a lot of fireball candy.

Murky dark brown pour with almost no head. Great caramel malt aroma along with some grassy hops. Starts off with a great sweet caramel malt taste, nice bitterness and hoppiness, but then hot alcohol in the finish. Way too much alcohol taste. Would be great otherwise. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Bottle pours cloudy medium brown with minimal head. Taste sweet caramel malts, some dark fruits and bread. Aroma similar to taste. Palate full without being sticky or syrupy, had a nice bite and alcohol burn. Finish mild hops, brief. Alcohol apparent.

I liked this one, sweet but not cloying, a very solid barleywine.

First taste presented an unexpected sourness - not sure how common that is with this one. Burned orange zest. Slight firey sugar cane sweetness. Medium body. Dark sanguine color with little head. Muddled flavor but a distinct sharp bite.

Bottle, poured a thick and cloudy brownish color, light head. Aroma is oak, caramel, cherry, raisin. Med-light sweetness, Med-light bitterness. Medium heavy body, sort of thicker texture, soft carbonation. Bitter finish. Alcohol bite. Interesting barley wine. Big malty start with some sweetness, followed by hop bitter finish.

Smells fruity, like cherries, but definitely bready as well. A little alcohol. Looks dark red, maybe closer to an red/brown, as well as hazy. Starts off with some fruitiness, like cherries, moves toward the malts and raisin flavors, and finishes VERY strong with alcohol. At 10% I was expecting big, but this could be overwhelming. The palate is great, silky and heavy. Overall, I have 3 left to drink, I will be aging one for a few years but the rest will be enjoyed.

Cask at Map Room in Chicago. Medium dark brown pour in the glass. You. An still see through it. Foamy but thin off white head that is short lived. Faint port wine nose. Taste is ruby port with hops. I’m not sure I’ve tasted anything like this before. Interesting. Slightly slippery in the mouth. Would like to age some for 9-12 months and see how it changes.

Bottle. Dirty orange pour with a minimal white head. Nice aroma of caramel malts and rich fruit. Nice slick palate. Taste is dark fruit, bread, and caramel. Really nice brew.

Sample at Ale Wine & Spirits in Powell on 02/16/2012. This brew pours a hazy brown color with a medium beige head that recedes slowly. Partial rings of lacing on the glass. Aroma of roasted nuts, grassy hops and caramel. Full-bodied and smooth with flavors of doughy malt, caramel, hops and nuts. The finish is roasty with a lingering burnt malt aftertaste. Above average overall.