Avery Samaels Oak-Aged Ale

Pours a deep amber colour with a small, quickly fading off-white head that fades to a small ring. The aroma is extremely rich, with notes of fig and port, vinous malts, molasses, vanilla, wood and overripe fruits. The flavour is cloyingly sweet with a massive vanilla/oak presence, chewy caramel and turbinado. It is noticeably boozy and the fig and port complex is also huge in the taste. The palate is syrupy and full, obviously, with fine and lightly tingly carbonation. It’s not too intense, because I would never admit to that, but it is definitely overly sweet.

Bottled Apr 08 (Batch 4). Poured a ruby red with a thin off white head that settles quickly. Big oak wood aroma backed with caramel and vanilla. Light alcohol also in the aroma. Sweet flavor of vanilla, caramel, and toffee/butterscotch with an oak lining. The alcohol is well hidden in the flavor. Medium body that is sweet throughout. Toffee/vanilla aftertaste. Warming. Very decent barley wine!

Look is amber colored with an almost white head. Smell is sweet, molasses, honey, sugar, pretty good candy caramel smell. Taste is sweet toffee, overpowering sweetness, and some oak. Definete alcohol. Almost too much trying to go on.

Very malty aroma. almost smells like an apple cider with apricots. nice ruby red color. Amazing how little of the alcohol you taste in this but just too sweet for me. Can deffinetly taste the oak in the afterglow.

Light mahogany ruby color with a thin lihgt-tan head. Aroma is rich with raisins, prunes - big and sweet! Flavor is intense - sweet, caramelly honey with lots of stone fruits, and nectar. The oak comes through more toward the finish. Quite an exquisite finish to an otherwise absolutely fabulous birthday! Tasted May 29, 2008 at Birreria Paradiso in Georgetown - Washington, DC

Bottle courtesy of Nate. Pours orange/red with no head, clear, maybe a brown tint. Sweet sugar, caramel, butterscotch candies. Heavy alcohol prescence and spiciness. Taste is sweet, hard candy, syrupy honey, and molasses, some fruitiness, cherry and raisin, bubblegum, oh, and lots of alcohol. Very sweet. No balancing bitter. Just straight candy. Needs to age for a very, very long time.

Pours a one finger cream head that fades quickly to a ring leaving no lace. Murky amber color. Light carbonation and heavy bodied. Sweet alcohol nose. Flavor is a strong molasses and woodiness with late alcohol warming. Drink this cold. Pricey at $8.19 for a 12oz bottle from Yankee Spirits South Attleboro, Ma. 2005 vintage.

12oz. bottle. Poured a nice dark amber color, very little head. Nice malty/woody smell to it. Big warming alcohol in the first taste, went away quickly though. Very easy to drink, nice.