Barley Creek Old 99 Barley Wine

Brewed by Barley Creek Brewing Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Tannersville, Pennsylvania USA

Serve in Snifter

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On cask at the brewpub. Pours brown with a thick tan head. Aroma of sweet malt--medicinally sweet-- and acetone. Flavor is very very sweet with some sourness and booziness too. Not terrible but it’s good good either. Much too sweet. 6/4/6/3/12 (3.1/5)

Growler. Pours a clear dark amber body with a minimal off-white head that fades rather quickly. The nose is sweet with caramel and light roast notes, minimal to no hop presence. The flavor is quite sweet with burnt caramel and brown sugar, just a slight bitterness on the finish. A slight wet cardboard like note throughout. A bit of fusal alcohol lingering on the finish and it has a little bit of a medicinal quality to it. Medium to full bodied, a touch sticky on the finish with light fizzy carbonation. A pretty weak effort, sadly it’s what I’ve come to expect from Barley Creek.

Wow! This may be the worst one yet. The nose reeks of cheap alcohol. Pours from tab dishwater brown with a small brown head. Taste has a faint pruniness but doesn’t linger and doesn’t improve as it warms. It’s very thin and it doesn’t wear it’s 10% very well. Recommended only for people you can’t stand to see happy.

Cask at the brewpub. Aroma of toffee and earth, not much else. Flavor of sweet malt, nougat, orange and red fruits with some citrus notes. Only had a bit of this, was hard to tell if the sweetness in it would be wearing over a full glass, but it was pretty good for me.

Tap @ the pub. Poured a very deep chestnut brown color with thin off-white head. Fruity sweet malt aroma. Fruity flavor with notes of grape, cherry, and prunes. Medium bodied. Dry bmoderately bitter finish. Warming but otherwise hidden alcohol.

On tap at the Barley Creek Brew Pub. 2001 Vintage. Poured a deep/dark brown color with a very small sized off white head. Aromas of toffee, dark fruits, lightl smoke and light chocolate. Tastes of chocolate, hard toffee candy, some dark fruits, and tart grapes. Sweet with a ightly tart and sour finish. Alcohol content well hidden.

tulip at the brewpub. Very dark brown in color- almost looks like an English Old Ale, or something similar. Aroma is dark fruit, oxidized malts as well as some wild (sour) notes. Taste is oxidized malts, sour fruits, some nasty funk, and alcohol. I guess this one didn’t age too well, vintage 2001.

on tap-pours a light tan head and brown color. Aroma is dark/medium malt-dark fruit. Taste is dark medium malt- dark fruit/fermented cherry. Comes across as a mild, malty Kriek lambic/Flemish Sour Ale. Mild carbonation.

UPDATED: NOV 27, 2008 Revised rating 11/1/2008. On tap at Barley Creek. I’m sorry, but this is not the same beer I loved and enjoyed the last time I had it two years ago. While there is still an ample amount of fruit, this beer lacks the richness and silky mouthfeel that made this beer a standout for me. I don’t know if this is just an old keg or if there were strorage issues, but there is definitely some oxidation present, especially towards the finish. I also noticed some mild oxidation in my wife’s Wanderlust Chocolate Porter, which I know is a very fresh batch that was just released, so perhaps it is a quality control issue. In any event, I was disappointed with this year’s edition and hope future editions are improved.

Original rating 8/29/2006. On tap at Barley Creek. Served in a small brandy glass. Pours a very deep reddish brown with virtually no head. Holding the glass up to the light, there is just enough light passing through to see the color of this brew. Wonderful aroma of plums and raisins. The flavor follows the aroma with lots of plum and raisins. Not at all bitter. The alcohol is very well hidden and there is no bite at all. Very smooth and luxurious beverage. A winner! 8-4-8-5-16.

Draft Pours a clear brown red with very little head. Has a sweet aroma with subtle malts. Taste is sweet with a good flavor and a decent finish. Not much carbonation but not flat either. Has a good duration. Hides the high abv pretty well.