Barleys Frambwha?

Brewed by Barleys Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Columbus, Ohio USA

Serve in Snifter

On tap at Barleys Ale House #1, Columbus OH, March 2010. Murky pink appearance. Raspberry on the nose. Much stronger raspberry on the palate. Sweetish but not too sticky. Didn’t realize it was 11.5%. Drunk pretty easily for that strength and wasn’t to boozy. Perhaps a shade fruit-heavy and, if there were supposed to be tart / sour notes, they were very subtle indeed. Couldn’t help feeling that, with just a little tweaking, this could have been a very fine beer indeed. As it was, it fell just a touch short. Still, pretty tasty and the pick of the beers on offer.

Tons of raspberry puree barleywine. And some hop. Pinkish colour with good white head, medium mouthfeel. Fresh, too fresh raspberry aroma. Fine for a fruit beer but one dimensional.

On draught at Ale House #1 and served in a snifter. The beer pours a murky orangish-red color with a minimal off-white head that disappears quickly. Sporadic spots of lacing on the glass. The aroma is tart raspberries with some malty sweetness. Medium-bodied and fruity with flavors of raspberry and malt, as well as some spiced hops. Alcohol shows up increasingly as it warms. The finish is tart and fruity, leaving a raspberry and wheat aftertaste. Decent all around.

Snifter at the Alehouse. Opaque light brown pour with a thick tan head. Aroma is immediately raspberry and I can tell they used real fruit because it’s a little feety. Also some malt and caramel in there. Flavor is raspberry and sweet malt with some caramel and a boozy finish. Pretty good, but could stand to be a little lighter on the fruit so the other flavors come out more.

July 17-19, 2008: Barley’s #1 Imperial Raspberry Wheat (a.k.a. Frambwa?) has an amber-pinkish color and is cloudy with a slightly pink foamy head. A mild fresh raspberry aroma also contains some underlying wheat maltiness. lots of fresh raspberry flavor is followed by a hefty wheat malitness and accompanying alcohol. This beer is a bit sticky on the palate. It is like a raspberry malt liquor beverage with more body, wheat creaminess, and a fuller mouth feel.

Draught sample at the Oak Room in Athens, Ohio during Ohio Brew Week 2008. Rating #11 for this beer.

Multiple glasses from a growler. Pours a cloudy pinkish/orange/amber color with a small off white head (initial pour only). The aroma had the raspberries as advertised along with some grainy malts. The flavor is more big fresh raspberries, grainy wheat malts, and some alcohol. The 11.5 % does show at times. Full bodied and syrupy yet smooth. As a barleywine, this is too fruit heavy and lacks complexity. As a fruit beer, it doesn’t stand up to the best out there. I did find this enjoyable enough to have more than one glass. Rating #13 for this beer.

On tap @ the Alehouse: Pours a hazy dull red with a light tan head. Aroma, raspberries, wheat, caramel. Flavor, smooth and creamy body with a big malty sweetness, caramel, toffee notes, hints of alcohol and some heat on the finish. Lots of sweet and tart raspberry notes.

Hazy amber color with a tiny beige head. Aroma of raspberries. Flavor is very sweet, with raspberries, grain and some alcohol. Good