Bass No 1

Brewed by White Shield / Museum (MolsonCoors)
Style: Barley Wine
Burton-on-Trent, England

Serve in Snifter

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

Hand bottle from goldtwins, big thanks Larry! Hazy dark brown pour with very little head. Super rich, lots of dark fruits, very nice. Flavor is a bit off, but still quite tasty, slight bitterness and a little warming, very good.

Gravity @ the Pigs Ear, London , 2003.
Wow what a start to a festival. Imagine this…. two weirdo blokes at long wooden bench, on the other side of the bench are 10-12 even weirder looking fellas and a 150 beers. Everyone is hung over accept the first two weird blokes. These two guys are shakin like leaves, DT, drugs, something… They walk straight over to the section selling ridiculously alcoholic beer. They order the Museum No. 1 Barley Wine and second top shelf ale. One of these guys is me and the other is SilkTork. He’s absolutely licking his lips with excitement drinking this thing. The superlatives are flying left and right and the notepad is struggling to hold it all. What a day what a beer. Crystal clear, rich, smooth and honey brown. Slightly cloudy. The malt and alcohol are blended wonderfully and nothing is disproportioned (quite a feat considering its strength). This is probably the silkiest thing I have ever had. An excellent rate.

BCTC 09. Oldest beer I have tried to date. 1902 Kings Ale. Remarkable how well this held up after 107 years in the bottle. The cork seemed to be a bit crumbled. Aroma is awesome. Sweet sherry, oak, vanilla, chocolate, faint cardboard. Not as much oxidation as I thought I would smell or taste. Flavors of vanilla and molasses, dark malts and semi tangy fruit essence. Not soured just a hint of dark fruit. Plums, figs. Smooth and pleasant to drink.

Hand bottle from cgarvieuk. Pour multiple shade of reds and browns with zero. There’s carbonation, but not head. You can see the oily, thick body though. Very impressive. Big, strong, and sturdy nose. I got toffee, chocolate, cherry, and a plethora of other fruity goodness. Lots of chocolate and toffee flavors here. And alcohol. Kind of on the boozey side. And not as complex at the aroma would leave you to believe. Still pretty tasty. Very big and rich. Oily. and warm. Clean finish. Man, I really wish I would have shared this. Sorry guys.

Tasted at WeeHeavySDs. Another awesome rarity. This isn’t from a 100yr old bottle, but rather from a new batch. Still very historic, interesting, and a special treat to try. Nice malty aroma. Deep rich brown amber color. Low carbonation. Sweetish. Mellow. Some sting on the tongue from the alcohol.

Bought this through ebay from England this past summer. Label says "July 15th 1977". Cork finished & wax covered,very dark brown embossed bottle. Time and air were not kind to this beer. The cork was very dry and crumbled. The beer poured totally flat and very cloudy. The color was dark brown. Aroma was heavy dark ripe fruit. Flavor was a chemically bitter YUCK. Undrinkable. *sigh*

Courtesy TheCheeseMan. Clear dark copper color, no head or foam to speak of. Light notes of tobacco and plum over alcohol, vanilla and oak-like notes and lightly peppery malts. Sweet malty notes over flavors of oak and alcohol that really lends a vinous character. Very low carbonation, but takes nothing away from the enjoyment of the brew. The taste has a zip to it that I really liked and am thankful to have been able to taste this treat.

Courtesy ChzMan. Clear amber/ruby/brown. A few tan bubbles. Roasted caramel, toffee, oak, a kind of savory acidity like a blend of black and balsamic vinegar (not unpleasant), alcohol warmth, old wood. Very complex, very nice. Full/medium body, lightly carbonated, viscous. Awesome english barleywine.

Oxford to Burton-upon-Trent is no short drive, especially when you are new to the whole concept of "round-about" and you set off from Oxford going south instead of north, after a somewhat embarrassing misinterpretation of road signs. (They’ll rent cars to anyone these days!) The Bass Museum Brewery is great. So I hear. Everything was closed when I arrived. And in spite of calling ahead and being assured Bass No. 1 would be on, the Coors employee I spoke to when I got there had never heard of it. "You must mean P2. I’ve never heard of Bass No. 1." (They’ll hire anyone at Coors these days.)

Hrumph.

Undeterred, I found the Museum pub, deep in the bowels of the visitor’s center, and not only was it open, Bass No. 1 was on. And there was much rejoicing.

Served in 1/3 pints, which pleased me very much. A beer like this doesn’t belong in pints. Rich, luminous russet brown with a small but very persistent tan head, lingering with an attractive ring. Wonderfully big soft aromas--plums, figs, cinnamon, fresh baking bread, marzipan, calvados. Flavor is a leathery warm chewy fruit, all soft and round; alcohol is very present, but with no bite or harshness sticking out anywhere. Finishes dry, with just a little earthy, leathery tannin. A rich, smooth beer in a way that is rather challenging to describe: it’s clearly a big, full body beer, but it never feels sticky or cloying.

This really is a fantastic barleywine. Worth the fuss.

BCTC. Many thanks to the incredible generosity of the RB crowd. Wish I could remember who brought this incredible beer. Thanks! Dark brown with ring. Oxidized caramel and nuts aroma. Toasty caramel molasses oxidization cereal and a touch of rust. Oily palate. In amazing shape after over 100 years. What an experience.