Amber; aroma of sorbitol candy, oranges, earth, and pine. Strong malt - a somewhat one-dimensional malty barley wine. English style.

<b>Date:</b> 03/17/2006<br /> <b>Mode:</b> Bottle<br /> <b>Source:</b> Tasting<br /> <b>Vintage:</b> 2005<br /> <br /> clear orange amber, whispy head, semi sweet carmel malt aroma, rich calmel malt flavor balanced by earthy hops, very mellow<br /> <br /> <b>Aroma:</b> 5/10; <b>Appearance:</b> 6/10; <b>Flavor:</b> 6/10; <b>Palate:</b> 5/10; <b>Overall:</b> 10/20<br /> <b>Rating:</b> 2.7/5.0<br /><b>Drinkability:</b> 7/10<br /> <b>Score:</b> *4<br /> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /> <b>Date:</b> 06/30/2007<br /> <b>Mode:</b> Bottle<br /> <b>Source:</b> Tasting, Cellar Party<br /> <b>Vintage:</b> 2006<br /> <br /> clear dark amber, frothy beige head, drops of lace, rich dark caramel malt aroma with lots of earthy hops, rich dark caramel malt flavor, rich fruity character, light balancing biterness considering the rich malt<br /> <br /> <b>Aroma:</b> 7/10; <b>Appearance:</b> 6/10; <b>Flavor:</b> 7/10; <b>Palate:</b> 6/10; <b>Overall:</b> 15/20<br /> <b>Rating:</b> 3.5/5.0<br /><b>Drinkability:</b> 7/10<br /> <b>Score:</b> **4<br />

22oz bottle acquired in trade. 2006 vintage. Poured a medium to deeper orangish / amber color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, raisins, plums, and an all around christmas smell (spruce and spices). Tastes of caramel, dark fruits, vanilla, and citrus. Alcohol content well hidden.

2005 bottle thanks to OldGrowth: Pours a transparent copper orange with a thin wispy, lightly-lacing off-white head. Aroma of orange spice, some caramel malt and alcohol. Starts with some mild toasty caramel maltiness and light orange peel spice with a light peppery warming finish. I’d like to see a little more malt and hops in this.

<i>Impressions from the YeHa! party:</i><br /> -A ring of foam surrounds the nearly clear orange-red.<br /> -Some tartness and pickled fruitiness mars the sweet aroma.<br /> -Cherry fruitiness and incongruous caramel don’t like each other, which is disturbing.<br /> -The well-fed body offers no complexity at all, and mostly shows signs of disease.<br /> -Vegetable tones and intrusive tartness slash the sweet malt finish.<br /> -Hops are completely confused here, and don’t know where to make their presence felt, dizzied by their nervous companions.<br /> -Oh yeah, woohoo for cardboard.<br /> -I usually expect a barley wine to be a serene yet powerful evening sipper, a nourishing reward to myself for a tiring day. This fails miserably in this aspect, and also as a simple, flavorful strong ale. I don’t want to generalize as it seems there are some good bottles of this around, but I can say I will definitely avoid this 2005 vintage.<br /> <br /> <b>Bottle; 2005 vintage.</b>