Berkshire Holidale

Brewed by Berkshire Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
South Deerfield, Massachusetts USA

Serve in Snifter

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Bottle. Pours a dark ruby with a thin off white head. The aroma was a bit sweet and fruity. Taste was sweet but not very complex. The beer was little bit too thin.

Pours reddish brown that starts with a heavy beige head that disappears as fast as it came. The body is clear with dark pockets, the nose is fantastic. Sweet fruit with a candy rum soaked back drop. Intense raisins and a vinos quality is very present. The taste is raisin, dark plum, black cherry, a very malty presence that really fight to be balanced out with the hops in the beer. The alcohal is faint in this brew, it starts sweet with the alcohal infused raisin flavor on the palate then moves to a berry fruitiness and finishes bitter. So many rides this beer takes you on and I can’t wait to take another trip.

Vintage 2005 as reviewed on 12/2/05.... Pours dark copper, hazy, with a huge rocky head. Settled to a thin coating, leaving behind ragged lacing. Yeasty and chewy nose. Bannana peel, peach skins, fermenting dough, caramel, fresh suede, and must. Finishes sweet with a bit of wet hay. Mediumish mouthfeel, chewy and lingering. A solid bitterness preludes juicy malt, toffee coated fruits, and leather wrapped bannana. Finishes spicey, bitter, funky, and a bit hot. A good candidate for cellaring.............. Vintage 1998, as reviewed on 3/12/08......... Pours clear copper, with a short-lived half-inch head of porous beige. Aromatics are still fruity, with light malt. Fading peaches, tangerines, and melons. There is also a mild offness similar to burnt foam. Some warming alcohol and faint wet paper round out the nose. The mouthfeel is medium, with light carbonation and slightly tacky. The pallet has lost a lot of it’s character, and has become somewhat limp. Dried citrus fruits, earthy malt, and a firm bitterness mingle with warming alcohol. Bitterness is faded and there’s a hint of vineousity, as well as that singed funk that was found in the nose. Finishes quickly with some lingering residuals and fading fruit juice..... Holding up extremely well for a ten year old, and oxidation is at a minimum.

Bottle, 2008. Pours to a deep ruby amber color with a minimal head. Very light on the bubbles. Aromas of some interesting tropical fruits are a little surprising -- banana and maybe some tangerine. Medium sized mouthfeel. Sweet and fruity on the palate. Slight flowery notes as well. The alcohol really does come out near the end of this one. Not bad, but nothing spectacular. Ill certainly try 2009, but in the mean time this isnt a favorite.

bottle. drink while watching presidential debate spoofs on snl... warms ya up... sweet alcoholy mix... gets ya ready for the cold winter weather

22 oz bomber into a DFH signature glass. Giving this another go after last years fiasco (multiple bottles from multiple stores that were oxidized and chill hazed) A - Hazy dark brown body with some red tints. Light khaki head with moderate lacing. S - Mostly sweet malts. Some bready yeast and dark fruit notes. Just a hint of grass and hops. T - Follows the nose. Very malt forward with very little hop presence. Pear and plum finishing with some bready yeast and a touch of alcohol heat. Mouth feel is medium and creamy, with nice carbonation. O - A simple but enjoyable barley wine. Its nice that its english style and the hop presence is minimal. Its also priced really well. Glad to have given this another try.

2008 Vintage on tap. Hazy dark golden body with thin whispy white head. Nose of candy (like candy canes, but not the peppermint kind), some butterscotch, toffee and apple juice. Pallate was really nice and mellow. Active carbonation and just a slight hint of alcohol warmth buried behind some heavy sugars and light malts. Flavors of caramel, toffee, meaty blood orange, sweet cherries and guava. Maybe even some honey and dry grain. There was certainly a lot going on, maybe too much, but the mild pallate really put up a drinkable 9.5%

22oz brown glass bomber. 2008 has a glossy label instead of the painted label. Appearance: Poured in a white wine glass for lack of better glassware. A thin white fluffy head, but no lacing. Red brown to mahogany. Clear. Nose: Brown caramel, sweet dried figs, wheat thins, fresh cream, rich dark pipe tobacco. Palate: Crisp with some immediate hop acids. Medium-bodied for a barleywine, especially and American one. Nutmeg, a little hazelnut, pine, orange and lime zest, dark brown sugar as well as freshly cut sugarcane stalk. Finish is moderately long, and somewhat astringent from the hop acids. Notes: A lot more hoppy than I remember previous years being. I always thought of this as a British-style BWA, but it’s clearly leaning towards an American-style one. Lacks a little body, I think. Could have used a little more sweetness to increase its aging potential. Better than I remembered.

A fine East coat BW. Like others from this region very sweet taste and aroma. Lots of spice that goes with the season and fits this style. 2003 bottle.

Drinks as the label on the bottle claims it will, with a long sweet finish. A great example of this style, Id like to get another bottle & keep it for a couple years, as I tried the 2010 version while rating this.