Berkshire Holidale

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

Serve in Snifter

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%

2011 six year vertical 2006-2011, christmas eve tradition. Briefs on each. 06 was the english-style, held together so much better than the last year I had it, but no where near the toffee and vanilla from 2 years ago, still solid. 07 was the heavy hopped boldly American style. Bitterness was still there, but the finish was starting to get a little thin, still enough maltiness to be decent. Both the 08 and 09 were rye based varying on hops. Both were still boozy, yet balanced enough to the point where I thought the malts shown through very well. The 2010 after 1 year was doing so well, the hops were very lively and the malts were big, but the citrus element was bright. The 11 was fantastic fresh, not as overly aggressive with hops or malt and the ABV was well controlled. Decently successful.

Draft from Coalhouse Pizza, Stamford, CT. This is a pretty good barleywine that isn’t too tough to handle. With a dark copper body, this beer has a lightly sweet malty flavor without too much residual sugar flavor.

22oz bottle in a snifter. Pours deep copper with a lacy, off-white head. Aroma of caramel and cereal malts with a little spiciness plus some light hops. Flavor about the same. Nothing really stands out. Smooth texture. A decent beer.

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.

Bottle. 2011 vintage. Pours a dark brown color with ruby highlights and an almost purple hue. Small off white head. Nose is sweet honey, bread, brown sugar, cherries? Palate is smooth with a syrupy velvety feel, light tingle and bitterness in the swallow, tongue swells. Flavors of toasted bread, honey, cherrys, light floral hop notes.

Bottle… Farewell to ibrew2or3… Lightly hazed burnt-orange ale with a small, creamy, white head. Good retention. The subtle nose provides toasted nut shells, but not much else. Medium to full-bodied with buzzing carbonation. The balance is nearly perfect, but the flavor is mostly bland - weary malts and stale, minerally hops. Mundane, lifeless finish. Bottle courtesy of jtclockwork!

Reviewed from notes. Pours a moderate amber color with a thin off-white head and a tad bit of spotty lacing on the way down. The nose brings some spice along with caramel and dark fruits. A bit of sweet bread in the background. The flavor has caramel and sweet malt plus some dark fruits and a bit of winter spice. Medium body with spice and a bit of booze to go along with the sweetness. An interesting winter beer, though probably not something that I would seek out again.

Bottle with/from Sammy. Hazy dark amber. Interesting spice scent. Flavour has some dark dopplebock/dubbel like malt. Rubber, banana and yeast. Belgian sugar finish and ginger. Really grows on you. Belgian sugar BW. A Belgian Winter Warmer?