Berkshire Holidale

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

Serve in Snifter

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2006 Release, Sampled December 2007
When poured vigorously the head forms a fat-two-finger thick, tan colored head that sits atop a brilliantly clear, dark, cranberry red colored brew. Chewy, sweet malt aromatics mix with appetizing hop aromatics. Aromas of toffee, sweet caramel, berries, kiwi fruit and a green, slightly vegetal notes something like fresh cut milk-weed and a touch of warming alcohol towards the end are all noticed. Really the herbal & odd fruit notes are what dominate the aroma; this ends up being not nearly as malty as one would expect from a Barleywine.

Sweet & fruity tasting up front, again berry notes and something a bit sharper like kiwi and maybe strawberry flavors are definitely quite noticeable. That milk-weed note is here in the flavor as well, though it is a bit reduced. This green note definitely lingers on the palate through to a lingering finish. A noticeable, though not overwhelming (more of a secondary note), bitterness is found throughout each sip. Caramelized malt sugars (which accentuate the fruit notes) as well as a touch of toffee, some lightly toasted notes and some chewy bread flavors play a supporting role here. This does not have as much heft as I was expecting it too, but it definitely has a fullness to it that makes this a sipping brew. A bit of warming alcohol mixes with the weird herbal note in the finish.

The flavors in this beer are just a bit odd, not nearly malty enough & the hops have taken a weird, not quite herbal, not quite hop fruity character. Definitely interesting though & worth trying, I wonder how much more this will change with a couple more years of age on it.

2009 Vintage Pours a deep reddish copper color with a good sized bubbly beige head that shows great retention. Smells of caramel and brown sugar with a hint of ethanol and a touch of oxidation. Taste is a bit on the malty side up front. Lots of sugary sweetness that gets beaten back by and earthy and a muddled buttery harshness. Long lingering sugary and butterscotch sweetness. Medium body and level of carbonation and a sweet bubbly mouthfeel. I really enjoy the coffeehouse porter from Berkshire, but most of their other beers strike me as too heavy on the diacytyl. Decent beer, but not great.

bottle from Jenray, i was intrigued by this .. . pours a muddy tan .. medium foam head, light slashes of lacing .. . figs, cherry, chocolate tar, and De Gea .. . light mouth .. . doesn’t drink like a 9.5 barleywine! .. . . Sneaking beer into work is easy. Especially when it’s already inside your stomach.

Thank you Siobhan for picking up the 2011 version of this beer. Poured from a large bottle into a trappist style glass to drink. The beer was cloudy and thick, with a dark amber color and almost no head, save a very thin, bubbly, white head without any retention and minimal cling. The aroma had some earthy and grainy hops, but featured a candy and sugar mixture, along with some spices, a bit of caramel, and some dark fruit scents. It tasted predominantly sweet with a candy flavor mixed with some sour fruit tones and a touch of grain, but very little bitterness at all. The body was pretty thin and dry without much carbonation, fizz, or liveliness. There was a distinct presence of alcohol in the taste, and it had a dry finish.

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.