3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 15/20
FoBAB: dark amber with huge rocky off-white head. Aroma is all sweet caramel malt and mollasses, only very faint whiskey in the background. Flavor much the same. Huge caramel and mollasses, with faint bourbon and some smoke character towards the finish. Maybe the peat Philip mentions? Seemed a little out of place to me. Overall nice BW though.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
A nice, big, malty barleywine. Hazy reddish-copper in tone with a rocky off-white head, it had a sweet, fruity malt aroma with a good kick from the bourbon barrel aging. Warm with alcohol, it’s one of those barleywines that may be getting a bit too sweet. My notes add that "This would go swell with salted pecans." What a great festival! <font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/events-detail.asp?eve Third Annual Festival of Barrel-Aged Beers, Chicago, IL 11/12/2005<font size=-1>
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 14/20
An immense & rocky head (with awesome peak formation) held over a thick-hazed copper body with cherry highlights. Excellent, frothy lace. Big, heavy, fruity malts with a blast of bourbon in the aroma. Flavor was again sweetly malted, but possibly overly sweet and undeniably hot. (Did I say hot? My notes read "Acidic and Burning".)
<font size=-4>Sampled at <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/events-detail.asp?eve Third Annual Festival of Barrel-Aged Beer, Chicago, IL<font size=-1>
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Festival of Barrel Aged Beers, 2005. Lots of caramel and toffee here, butter, weaker on the bourbon notes than some of the other barleywines at the festival. Not as aromatic as some of the others either, but I detect a note of peat mixed with the classic barleywine nose that was welcomed. Again more on the maltier side than the hoppier, my preferred style. Finishes with a fine alcoholic presense, perhaps a bit over the top for some, but I didn’t mind.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
On tap: Big buttery caramel and toffee aroma with some light banana bread. Transparent reddish-orange with an off-white ring for a head. Lots of caramel and toffee with moderate banana bread. Finishes with a mellow bourbon presence and slight bitterness. A hint of chocolate lies in the background.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
UPDATED: JAN 8, 2008 Earlier Rating: 4/12/2005 Total Score: 3.7
Hard Liver 2005
2003 vintage, listed as Big Sky Old Blue Hair Barley Wine - Barrel Aged version.
Blind tasting for festival judging: Nose of woody tannins and oak with some light bourbon notes. Extremely thick body and sweet all around with some maple, brown sugar, toasty hops, but overall too many sugars, all malt it seems, with a lack of the bourbon presence noted in the aroma. Just my personal tastes, but I prefer a BW with more hop activity.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
02.19.05 Tap at Toronado BWF Rather dark brown for the style, maybe this is a trademark of Big Sky’s brews? Smooth, strong malt undertones with massive dose of PNW hoppiness, cascades, I guess, all over the nose. I’m surprised when told this one’s only 56 IBU as it seems quite harsh and big time hoppy and not at all oakey as the description claims. Lots of spice, alcoholic spice, and it’s maybe not ready for public consumption, but it will be someday, and I’m not in MT to enjoy it since I’m stuck in this hell called NJ and for god’s sake someone get me out of here before it’s too late. ;p
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
FOBAB’04: Dark caramel brown, straight shot of a fine whisky nose, rich chewy body was malty and strong, tangy, spicy. Long alcohol finish.
3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
FOBAB 2004: HUGE alcohol nose. Zoinks! Didn’t really have the characteristics of a barely wine, but more of oh, let’s say burbon. Though I must say it did remind me of Christmas morning -- sweet spiced alcohol.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
2/21/04. On draft at Toronado Barley Wine Festival ’04 in San Francisco, CA 2/21/04. Pours a very dark, opaque reddish-brown caramel color with a yellowish to dark tan head. Little lacing. Aroma is sweet caramel malt and fat floral beneath it. Nice butterscotch too. Flavor is sharply peppery with a light woody dryness. Sort of a minty twigginess as well. Too harsh for me. Body is medium-thin and dry. Finish is peppery, but does come through with a pretty nice balance. Needs to age a bit (at the very least, to mellow out some of that pepper bite!), and I’m sure the nose will be just awesome if it does. Still, pretty good.
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