Bittings Barley Legal Barley Wine

Brewed by J.J. Bitting Brewing Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Woodbridge, New Jersey USA

Serve in Snifter

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UPDATED: APR 2, 2007 500mL swingtop hand-bottle from Dorwart, shared at Dr. Bill’s get-together on 3/22/07
Dark mahogany with strong chestnut-auburn highlights, medium to medium-high clarity and a dark beige head that is medium, rather dense and laces light, while showing moderate retention.
Tons of sweet malt in the nose. Rich and soothing, with caramel unfolding in to sticky maple-toffee and plenty of sugary raisin-like notes as well. Bitter hop notes provide lots of pine/citrus, but it’s decidedly held in check by the massive maltiness. With warming, plenty of red fruitiness emerges, light buttercream and vanilla and loads of gooey caramel. Rich stuff!
Succulently sweet and creamy body has low, gentle carbonation and definitely coats the palate. Hops surface through the caramel and toffee-like sweetness to give a strong citric bitterness with modest flavor. Some pine-like acidity sits a bit too heavily on the finish, but it’s mostly soaked up by the malts. Clean and with a very inviting mouthfeel. Alcohol provides a bit of warmth, but is not overly apparent.
Take my rating with a grain of salt, as American barleywines are probably one of my least favorite styles, and I’m not a fan of sweet beers, but I can respect this stuff. The hops don’t kill you and the mouthfeel is great. A little more malt nuance and maybe some stronger aroma/flavoring hops (dry hopping) would prove beneficial. Thanks so much for the bottle, Jason!

This one is 10%. It’s heavy yet somehow still has a degree of grace. It’s like the Charles Barkley or Ferenc Puskas of beers. Has a breadlike aroma. Pours solidly brown from cask with a nice white head. Has a smooth caramel taste and it finishes like a jackhammer.

Draft at thebrewpub. Very very underwhelmed from this 10%er. I was hoping for a diamond in the rough and found a frog. Poured a dismal syrupy red body with "barley" a trace of head. Aroma of dry honey, cough drops, caramel, slight molasses and some green veggies. Flavor sadly is almost the same but add in lots of alcohol along with dry bread crusts and then tack on some dry old stalecaramel and toffee. Wek overall for a special beer.

Had this at the brew house... comes in a small glass which is a slight rip off but the taste is nice with light hops and a lot of malt. The palate is beautifully smooth and a little sweet... It is dark brown/red caramel colour and taste is nice. Good beer, wish I had more.

Pours amber with a small white head. Very faint aroma for a barley wine, flowers, brandy, and caramel. Flavor starts spice, cinnamon, with sweet caramel and malt, finishes strong and bitter. Tingly palate but very little carbonation if that makes any sense. Good beer, seems a bit watered down, alcohol is fairly well hidden, worth a try

Cask-pulled at the Brewpub. Real small glass and a real small head. O.K. it’s 10% ABV, but I should be able to get a pint like the other beers on tap. It was dark amber and slightly cloudy. The first sip left the impression of sweetness. Subsequent swallows confirmed it was a dry-fruit sweetness that was barely balanced by the hops. It was a pretty good barleywine. I was thirsty so I switched to something else that was served in a pint glass.

Pours brown with hints of red hazy smallish offwhite/beige head. smells glorious, big nose, full of lush cherry fruit, and malt biscuit cookie. spicy taste with minimal carbonation and perfect mouthfeel. great balance of hops and malts. although right now im starting to feel the hops are quite strong, still balanced, big juicey hops. great beer.

Sampled at "Central Jersey" beerfest-- like Sasquatch, this appeared for about two minutes then suddenly vanished. Copper colored with a honeyed pine aroma. Sticky/sappy pine and resin hops in a sweet honey malt body with dried fruit notes. Nice one to sip on the grass under a tree.

Handbottle from Dickinsonbeer. Hazy amber body with tiny, whispy cover of a head. The aroma is dark pitted fruits, caramel, light pine and citrus. The flavor is lightly sweet, toffee, pione, grapefruit, light cherry and raisins. Full body is soft and chewy with light, fine carbonation. Very nice.

Handbottle from Dickinsonbeer. Drunk on 5/24. Hazy amber color with small lacing ring. Roasted malty aroma with light tobacco notes. The taste was the same with semi sweet bitter hop finish. Full bodied brew, chewy and rich.

on tap-pours a tan head and dark amber color. Aroma is medium malt. Taste is medium malt, secondary hops. OK carbonation. Mild for style so for me, nice.