Brewers Alley Black Frost Barley Wine

Brewed by Brewer’s Alley Restaurant & Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Frederick, Maryland USA

Serve in Snifter

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Growler courtesy of dkachur on 01/15/2011 at the 13th Richmond Gathering. Clear ruby brown body with a small tan head. Sweet malty aroma with lots of fruitiness. Very sweet malty flavor, some smoke and fruit flavor. Medium full body with moderate carbonation.

Reviewed from notes. Pours a moderate ruby color with an off white head. Nose is pretty sweet with a bit of light, sugared fruits, brown sugar, and hints of caramel. Taste isn’t as intricate, relying mostly on some sweet malt and a dash of booze. Somewhat creamy mouthfeel with a bit of heat. Drinks pretty well. My first offering from them. Serving type: on-tap Reviewed on: 10-19-2010

Dark red-brown, near sepia, spotty cream ring for a head. Very sweet, lightly earthy nose, not much malt. Body is ultra sugar, tempered by some berry, almost no malt and certainly no bitterness. Body is full on chewy, very low carbonation. Ultra sugary, not easy. 535210

Richmond 13th, growler courtesy of dkachur. Deep brown. Bready aroma, but sort of faint. Flavor is big - intensely malty, brown bread flavors with a bit of alcohol. Very nice.

(Sample Date: 1/15/2011 Source:Other) Very dark amber almost brown with small white head. Malty toasty aroma with lots a carmelized sugars. Flavor similar to aroma. Quite sweet and sugary. Some phenolic yeast character and hints of dark fruits. Medium to full body with full creamy mouth feel. Finish is sweet with high bitterness.

Sampled at the Richmond Gather XIII. Dark brown clear pour with decent near white head. Sweet and dark fruit nose. Big caramel and american hop sweetness. This is very good.

Growler from the brewpub, filled a week before opening, and shared at Richmond Gathering 13, 1/15/11. Pours a clear reddish brown color with a thin offwhite head. Decent head retention and lacing. Aroma of Big toffee aroma, berry notes, citrus hops, faint grainy note. The taste is big toffee, citrus, leafy hops, caramel, minty finish. Medium-full bodied. Nice beer.

Tap. Pours clear dark brown with a small, fizzy beige head, low retention and flat lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (cookie, caramel, chocolate, toffee, nutty), average hops (floral, herbal), and average esters (dried fruit) with notes of alcohol, dates, prune, and brown sugar. Flavor is heavy malt (cookie, caramel, toffee, nutty), average hops (floral, pine), and average esters (dried fruit) with notes of alcohol, dates, prune, and brown sugar. Full body, high warmth, medium carbonation, and low creaminess with a sweet finish.

Aroma is robust with lots of dried fruits, rich malt and a bit of alcohol in the backround. Poured very dark brown with a good sized head, but could not hold it at all, probably due to high abv. Flavor was lots and lots of dried fruit, especially figs, with a bit of raisin, and lots of malt. Alcohol is not very noticeable. Biggest complaint was the body it was both thin (for a barley wine) yet kind of syrupy. overall nice big ale.

Enjoyed this good beer on tap at the brewpub. It had a syrupy black appearance, with a barely existent, foamy whitish head, that was gone quickly. The aroma had some dense fruit flavors, with a touch of cherry, raisins, and perhaps some earthy hops. The flavor was also of dense fruit, with a syrupy sweetness, perfect for sipping. Slightly bitter finish, with a presence of alcohol detectable. A thinner, slippery mouthfeel to this beer, with low carbonation, and a clingy texture. One of the better beers the brewpub makes, and an aggressive, but well-managed ABV.