Brimstone Big Ale

Formerly brewed at Wild Goose LLC (Flying Dog)
Style: Barley Wine
Frederick, Maryland USA

Serve in Snifter

UPDATED: SEP 26, 2009 Following suite with some of my regional RBers I got a 1998 bottle. The label has been lost by now but the nice wax covered head is all intact. As usual the wax is a bitch to take off. Brought out the snifter glass for this one. Pours with a humongous head, unbelievable unless seen I saw it with my own two eyes. However, the head fades quickly and leaves barely any lacing. Color is dark copper, very murky with zero clarity. Aroma is great and I got to agree on the Flemish Sour smell - wild, tart, sweet and sour strawberrys, amazing. Beneath that there is a present barleywine plum/raison malty aroma. Taste is simlarly a mix of sour and sweet berries with a very low malt presence. Mouthfeel is very nice as well, lively and tickles the cheeks. Very light mouthfeel. No hint of alcohol throughout , especially 13%. I mean just amazing what was accomplished with this beer, I wish I picked up more of this. 10/4/8/4/17

1999, shared badgerben. Man, I never thought I would get to try another bottle of this beer and especially a different vintage. This one was not infected, darn. But its still a damn fine barleywine. After a decade its still not showing a lot of signs of age. I got no cardboard. Its still full of sweet malts, some tea flavors, and a light bitterness from the malt at the end. Can go for a while longer. 8/3/8/3/15

This looks like a great barleywine - with a frothy, huge, long-lasting head over a dark mahogany body, cloudy. The aroma is very sour, and indeed much like a Flemish sour ale. Tart cherries, mixed with lots of sugarcane. The flavor is a strange blend of the barleywine-heavy-sweetness mixed with some kind of lambic or sour ale. It reminds me a little bit of Ommegang’s 3 philosphers, which I quite like. This beer is very interesting, to say the least.

Bottled October 1998 - wow, huge carbonation, ruby hue with a well-sustained head, cloudy body - very flemish sour-like aroma, with lots of overripe apples, cherries (skins and all), plums and a cider-like acidity - much more belgian than it is barleywine-like - some light caramel and toffee at first, but a dry, belgian sour character settles in soon after that - some kriek-like cherry and spice flavors hand around a while - I’m not quite sure what this beer was supposed to be, but after 8 years in the bottle (at least in THIS bottle), it has turned into something great.

UPDATED: MAY 19, 2008 Slob gave me a bottle years ago and I consumed it nearly immediatly. And yet another in trade recently. Some edgy oxidation, but still a malty powerful brew that hints of mulled fruit, and refined sugar. Peaking or just a bit past. but yummy all the same. A great beer that has sadly gone the way of the Dodo.

UPDATED: MAY 25, 2007 (Vintage 1998) Wow I cannot believe the carboantion in this brew for being 8 years old. Large pfttt when I cracked up the heavily wax encased top of the bottle. Large offwhite head of medium sized bubbles with great carbonation for a brew this old. Nice sweet caramel aroma with a hint of sourness. Some wet wood and other dark fruits. Color is a dark rusty brown. Flavor is mildly sour with plenty of caramel, more wet oak, raisins, alcohol and a hint of butterscotch. Thick sweet and chewy palate. A little bit too sweet. Nice alcohol warming and bit of tingle on the gums. Finish is slightly sour with a thick malty coating. Not a brew for the feint of heart. If you like your BW with a hint of oxidation, this brew would be perfect for you. Can only imagine what this would be like when fresher.

1999 Vintage courtesy of Tim. Was supposed to be saving this one for a tasting, but it was opened accidentally by a brother-in-law. Oh well. Pours a deep dark old barleywine color. Notes of date and caramel on the palate lead into prune, caramel, bourbon, toffee, and just a hint of unpleasant funk, likely due to its age. Solid finish. Headache inducing!

Very strong,It has been years but Frederick never steered me wrong. Sad 2 see this brewer go.Worse is rate beer deleting retired brews!!!42 percentile This brew deserves better.

Spanish Eddie (baby) supplied this 1998 beer that may well surpass my actual rating as right now I’m on my (8th?) beer follwing the basement tasting of the previous night which was when I it was actually consumed. Not my fave barleywine, but quitegood none the less. British styleamped up? Imperial British barleywine (but not)?