Bristol Old No. 23 Barley Wine

Brewed by Bristol Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Colorado Springs, Colorado USA

Serve in Snifter

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UPDATED: FEB 17, 2007 Hazy, burnt orange colored ale with a very small, creamy, off-white head. The nose is of caramel, chocolate and red apple. Woodsy and nutty. The flavor is sweet and malty and a bit astringent with an abundance of hops for balance. Chocolate notes. Full-bodied with a syrupy mouthfeel and soft carbonation. Lengthy, bitter, chocolatey finish.

12oz bottle acquired in trades with Kevin and snowtiger (thanks!). 2006 vintage. Poured a medium brown color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, chocolate, dark fruits, and citrus. Tastes of caramel, roast, chocolate, toffee, and lighter dark fruits.

UPDATED: FEB 12, 2006 On cask @ Falling Rock 2004 vintage aged in a port barrel poured a cloudy amber with a lasting amber head. Aromas of toffee, carmel, dried fruit,and a hint of wood. Palate was light bodied and dry. Flavors of dark cherries, apple, vinous, and notes of wood with a dry bitter finish.

2006 bottle. Deep amber-garnet pour. The nose is big and figgy with a little bit of rye-like breadiness. The flavour has a little bit of lightly herbal character. Rich mintiness and a touch of soft oxidation. Sherryish and a bit plummy. It’s aging quite elegantly.

Tap. Pours orange to copper with a small tan head. Floral hop aroma with caramel malt notes. Hoppy, dry pine and a sugary malt end. Medium bodied and dry.

2009 bottle thanks to jbye4334. Pours with a small and fading tan head over a very deep mahogany to ruby body. Aroma is quite pungent with dark fruits, raisins, toffee, port, sherry, cocoa, chocolate, plums, rum cake. Some oatmeal raisin cookie. Alcohol, dark fruits, sherry and a bit of soggy malts (wet dog) on the flavor. Decently sweet and decadent up front. Long duration, slightly bitter finish. Some bitter dark fruit and bitterness from tannin extraction from the grain. Full bodied. Alcohol is noticeable, but has mellowed enough so that it is not burning or presents itself as fusel. Full weighted mouthfeel, light bubbles and syrupy.

Bottle shared by TheBeerCellar2: Pours a slightly hazy copper bronze with a thin lightly-lacing off-white head. Soft sweet caramel and fresh noble hoppy aroma. Body starts with a somewhat syrupy caramel malty flavor and some fresh green lingering bittering hops in the finish. Fairly-well balanced but could use some aging.

2002 - Small ring or head with some small patches of bubbles in the middle of the dark burgundy and brown body. Syrupy, spicy nose of apples, maple and wood. As it swirls it leaves a thick coating on the glass, slowyly dripping down like molasses. Starchy and strong flavors initially, scotch like malts and some very bitter and dry hops... very interesting.

2005 bottle thanks to Crosling! Poured a hazy, fiery medium orange with just a light ring of white head. The aroma began with a huge blast of medicinal alcohol... had to dig deeper to bring out grapefruit and herbal hoppage... pears and raisiny notes deeper still... this was complex, but the booze factor was a tad too assertive.
Flavor also had a heavy booze factor, but it played a more complimentary role... accenting toasted toffee and darker fruit sweetness... moderate herbal and floral bitterness.
Lower carbonation gave this a tad of a flat feel... dry herbal bitterness and rum-soaked dark fruits at the finish... sticky and quite warming. Grew on me, but not toward the top of my list for the style.

12 fl oz bottle from the Bristol stand at the Coloorao rare beer tasting, Rackhouse, on October 10, 2012
Clear dark brown color, tan to light brown head. Malty, grainy, sweet, alcohol taste. Dry, citrus, fruity, bitter aftertaste. Medium to smooth mouthfeel, high bitterness. Fruity, sweet, alcohol scent.