 lagomswedish (206), Umeå, Sweden
Feb 1, 2007
Bottle from Systembolaget. This monster was born in 2005, so was around a year in the bottle before I unleashed it. Has a distinctly meaty smell upon first pouring - like crumbled stock cubes mixed with alcohol. After a while some sweet malt tones poke through.
Lots of rich caramel, apple, fig and sherry flavours, with a glowing spicey alcohol finish.
I’m tempted to take away a point or two for the bottle label, which looks like it was designed by a fifth grade art student in the early 80s, but fortunately the beer inside the bottle is a hell of a lot more attractive.
theviolet (166), New York, New York, USA
Nov 28, 2008 Aroma of dried dark fruits, and alcohol. I imagined it to smell much more strongly, but wasn’t overwhelming which was welcome.
Dark copper body with a very thin head. Laces well.
A much milder flavor than I imagined, and wasn’t overly sweet. Very balanced and enjoyable. Malt, fruit.
Not too thick, but still not the most enjoyable palate. Good carbonation.
Good barley wine. My favorite that I’ve had in a style I don’t really love. A good beer for someone not too versed in barley wines.
rustychiles (546), Mesa, Arizona, USA
Nov 28, 2008 On tap at the Big Pour in Mesa AZ. Pours a copper color with a small white head. Aroma of yeast, malt, hops. Flavor is malt fruits, caramel, citrus, sugars. Decent Barlewyine.
jimmack34 (161), Ohio, USA
Nov 20, 2008 Bottle. Pours light brown with thick soft head, Smells very hoppy, like grass, pine, and citrus, and like thick malted cereal. Tastes strong, very bitter and sweet, tons of citrus, pine, and very thick tasting malts and fruits, even carmel, as the flavor stay with you for a while. Warms you up as it goes down and the flavor intensifies at it warms. Excellent beer!
santoslhalper (252), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Nov 2, 2008 2005 bottle. 3 years old. A thin off-white head sits beneath a clear copper body. The head disappears quickly and it looks like brandy. The aroma is phenomenal. Age has done wonders to this. Dig, date, raisin, bourbon, port, cherries and caramel. The taste is absolutely sublime. Sticky sweet port and bourbon notes meld with bittersweet chocolate, coffee, caramel, grapes, cherries, berries, plums, raisins, and a great spicy finish. AGE THIS BEER! 3 years in the bottle makes for a masterpiece.
BeerBelcher (800), Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Nov 1, 2008 By barley-wine standards, this beer struck me as little better than average. I liked the appearance and aroma, but flavor and mouthfeel disappointed a bit.
This beer had a sparkling body with very minimal head. It smelled good; I noted what to me was a very pleasant cereal quality, and I am not big on cereal- or grainy-flavors. Flavor however was overly grainy, and without the the-mash-is-boiling-and-you’re-in-the-brewhouse notes that I got out of the aroma...more like a malted milk ball, which is not a flavor I am a fan of. Mouthfeel was pretty thin, particularly compared to some other barley-wines I’ve had lately, notably Old Crustacean and Curmudgeon.
Not a terrific effort for this style. I’d only weakly recommend it.
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