Callahans Old Thornton

Brewed by Callahans Pub & Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
San Diego, California USA

Serve in Snifter

This beer was so unpleasant I had to send it back. The diacetyl levels made this beer taste like a stick of butter. The only use for this would be on top of popcorn or maybe toast.

No head, caramel color. Nose of diacetyl and caramel. The flavor is pure butterscotch. If you called this butterscotch ale, it would work, but this is a cloying spoiled strong ale.

Draft. Dark Brown/Amber with a pretty decent head. Aromas were mostly dark fruit and some caramel. Flavors were a bit more vinous with some alcohol in there too. Very smooth. Pretty good too.

Dark ruby/brown color with just a wisp of beige head. Light sweet nose. Flavor was flat and all sweetness, no hop presence. Pretty light weight (in flavor) for a barley wine.

I had this beer alongside the almight dumbass "21iceman40"...the beer poured a dark amber color that bled a solid red and sported a thin halo of froth...sweaty hops, liquored cake, and nectarines filled the aroma...a smooth body was a nice plain for malty tones and hoppy balancing with hints of mint leaves and lemon..

UPDATED: APR 29, 2003 So, I was told that this was one of the greatest places to enjoy great beer, well, all I was able to enjoy was a horrible collection of old ass men attempting to re-create the "i would walk one thousand miles song". damn did this place not live up to the low expectations. and this beer sucked for the most part. Very boring on the flavor and aroma. Reminds me of cherry pie filling and brandy. straight forward brown/copper feel to the color, and not much snow on the mountains.