Cucapá Barley Wine (Centenario)

Brewed by Cervecería Cucapá
Style: Barley Wine
Mexicali, Mexico

Serve in Snifter

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Bottle from South Bay Drugs: I never even noticed this until it was pointed out to me by my friend but it sounded real good and like a real treat. The aroma is caramel based malt with a whiff of alcohol. Appearance is a dark mahogany color with a puffy small head which dies in a matter of seconds after the pour. Flavors are rich with sweetness and a bit of bitterness. Tastes range from a thick caramel you would put on a green apple to English style ale with cigar tobacco.

Bottle. Pours a dark amber color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity malty spicy caramel and dark fruit aroma. Sweetish malty caramel and dark fruit flavor. Has a sweetish malty caramel finish.

Pours a copper color with a small tan head. Sweet and fruity on the nose with plenty of caramel, sugar, and toffee. A light toastiness, some floral hops, and a hint of alcohol. The flavor has a mild bitterness, alcohol, and lots of malt notes. Some toasted bread, caramel, and toffee notes. A light fruitiness to the beer, which I find enjoyable. Not bad, but not my favorite either.

Not much carbonation when popping the cap. Pours a light tan three fingered head. Murky brown umber body. Sweet aroma. Wonderfully malty sweetness with an alcoholic backbone. Reminds me a lot of that British barley wine with the devil on the label, whose name is escaping me right now. Bit of warming in the throat. Probably the best Mexican beer I’ve ever had!!

Cloudy orange brown color with little to no head. Big malty aroma with some oak, caramel and port. Rich and sweet malty flavor with toffee, molasses and dark fruits. Could have used some more carbonation. Felicidades to this Mexican brewery for creating a bar that’s up there with its neighbor’s in terms of a tasty and solid barleywine.

sampled during the 2011 RBWG weekendthanks to Craig for this, probably the strongest Mexican beer I’ll ever have. Pours ruby brown with a medium off white head. Aroma is caramel, toffee, candied sugar and nuts. Flavor is caramel all the way, not overly sweet, there is some fig/apricot fruityness as well but it’s a big malty beer.

Bottle at RBWG Grand Tasting 2011. Pours clear orange/tawny, thin pale tan head, no lacing. Nose is sweet marmalade and toffee, florals, orange blossom. Flavours of oranges, toffee, brandy, booze. This was fine enough, above-average for a Mexican brew, certainly!

22-Jan-11 (750-ml bottle: Purchased 13-May-09 for $10.99 at Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido, CA) Shared at a friend’s birthday party, this beer was one of the big hits. It pours a clear, amber-brown color with an inch of bubbly, beige head that settles to a wide, creamy ring and a dusting. The malty aroma is nicely balanced between toast and caramel, with a developed bouquet of caramel candy, buttered toast, cocoa, earth, and mushrooms. On the palate, the beer is sweet, caramely and candy-like, but not sugary in any way. Cocoa and milk chocolate are balanced by a touch of tart, dried fruits like apricots and prunes. The beer is fairly earthy and woodsy from cellaring, and overall, the sweetness is nicely balanced with earth and light tartness. Medium-full in weight, and though sweet in flavor, it’s still dry and gently acidic for superb balance and drinkability for a barley wine. Light-medium carbonation on the palate, but a crucial touch of light acidity makes up for it, giving the beer a nice refreshing quality. A ring of lacing rests above several patches of foam. Overall, this is a superb English-style barley wine, and it has cellared wonderfully. It was such a terrific beer, I’m really happy I was able to share it with such a beer-smart crowd, which included brewers, bar managers, beer retailers, and craft beer aficionados.

750 ml green bottle from Jimbowood. Pours a thick auburn brown with a decent looking head. The aroma has molasses, figs, plums, dark fruit skins, and a dash of chocolate. Full carbonation. The taste has a very tea like quality. In fact it smells like tea after I got that aspect from the taste. I have to admit this is probably the smoothest 10% ABV barleywine I have had. Just so smooth and easy drinking. I was a little impressed.

Blind rating at New Year’s Eve Blind Barleywine tasting. 5 ounce sample. Bottle purchased at the Davis Food Co-Op. The bottle was about a year old. Vinous, slightly metallic, and a little fruity in the nose. Some citrus and scant booze is also present. Transparent amber body with a decent tan head and really nice lacing. Light astringent tartness to start, but it then becomes chewy, sweet, and caramelly in the middle. Finishes with a nice sweetness. I am really digging the chewy, caramel notes in the body of this. The ethanol is well-hidden. Unfortunately, the astringency to start is a little wack. Otherwise, this is a really solid beer.