 CharlesDarwin (1323), State College, Pennsylvania, USA
Aug 23, 2007
Some mysterious older vintage. Possibly a 2001. #200 in Michigan. Aroma erupts with caramel, raisin toast and older brown sugars. Light oxidation somehow lends maturity, then lean on some sweet fruit esters for a complex bouquet in the nose. Pours a clouded amber with tan fringes. No head. Flavor is a rich, dense fruit creamed malt with astounding richness and full flavor. Brandy, fruit compotes, more raisin bread, and a smack of Indian Curry spices. Rich and toasty. Still virile as an older bottle, with some heat, but really for 15% it’s damn near camouflage. Tingles the nostrils a little. Nice leafy noble hop smack and nips of light chocolate out the backdoor. Awesome.
mgumby10 (1502), West Palm Beach, Florida, USA
Jul 14, 2008 Courtesy Rogueone. POurs a lightly hazy amber color, with pretty much no head. Smells of light bready yeast, big dark fruits, molasses, and caramel malt. Wow, didnt realize this was 15% til now. Really not huge on the alcohol presence for how big it is. Pretty good job of masking it, although it was definitely noticeable. A bit syrupy on the palate, the heavy malt presence dominated along with the alcohol. Pretty good.
pint_size (989), Austin, Texas, USA
Jul 13, 2008 6-18-08 bottle shared with lb4lb thanks to masonjer and d0b
Hefty amber brown thick pour with a thin creamy beige head. Smellis nice light malt. Flavor is hot and thick almost syrupy alcohol. Medium body and syrupy finish.
TheCheeseMan (500), Saint Cloud, Florida, USA
Jul 13, 2008 Courtesy Rogueone. Pours a murky, ruby-brown color. Aroma is dates, figs, raisins, burnt orange rind, caramel. Flavor is not sweet, as the aroma would lead you to believe. in fact, it is almost toasty. Way to drinkable for 15%.
Ibrew2or3 (1596), Safety Harbor, Florida, USA
Jul 6, 2008 2004 vintage courtesy of footbalm. Bomber pours clear copper with thin head. The aroma is rich creamy and yummy. I get creamy candy caramel, some dark fruity esters, some alcohol and a bit of vanilla. Amazing and interesting. The taste is the same as the aroma with chewy sticky maltiness, a bit of pine flavor non hop bitterness, caramel goodness and a nice warming sensation. This brew has aged greacefully. Wonderful.
pnista (862), Bloomington, Indiana, USA
Jun 29, 2008 2008 release. Pours a clear reddish brown without much of a head at all. The nose is sweet and full of alcohol. Figgy leather and light sharp raisins. Sweet caramel malt is balanced by alcohol. Full slippery creamy mouthfeel. A bit viscous with subdued carbonation, about right for the style. Big sweet round malt. Caramelly and rich with figs and dates. A hint of toast is the only thing I don’t entirely love with this beer. Not much in terms of hops, just the standard english sort of barleywine hop level. Not to say this isn’t a great beer! The finish has some heat. This might age well, but it tastes so great now! (And I don’t know if there is any left at my local!) A bit of Nyquil in the finish, but I like that!
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