Dicks Barley Wine

Brewed by Dicks Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Centralia, Washington USA

Serve in Snifter

Bottle thanks to riversideAK. Pours a clear brown with a small ring of white head. Aroma of sweet malt, booze, molasses, raisins. Flavor of sweet caramel malt and lots of residual sugars. Ugh, so sweet and completely lacking in complexity. This was difficult to drink. 6/4/5/3/11 [2.9/5]

Deep red with a small tan head that fades fast. Light on aroma but what’s there is caramel, fruits and molasses. Strong malt presence with a lingering hop bitterness.

12 oz. Bottle with at least 7 months of age. Probably 2009 bottle., served at cellar temp. Pours Clear burnt sienna, with huge frothy eggshell head. Aroma of caramel, grass, perfume, lavender and vanilla. Still some great hop bitterness then a huge sweet malty note. A bit of a grassy finish, but great rich molasses after taste. Very lively on the tongue, but it really brings out some great flavors. Overall, only a tad too sweet and very complex beer, ABV hidden well.

It’s an odd sensation in your nostrils during the cold winter months: rotten apricots. But the most delicious rotten fruit could hope for. 2005 was a fruity year for Barleywines and Dicks Brewing made sure to capture the essence of sweaty pears, moist apples and rotten mandarine oranges. 4 years ago I was enduring the blight of cold and snow of Northern MN at this time, desperately unlucky to be unaware of barleywines. NO LONGER! All things dreary and bleak melt away from you like an ice auger buzzing through frozen Lake Bemidji…or yer tum tum. Naturally, battle for that HUGE northern pike will tire you out and you’ll need some liquid confidence to see it through to the bitter, curse-filled, finger-slicing end. So while yer nose turns bright red because you think Seattle is “cold” in the winter—consider absorbing some Vodka through your feet and some ‘05 via yer mouf.

From an old rating note: 12oz bottle Kate brought back from Washington trip. Copper pour with a thin off-white head. Caramel, orange and alcohol in the aroma. Taste is caramel malt and citrus sweetness. Warm throughout.

UPDATED: JAN 21, 2011 12 oz. bottle courtesy of riversideAK. The beer has a clear copper color and a thin, beige head. The aroma is rich, malty caramel/toffee with some resinous hoppiness lingering in the aroma. The flavor is hoppy and surprises with how much the grassy and pine hops jump out in the first taste. The malitness seems a bit soft and is not able to balance this beer. I get some of the caramel and a little toasted bread, but am not a big fan of the hoppy barleywines. The alcohol is well hidden - or at least masked - by the flavor and hoppiness. This is medium-bodied, is very smooth and has a soft texture.

Bottle Pours a good brown with a thin off white head. The head leaves quickly, but laces well for a lack of head. Aroma of sweet fruits, and some toastedness. Has a decent carbonation. The flavor is good. Sweet but not an overpowering barley wine. Alcohol is blended very well and hard to pick up. Has a resiny texture. The body is medium. A good finish with a sweet aftertaste.

Bottle. Poured almost purple with thin fast dissipating white head. Aroma of citrus and caramel and raisins. Sweet raisiny flavour with a citrus and alcohol note. Alcohol finish. Not reallly bad, but not a winner either