Dominion Millennium

Brewed by Old Dominion Brewing Company (Coastal Brewing Co.)
Style: Barley Wine
Dover, Delaware USA

Serve in Snifter

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

(Thanks to J. Mallett, got hold of a 1995 vintage) Hazy chestnut colour; originally thick yellowish head, immediately reduced to 0.5 cm. Nose is a superb combination of portwine, nuts, fruit (orange) and - very strange - something reminding me of raw egg. The sweet, rich, fruitcake and banana taste is as expected, but surrounded all the time by a respectable hopbite, very American. Again the beer has a surprise flavour in waiting for me : like the flavour/aroma of incense, mixed in Marssala wine. Also some tobacco in the finish. Rich, very filled and creamy mouthfeel. Alcohol obvious, warming. Great, rich beer. Leaves nothing to be desired.

Sickly sweet hay and old fruit aroma. It's the usual barley wine smell, and it is nice. Tastes of old fruit, yeast, bread, and hay. Somewhat strong on the lips and throat, but not offensive. Buttery finish, with a pleasent, thick mouthfeel. Thanks Kinz.

UPDATED: FEB 14, 2005 (1998 bottle in March 2004):

Earthy maltiness hugging light citrus and yeasty cocoa…Hefty pine hops kissing the muscular dark malt body but do not linger very long…Aroma promised much more than the mouth delivered in this nonetheless excellent example of a delicious style…9/4/8/4 16/20

(2004 bottle in 2005):
Resinous, floral, citrusy and woody hops converge rigorously with the molasses, honey and cough drop sweetness...Wooden dryness ensues, exhorting a brown rum and port sweet alcohol flavor...Caramel and oranges blend beautifully in the silky sweet feel...A bit too young for now, but I know it can reach dazzling heights...7/3/8/4 15/20

19th April 2008 Silky smooth but low carbonation. Hops dominate but the bitterness doesn’t. I find it to hoppy for a barleywine but very decent though.

pleasant aroma, alcohol was hidden from being prominent, but warmed and then jackhammered me at the end. Very nice mouthfeel, a good representation of the style. Bottle brewed February 19, 2004 and was mellowed. A very nice barleywine courtesy I think of Dr. Jay.

12-oz. bottle via trade with moejuck. Pours hazy tawny with a small mostly diminishing light brown head, spare lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (caramel, cookie), average hops (flowers, spruce), average yeast (dough) with notes of pear, apple and date. Full bodied, average carbonation, creamy texture and a bitter finish. Long duration, moderate sweetness, heavy acidity and bitterness; very nice roasted caramel malt flavor with notes of alcohol.

Bottle. Amber colour with a small off-white head. Hoppy, light alcoholic, malty aroma and taste. Medium to full body and a sweet hoppy light alcoholic finish.

Pours copper with a thin tan head. Smells of resiny hops, spicy, earthy. Tastes of dark fruit, earthy, some molasses. Boozy finish. 2002 vintage.

Found this at State Line in Elkton, MD. Pours a great deep copper shade with medium off-white head. Aroma of big caramel malt, dark fruit, spices, hops. Tastes very fruity, with firm malt, hops, and some cognac at the finish. Smooth, firm mouthfeel, with a great balance and complexity. Definitely in the upper tier of barleywines.

UPDATED: MAR 7, 2005 6yr old bottle, courtesy from hopsrus Deep copper hue with a light brown sticky head, not all that big, but impressing me for a 6yr old 11.4% barley wine. Aroma is still very hoppy, foresty and piney in fact. Black chocolate and earthy perfumes abundance. Here and there, a grapefruit juice suggestion pops up through the assertive earthiness. Neat aroma, very different. In mouth, there’s more C-hops than I had anticipated, this is bold, piney and grapefruity although we still find the earthy characteristics and there’s a pleasant caramelic malt backbone. Citrusy finish, very hoppy and bitter, rather well-hidden alcohol. Medium-bodied, biting carbonation. A good beer, but, as it happens to me frequently these days, the mouth presence is just not as interesting as the aroma. This is a good barley wine from my notes, but quite frankly, I didn’t even remember having had it 2 days later (among 10+ other IPAs and barley wines)
Ok, I finally got around to retasting this one. It was still a very good barleywine. Nice floral and orange complex hop bite. Herbs, mango, leather. Well presented high alcohol. Medium body. Just a masterly balanced barleywine. Leaving the score where it is, but this last bottle was a young one (2004)