DuClaw Devils Milk

Brewed by DuClaw Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Abingdon, Maryland USA

Serve in Snifter

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22 oz. bottle shared by jckp64 at the STL RB Gathering- thanks, John! Pours a mostly clear amber color with a tiny beige head. Aroma of caramel malts, brown sugar, dry fruits, and vanilla- pretty spot-on for a barley wine. Then the flavor falls out- tea, wood, grass, brown sugar, and a bit of medicine. Light-bodied, with a thin, bitter mouthfeel and modest carbonation. Kind of a letdown but not bad.

Sampled at the Saint Louis Ratebeer Gathering in a tulip glass. Poured a cool reddish copper color with weak beige foam, very little lace. Powerful caramel and toffee aromas. Interesting flavor balance, more highly hopped than many Barleywines (hence the "American-style" description, I suppose.) However, the malt sweetness was less complex than expected, thin body, and the mouthfeel was strangely watery. The high alcohol percentage could be felt, but wasn’t too harsh. Pretty good but definitely not 98% good, in my opinion.

Sampled at the St. Louis RB gathering. It poured a clear amber color with no head. The aroma was malt, hops, citrus and bitterness. The flavor was citrus, malt, slight sugar, and bitterness. A very good Barley Wine.

RBESG August 2011, grand tasting. Amber with a small off-white head. Aroma of dried fruit, toffee, port and alcohol. Sweet malty and fruity flavour with vineous alcohol.

From notes, growler at CDC tasting. Pours out a nice deep copper/amber hue. Aromas are dark fruits, earthy, leathery, some must, malty. Palate is pretty balanced ripping hops up front with a slightly sweet finish. I really want this one to age, I think this over time would be one of the best in its category.

Pours a dark ruby red color that’s completely opaque with a 1.5 finger frothy off-white head that has very good retention, only slowly fading into a thick lasting cap/ring. Large rings and chunks of soapy lacing left behind. Earthy aroma with a nice balance of floral and citrus hops, estery fruit notes and leathery malt. The hop presence is stronger than expected with hints of grassy pine and lots of sweet citrus. This is complimented by the light fruit notes from the yeast. The malt presence becomes more prominent as it warms with some earthy, leathery notes. Hints of caramel, toffee, dark fruit and toast. Medium bodied with a strong hop presence up front that lingers over the sweeter notes into a sweet, slightly dry finish. Some dry, bitter notes with hints of grassy pine followed by some sweet citrus. The malts are pretty tame for a barleywine without being overly musty/leathery. Hints of nut, caramel and toffee as well as a sweeter dark fruit character. Subtle sweetness and boozy heat in the finish but the high ABV is well masked making it easy to drink. Well balanced but feels more like a strong ale than a barleywine.

Bottle with a year of age, pours a nice caramel color with thin off white head and lots of lacing. Aromas are alcohol, dark fruit and pine. Taste is hot from the alcohol, caramel malts, raisins, and a nice hoppy finish. Overall, a very good American barleywine.

Bottle (RBESGG2011, Grand Tasting)
Sweet malty aroma, a touch mashy. Boring mashy body. Sticky, but nice hoppy finish that tingles with bitterness. Alcohol not too prominant, which is a blessing at this strength. Underwhelmed, though. Perhaps they should have aged this for a year or two before selling it, as the mashiness is just way too young.

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

The aroma is a pleasing frui, raisin, toffee, bread combination. The appearance is amber, cloudy, off-white head. The flavor is fruits, raisins, peaches, caramel, toffee. Not as sweet as you might think, though. The finish is resinous hops, lingering. Medium/thick to thick in body, sticky mouthfeel. Very, very nice.