Durham Benedictus

Brewed by Durham
Style: Barley Wine
Durham, England

Serve in Snifter

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500mL bottle, pours a semi-clear golden orange with a small white head. Aroma is quite boozy, with licorice, treacle toffee and caramel - booze is very much on top though. Flavour is quite bland for a barley wine, with butterscotch, toffee, slight hops and lots of booze - seems like more than the ABV. Not complex at all for the style and very light on the palate. A disappointment.

500ml bottle from Brewery Creek in Vancouver. Pours an opaque toffee gold with little lasting head. Aroma is very sweet treacle mixed with light caramel, some light hops and tree fruit. Taste is a bit nondescript up front but then some notes emerge; honey, caramel, floral hops. Overly sweet. Alcohol is evident but not overwhelming. Finish is sharp with a lingering honey note. Overall it’s quite unlike a lot of barley wines I’ve had. It’s certainly decent but missing some complexity and some heft. Surprisingly drinkable for the alcohol content.

Aromas are subtle orange, slightly brandy-like, dare I say faint marzipan Lovely clear mid amber colour. Not very gassy so no head to speak of. Not very sticky (unlike other barley wines I’ve tried). Dry clean finish with hints of good very dry sherry, slight sweetness initially, Nice but subtle alcohol warming, caramel , dry orange and (dry) bitterness. There are aromas I can’t put a name to - it’s quite subtle (again) but complex.... Over all subtle, apart from the alcohol content!

bottle- Pours a golden colour with no head. aroma is alc. dried fruit and caramel. flavours are a little light at the front then sweet alc. and a mild hop bitterness in the finish

Bottle. Found that this is pretty dull so I swirled up the muck at the bottom of the bottle and dumped it in - made a difference for the better. Dull amber, duller with mud added, almost zero cap. Smells boring. A bit of alcohol, grains, sweet fruit, pepper, warm red apple, cookies, cheap white wine - very cheap, honey... interesting collection of aromas. Ok taste, easy to put back, sweet and slippery, pepper, fruity, dulling bitterness, caramel, honey, a bit more. Not even remotely memorable. It’s late, I’m tired and I have horrifying gas.

500ml bottle, pours dark amber with a big cream head and aromas of orange, sweet malt and a little dark treacle, faint hint of something spicy - cloves, maybe. Body is peppery and roast caramel, with more orange, a vinous note, and a mellow bitterness which crispens up in the finish. Yummy!

Pours hazy orange. Nose is subtle and complex. On the pour there is citrous, but underneath that it is dired apricot, bit of orange marmalade, possibly honey. A malty alcoholic beer. And one of the best English barley wines I’ve ever had. Very well balanced and drinkable. In fact there is more of a Belgian strong ale about this although quite grainy and malty. Finish is bitter on the tongue and alcoholic.

Bottle. An amber coloured pour with a medium off white head. Sweet, fruity aroma. Tastes sweet, fruity, malty, spice, orange marmalade. Belgian in style. A very drinkable beer from Durham.

Bottle. Dark amber looks like dark apple juice. Aroma is a bit wine-like with notes of fermented fruit. First sip says Maibock. A bit dusty. Body is still. Spice starts to show up on the third or fourth sip but does not build very high; some lighnt hops, finishing pepper and hints of dark spice dot the palate and strong tangerine. Although there is some citrus emerging in the bottom half of the bottle. Short aftertaste makes you forget you are dinking it but each sip reawakens the palate. Subtle.

Bottle 500ml. Exceptional beer. Aromas of roasted caramel, orange, and bread. Taste is sweet, with a touch of acidity, and bitter notes. Palate is creamy, and full bodied. Brown, with a thick, frothy white head.