East End Gratitude

Brewed by East End Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA

Serve in Snifter

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UPDATED: JUN 20, 2010 Finally tasted the ’05... still holding up in 5/2010. Earthy and sappy, light pine and JW Lees-esque malt, this one is a gem at the moment, one of the best Barleywines out there. There’s a meadow element that brings floral and earth combination unlike any I’ve seen. Add to that the sappy malt and you’ve got a fantastic beer.

I’ve had this a bunch, most recently the ’06-’09 flight at Hell With the Lid Off 2010. As of Mar 2010, the ’08 is the best, strong rich malt that shows potential for long aging. ’07 is still good, but past the peak with limited aging potential. ’06 was off, which is odd because I’ve had plenty of good samples. ’09 shows some nice potential for aging, but at the moment, is still a little 1D. Score is for the ’08.

blue wax top, nose is sweet with malty caramel, first sip is still sweet but also an intermediate tartness. finish is cider likw with agreat mouth feel.

Bottle, from notes - memory fading a bit as to whether this was the blue or indigo bottle, at any rate the bottle looked pretty nice. Poured a copper color with an off-white head, looked unfiltered, at least it had a lot of stuff going on in it. Aroma was sweet, barley wine notes, with notes of fruits. Grainy notes in the palate.

2007 Release with the Yellow wax, purchased at the Brewery in 2009: This one had to be the toughest wax I’ve ever encountered on a beer bottle. Once I got it open it poured a dark, cloudy dark copper color. There was a large tan head on it that didn’t linger too long. No lacing. Somewhat sweet nose. Caramel, honey, some spices and dark fruits. The taste is sublime. A slight slickness on the tongue. Very smooth taste. This has aged quite well. Caramel, spice, fruits, slightly sweet, yet a subtle bit of bitterness back there. Don’t know how widely this is distributed, but well worth searching out of you get to Pittsburgh.

07@HallingHansen tasting, thanks for sharing. Pours copper with a beige head. Aroma is caramel, grapefruit, peach, raisin and plum. Flavour is caramel, grapefruit, peach, citrus, raisin and plum. Nice bitterness to balance the sweetness.

2008 vintage with green wax. Bottle generously shared by colonelforbin. Thanks Mike. Pours clear dark amber with a small head that mostly consists of large bubbles at the edge of the glass. Aroma is very fruity with pineapple, plum, same caramel, mango, and floral notes. Initial taste is sweet with mango, plum, pineapple and some caramel. The finish has a decent bitterness. Medium-light body. Low carbonation.

Very hoppy, oily. Caramel, toffee, English hops, more earthy than citrusy. Has a great sweet stocky Mouthfeel that turns onto an earthy pine needle taste.

At HallingHansen Grand Tasting, thanks for sharing. Pours a hazy and copper beer with an orange head. The aroma is malt, caramel and hops with citrus. The flavor follows the nose. The palate is sweetness. Overall a good beer.

2012. Lighter in color than expected, a lighter orange-yellow. Aroma is toast, toffee, caramel. Taste is sweet with a good bit of hop spicing in the finish.

Bottle 2007 vintage. Clear amber body with a small head. Aroma is caramel, malt, hops, ripe fruit. Flavor is caramel, hops, ripe fruit, vanilla.

Gold finch vintage: Hazy copper with a small off-white head. Perfumed floral aroma with caramel malty notes, and some nice touches of vineous dried fruit character. Sweet malty flavour with caramel and toffee, lots of peach and a touch of vanilla.