3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20 riversideAK (4566) - Shoreline, Washington, USA - JUN 3, 2009
Aroma was very barley wine like. Lots of malt up front, bread, biscuit, dougn, caramel, with a hint of alcohol and some floral and pine hops as well. Pours a murky golden orange with a thin head. Lots of malt up front as well in the flavor. More doughy sweetness, bread, caramel malts. A medium sweetness, with a spicy alcohol note followed by a medium hop bitterness in the finish that is floral, a little peppery. Not overly bitter, like I said it came across as a barleywine IMO. Pretty decent stuff.
3.4 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20 DarkElf (2961) - La Jolla, California, USA - AUG 7, 2008
18-Jan-08 (Draft: 2008 Great Alaskan Beer and Barley Wine Festival in Anchorage, AK) This "quadruple" pale ale comes across as a light barley wine. Concentrated grainy flavors are fairly sweet and are balanced by the medium bitterness of the hops. Hops are neither citrusy or piney. After a few sips, the beer begins to seem sugary and overly sweet, though the bitterness still helps relieve the mildly cloying nature. The nose is sweet and intensely malty, but with a grainy overlay. When swirled in the glass, the aromas are even sweeter. Full-bodied on the palate, the beer is somewhat syrupy as well. Carbonation is light. Dark-gold to light-amber in color and hazy in appearance. Sizeable off-white head settles to and holds a thin layer and leaves a fair amount of lace. Overall, the beer lacks complexity and is awfully sweet and grainy. It doesn’t fair too well against all the great barley wines at this festival, though on its own, it might be fine.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20 carruthm (1400) - Seattle, Washington, USA - MAY 2, 2008
Magnam hops and an ABV over 9% tells you pretty much all you need to know about what this one is going to taste like. Somewhat surprisingly light in color, this nonetheless is the quintessential winter beer in the sense that drinking it is like taking a workplace-approved tolerant holiday pine tree and throwing it into a blendtec. Oh yes, it blends.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20 glkaiser (1214) - Seattle, Washington, USA - APR 10, 2008
On tap at Elysian Winter Fest. Slightly hazy dark amber. Big hops in the aroma and taste make this right up my alley. Drinks pretty darn smooth for >9%. Spicy mix of hops. Not too sweet. Love it.
4.4 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20 hbmason (1052) - Shoreline, Washington, USA - MAR 9, 2008
a lights out winter that you can drink to the cows come home. If you are ever in the Seattle area during the holidays make sure you stop and get a pint of this refreshing winter brew.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20 ABUSEDGOAT (1937) - California, USA - FEB 17, 2008
Draft from Toronado Barley Wine Festival. Amber colored, rich hoppy aroma. Some caramel malt backing. Maybe some light spice notes as well. Cool stuff.
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20 Bier brauen (236) - Bremerton, Washington, USA - DEC 2, 2007
On tap at the Seattle winter beer festival at Hale’s. Smooth yet strong, pale and powerful. Bittered with magnam and finished with Amarillo and Styrian Golding hops. I voted this one best of show at the festival. It also has a uniqueness to it, that it’s has a kind of earthy aroma to it.
3.7 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20 Angeloregon (2054) - Portland, Oregon, USA - DEC 1, 2007
On tap at Holiday Ale Festival in Portland, OR--A light hazy golden-orange body with a medium whitish head. Spicy, boozy, piny aroma. Alcohol very prominent in this beer. Color is deceptive. Robust malts and evidence of tannins from barrel aging. Decent beer, but I’d rather have the Bi-Frost instead.
3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20 beerinmarch (2830) - Washington, USA - NOV 30, 2007
On tap at the Holiday Ale Fest 2007. Pours orange with a white head. Very boozy nose, lots of excess alochol throughout. Spicy hops, very crisp and piney with fruity malts to balance. Less excess alochol flavor would have made a very nice beer.
3.7 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20 boFNjackson (2935) - Portland, Oregon, USA - NOV 30, 2007
Holiday Ale Fest... Orange with a white head. Faint malt and hop aroma, very herbal. Silky and smooth palate with sweet hops and pine, strong malt to balance it out. Oak and bourbon was in there too.
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