Fat Cat Old Bad Cat Barley Wine

Formerly brewed at Fat Cat Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Nanaimo, Canada

Serve in Snifter

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Bottle. Clear and copper-tan. Low carbonation. Small head that does not last long. Slight whiff of hops with sweet malt aroma. Taste is balanced, with strong hops and sweet honey-like malt. Some alcohol burn, but pretty subdued for a 11.5% brew.

2007 vintage. Pours a deep ruby amber with a thin head. Aroma is solvent, old wood, oak, alcohol apparent, bourbon mess, vanilla is over the top, low thick sweet mats- sharp crystal. Flavor is light brown sugar sweetness, thin grapeskin-like malts, getting tannic- more solvent and hot alcohol burn, bourbon is big, oak is big, astringent and thin with more tannin- meh.

650mL bottle, pours deep mahogany with a small off-white head. Aroma of brown sugar, toffee and dark fruits. Flavour matches accordingly. By far the best Fat Cat beer - very nice barley wine.

2010-04-01, vintage 2007, 12% ABV, 8-5-8-4-16=41
Cloudy light amber color, with nice creamy head. The aroma is malty, with bourbon vanilla, milky and cheesy. Malt flavor, sweet, richer than the fresh version, also because the vanilla, even if still present, is less oppressing than the fresh bottle; there is a quite evident nutty touch. The final is sweet, with caramel and a puckery touch, alcoholic too. It’s not my favorite Barley Wine, but pretty solid though.

2010-03-25, vintage 2009, 11.5% ABV, 8-5-7-4-16=40
Beautiful amber color; big creamy head. The aroma is malty, sweet, with maybe too much burbon vanilla for me; creamy and buttery, very light anise seeds and green hazelnuts; everchanging. Strong and sugary body, full malt flavor, light fudge and butter, still some bourbon vanilla, but also a very light and strange acidity. There is a light warmth, but the alcohol is well hidden; the bitterness is comparably low; the final is also a bit nutty, and there is a fig impression. Good, but I’m not fully convinced; I love Barley Wines, but the malt of this one is not rich enough to stand the strong bourbon vanilla.

Hazy reddish amber with a tiny off white head. Sweet aroma with toasted malt, caramel, ripe fruits, hops and pine. Flavour had plenty of hops, pine, grapfruits, caramel, peach and toasted malt. Finished well bitter and dry.

Bottle 65 cl. Courtesy of fiulijn. Vintage 2007. Pours a cloudy amber with a small off-white head. Aroma of overripe fruit and licorice allsorts. Solid body, a little low in carbonation. Overripe fruit and licorice allsorts. Quite some warming alcohol and a decent hoppiness. 010410

22 fl oz bottle. Pours hazy dark orange with a small white head. Aroma is dark cheesy and roasted malt. Overripe fruit and pinewood hoppy. Sweet, dark malt, roasted, caramelish and pinewood hoppy. Bitter and roasted malt finish, gradually goine more dry. Bone dry finish.

Bottled sample, 2005 edition. Pale amber in colour with moderate carbonation. Aromas are of grainy malts, a bit of vanilla, and a hint of sherry (oxidation).In the mouth things go all wrong, with loads of lacitic sourness. Very odd that a beer that looked and smelled so nice, had such a gross flavor, even when taking its age into consideration.

Bottle, 2008 (in NZ). Looks great in the glass, with rich caramel on the nose. A creamy palate. The malt is grainy for me, with apple, vanilla and oak. Just a bit OTT to me.

02/02/2010. 650ml bottle, 2008 version, courtesy of TheGrandmaster. Nice warming rose-gold barleywine with hops trying to squeeze out... just a little cloying and bursting with fragrant alcohol notes to wax lyrical about. Oaky finish. Would be better shared between four than two.