Firestone Abacus

Draft. Almost black beer with a low off-white head. Bourbon, malt, vanilla aroma. Bourbon, light chocolate, vanilla, malt flavor. Medium bodied with a nice smooth mouthfeel. Lingering caramel, vanilla, bourbon. Alcohol well hidden.

On tap at Churchills. Big off-white foamy head. A little musty oaky aroma. I smell a little bit of yeasty auotlysis. Nice legs on glass. Sweetish. You can tast the alcohol.

Draught at The Red in Santa Cruz. Dark brown with some red, and a small head with no lace. Rich, malty, salty, and woody aroma with plenty of alcohol. Dark, alcoholic fruit and a little dark chocolate. Pretty low carbonation, and an oily, slick body. The alcohol component is pretty strong, and the roasted chocolate flavor almost suggests an irish coffee, but this is far better. Pretty dark barley wine, but interesting. A good sipper.

On tap at The Red in Santa Cruz. 10 oz pour into a small tulip pint glass. Deep auburn in color, with a certain coppery shimmer that only high alcohol beers have. Minimal head with no lacing. Smell is very strong and sweet, sort of like a less extreme Utopias. Whiskey is the main note, maybe with some dark fruits. The flavor here is really similar to scotch but with less alcohol bite. Peaty and oaky, with lots of sweet malt and booze-soaked fruit. Mouthfeel is too low on carbonation but the viscosity is spot-on for a big bad barleywine and the finish is shockingly dry on the tongue.

Herb, vanilla, toffee, fruit and oak nose. Somewhat hot and peppery with dark fruits and candy on the palate. Bourbon is very evident but within boundaries. Nice and somewhat quaffable.