Flossmoor Station Wooden Hell

Brewed by Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Flossmoor, Illinois USA

Pours dark brownish to burgandy and is opaque. Smell is oaky and strong with welcomed alcohol and rich complex malt. Smooth oaky, creamy caramel richness in the flavor. Good rich body and dark red fruity and dark sour cherry notes as well. One of my favorites of theirs, and there were many good beers on...

A dark dark brown pour with a light white head. A sharp dried fruity aroma with abv just barely letting you know it’s there. A sharp fruity flavor that reminds me of cherries it is sweet sweet malt and closes with abv. A silky smooth palate taht is just a tad foamy which is 10 times better than fizzy. A very rich complex full flavor that just blasts your taste buds.

Dk brown cloudy pour thick brown head hints of red. Aroma of bourbon & oak some light hints of hop very mellow. Palate is rich & creamy. Flavor is buttery bourbon w/ a dry and very sweet grassy finish. Good but lacks the barleywine characteristics.

Poured a headless, deep ruby/mahogany. Thick, layered aromas find chocolate, coffee, clay, caramel, dark fruit and roasts. Palate is heavy and a little sticky & sugary but I like it. Solid, hearty flavors replicate all the goodness from the aromas with a healthy dose of whisky to just push this beer over the edge. I savored this one a little too long... by the time I went back for a refill it was gone!

On tap at FSRB’s <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/events-detail.asp?eve Fest!

Now THAT’S what I’m talking about! Cornfield and I sat around just sniffing this stuff for 20 minutes before we ever decided to taste it! What a nice barleywine...with it’s well blended bourbon-barrel characteristics. Caramel, oak, bourbon, toffee, dried fruits, alcohol, sherry, vanilla, smoke....you get the picture. Oh so good! A fine cigar would only gild the lily!

Draft at FSRB, 4/28/06. Deep dark brown color with a trim half-inch tan head. Deep bourbon smell. Chewy, malty and, um, malty. And then the taste piles on the bourbon and oak. Only halfway down the glass I got a funny feeling in the back of my neck; the hops bitterness finally arrived. Turned out to be my second of three barrel aged beers this weekend.

Draft at FS, 6/20/07. Darn thing pulls some surprises a year later. In a snifter, it shows a bubbly head, building up a "curb" around the edge. Heady smell of brandy, raisins and plums. Oddly, the taste is much sweeter than I remembered. On top of the plum notes, there’s a bit of Juicy Fruit, like a slight souring. Bigger alcohol warming, with a whiskey finish. I see my origiinal rating of "4.0" is the mean for this brew.

Light brown colored ale, with an outstanding nose and quite a bit of depth. Bourbon soaked wood, vanilla, coconut and interesting traces of the original beer as well. Taste packs a nice punch, with an array of layered flavors. Everything I look for in a barrel-aged beer. Heavy mouth feel, balanced but bold flavors of the barrel, but the base beer delivers quite a bit as well. I like it a lot, but I like sweet barrel aged beers.

Since I was driving home, couldn’t have more than a sample of this brew. Too bad. The best thing I’ve had at Flossmoor. But the sample testified to the quality of this barley wine. Dark black with red highlights topped by a small, creamy beige head. Served nicely in a snifter as it should. Lots of bourbon in the nose along with some milk chocolate, vanilla, sweet cherries, oak cask. Full bodied with a thick texture. Warm alcohol feel going down, notes of bourbon, some sweetness, dry finish. Damn good.