Flossmoor Station Wooden Hell

Formerly brewed at Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Flossmoor, Illinois USA

Serve in Snifter

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Finally! Thank you again Charles! Two weekends of tastings that destroyed my wants list. Cell phone notes Pours a cloudy caramel with thin tan head, decent lacing. Smell is what I imagined; toffee, malt, caramel, slight alcohol presence, and brown sugar. Taste is more of the nose, with a beautiful balance. The heat is still present at 2 years, but welcomed in a BA barleywine, almost expected. This is my favorite to date, I just wish I could have had a perfect storm next to it. Serving type: bottle

From 03/19/11 notes. HUGE thanks to Huhzubendah (BA) for sharing this one; thanks Matthew, never thought I’d get to try this one! Served in a tulip. a - Pours a somewhat clear medium-brown color with one inch of off white head and very light carbonation evident. s - Smells of caramel malts, bourbon, oak, vanilla, and some sweet molasses or sugar. Light oxidation evident but doesn’t take anything away from the smell. Absolutely amazing smell. t - Tastes of vanilla, caramel malts, oak, bourbon, tofee, and syrup/molasses to sweeten the taste a little bit. Again, the taste is amazing and perfect for a barleywine. m - Medium body and low carbonation. The body is super smooth and creamy, and no real hotness from the bourbno at all. Felt like I could have drank a whole bottle by myself, and would want to. d - I was a little afraid that this one wouldn’t live up to the hype, but it really did. I enjoy barleywines quite a bit and love MoaS, and this one was much better in my opinion; it’s one of the best beers I’ve ever had. The smell and taste were such a great combination of caramel, vanilla, and bourbon, and the mouthfeel was perfect. Very glad I got to try this one.

Bottle shared by me at Alan’s epic tasting. Pours dark mahogany toffee. Nose and taste of intense raisins, plums, wood barrel, dark caramel, butterscotch toffee and light vanilla. Extremely well crafted and delightfully complex.

Wooden Hell pours an attractive chestnut-amber body with a nice depth to the hazy hue. The manila head vanishes quickly, leaving a thin wisp of foam on top. Rich nutty caramel and toffee sweetness greets the nose, followed by earthy hops and dried fruit notes of fig and prune. A flash of boozy bourbon, but more subtle than most. No real signs of oxidation--I think it’s safe to say this beer is holding up well. The flavor is something to fawn over. Gooey caramel candies coat the palate; beneath that are layers of butterscotch and dusty chocolate crumbles. Booze tastes sharp and still quite green despite Wooden Hell’s age. Whisky wood and vanilla linger on the finish, but the heat is nicely restrained. Carbonation is tight, making for a creamy mouthfeel that keeps the thick body in check. Both spritzy and vinous on the finish with a flash of alcohol. No overpowering heat, cloying sweetness, or laboriously thick body. Everything is in perfect balance in this beer. Amazing stuff, worth the hype. Thanks again Chuck (thickfreakness)!

Bomber. Pours dark brown with a tan head that dissipates immediately. Lots of carbonation. Aroma is of bourbon, wood, caramel, malt, spice, and alcohol...Bring on the face-rape! Taste is of malt, bourbon, wood, vanilla, oak, chocolate, and caramel. Has a faint, but present hop bite underneath the huge wood and bourbon flavors. Huge alcohol warming feel. Mouthfeel is thick and sticky, yet very dry. There is a lot going on in the flavors, but it all blends very well. Drinks way too easy for such a heavy beer. Amazing.

Bottle sampled courtesy of the great rustychiles -- thank you, sir! Pours dark amber, almost garnet, with a trim beige head. Smells amazing -- brimming with caramel, bourbon, and brown sugar. Ridiculously balanced with all three flavors and an added element of malt. Not a very complex beer, but certainly the most harmonious barley wine I’ve yet to try. Calling this Wooden Heaven would make just as much sense.

UPDATED: SEP 18, 2009 Thanks a ton to 17thfloor for sharing this 22 oz bomber with me! Pours a pretty deep brown red with a nice lingering frothy off-white head. Aroma is fantastic, fills the nostrils with plenty of complexity. Tons of woody oak, bourbon, vanilla, coconut and almonds. Began to pick up more cherry as it warmed up as well. Really nice balance of all of those. Flavor starts with a big strong vanilla and bourbon kick, kind of cookie like but not overly sweet. Gets a really nice subtle bitterness towards the finish with a woody hoppiness along with the almond nutty notes. Pretty full bodied, rich but not too heavy. All around great beer, perfect balance of complexity but not overwhelming, just easy to enjoy. Everything about this beer seemed exactly as it should be.

Dark red-brown, frothy white head with considerable lacing. Sweet nose of apple, plum, cookie dough and spice, very light heat. Incredibly light and fruity, but huge malt presence within the huge body. Lots of malt up front, light wood and apple, way more heat, then a light honey-pear through finish. Stunning complexity, and then even more: bubble gum, fruit lightness despite huge body. Thick body, sticky, but still ultra-drinkable. Drank next to 6-8 other barrel-aged barley wines, smashed them all. There is a nagging that it’s all bourbon, but as is it’s fantatic.

Thanks to Russ for sharing this with us at our Chicago tasting...The pour is not much to look at, a slightly watery brown without much carbonation at all...The aroma and taste are both awesome and dominated by a super smooth and not at all coy or irritataing vanilla. I just keep coming back to smooth, so easy velvety and easy to drink and just the right amount of vanilla with a backbone of oak and a touch of hopoy wood on the back end. I literally just kept sniffing this for like 15 minutes because the aroma was that good...The feel is super nice, very easy to drink, not alcohol at all...The vanilla makes it a tad of a sipper but I really had to contain myself to not drink this in one gulp. The best barleywine around, awesome all around.

UPDATED: MAR 9, 2011 22 ounce bottle courtesy of Brewengineer. Thanks! Sampled at the 11th Richmond Ratebeer Gathering, 4/17/10. Pours a clear reddish brown color with a thin white head. Good head retention and lacing. Aroma of oak, toffee, caramel, and a bourbon that makes itself known but doesn’t overwhelm like many do. The taste is toffee, caramel, fairly bitter citrus hops, vanilla, maple, bourbon. Medium bodied. Well balanced. Tasty as all hell. This is a damn good beer. I could drink this all day.