Golden City Centurion Barleywine Ale

Brewed by Golden City Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Golden, Colorado USA

Serve in Snifter

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   update pic

UPDATED: OCT 9, 2005 Draught (14oz. shaker glass, unfortunately). Strong, darkly fruity aroma, plum, berry and red grape overriding the lighter bubble gum nuances, along with plenty of malty, brown sugary sweetness and piney, citric hoppiness, along with a touch of alcohol as it warms. Fairly complex and pleasant. Deep, dark garnet color, clear (filtered) with a slight, ivory ring of foam. Flavor profile is alcoholic to start, unusually, moving towards the strongly bitter, citric hops and finally seeing the richly sweet, fruity flavors at the end, making it a sort of "Barleywine in reverse"... The long, lingering finish is a combination of all elements, ultimately, the full, sugary sweetness, the abundant fruitiness, the bitter, piney and resinous hops and the gentle, warming touch of alcohol, which is not overpowering in the least. Certainly a powerfully full-flavored rendition, but not over the top. Smooth with low effervescence on the palate, full-bodied for certain. Seemingly a proper American Barleywine overall.

At the LCRBM - Bottle from 2003: Nice dark brown color. Intense alcohol, caramel, raisons and plums nose. Medium silky and syrupy mouthfeel - Malty and dark frui, warming intervalls taste with an average hoppy finish.

Aged one year. Charred auburn. Minimal carbonation, which provides for a silky layer of dancing velvety bubbles. Gorgeous aroma of buttered toffee, pineapple, granny smiths, faint orange-chocolate notes, plum, wax, candy dripping malts, and maple. Cotton soft palate with zero carbonation; very chewy. Initial flavors of smoke, toffee, stinging alcohol, and lots of figs. Finishes with a persistent tobacco edge alongside a note of candy. Perhaps I aged this a bit too long. I would have loved to see what this was like fresh. Still, a flavorful surprise.

The Dan Journal #33. Tasted 9/3/2006. 12oz bottle. Thick malty syrupy hue. Literally three bubbles on the rim. Full bodied with notes of cinnamon and anise. A muddy thick chocolate flavor. Dark fruit notes. I liked this one.

12 oz. bottle. Pours a thin head, over a slightly cloudy, amber (SRM 16) body....nose is toffee, caramel, bit of hop.....taste is heavy sweet malts, with toffee and caramel dominating, then some raisin/fig tones, finishing with a fairly sharp, almost woody, hop sharpness......mouth feel is thick and chewy, the tiny bubbled carbonation adds to the experience. Although not the most complex Barley Wine I have tasted, this is by far the best beer I have had from this Brewery.

12oz bottle from Total Beverage. Pours murky medium brown small tan head. Aroma is loaded with sweet malt, caramel and faint hops. Flavor is heavy with sweet malt with hops, caramel, booze, dark fruits, and a touch of citrus and pine. A little to sweet and boozy but not to bad.

Bottle bought from the brewery and traveled all the way to NYC thanks to a friend. Pours with no head, as is the norm for a barley wine. The color is a very dark and murky brown, like a tea that has had the bag left in it for a few days. Cannot see through the beer. The smell is very potent, similiar to a fresh Samichlaus. Definite alcohol in the smell, that sweet alcohol aroma. The taste is middle level barley wine. Very bitter finish, with a strong alcoholic sweetness. This is got to be a very alcoholic beer, the bottle does not say but my guess is around 14% because of the similarity to a Samichlaus.

LCRBM: Big toffee nose, almost a little chocolate in there. Flavour is mostly dark fruits (raisins, plums, prunes). Nice warming mouthfeel. Darker amber in colour. Nice.

it is getting to the point that i can’t leave the falling rock without drinking a pint of this. purplish brown body, decent looking yellowed head. lots of raisin and plum with a strong cotton candy scent. very sweet, rich malt flavors with a lot of fruits. molasses or brown sugar or something is there that mixes well with the light hop flavors that are a bit citusy and a little resin pine, but overwhelmed by the candy fruit notes and the just plain massive malt flavors. i’m just loving it more since i am burned out on all the over hopped offerings lately.

Light aroma, balanced with malt and hop yet subtle. Perfumey, fruity aromas, mostly resembling ripe strawberries and raspberries, with hints of chocolate, caramel (malt), grapefruit and pine (hop.) Oily and slick body with a creamy feel. Ripe , gummy fruits parade the palate upon tasting, with hints of caramel and hops, which are very resinous and citrusy. I enjoyed this barley wine, like I do almost every single one.