Golden City Centurion Barleywine Ale

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

Serve in Snifter

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Purchased 2008; Sampled August 2010
A solid pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a scant, large bubbled head that barely covers the beer for a moment before receding to the edges of the glass. The beer is a reddish amber hue that shows a brilliantly clear, copper amber color when held up to the light. The aroma smells of caramelized malt accentuated by light, nutty oxidative aromatics. There is an almost buttery quality to the aroma somehow, but it is definitely not diacetyl. This has a nice, soft fruitiness to it that is sort of berry like and with a definite citrus hop character that has likely been muted with age. I think this beer is at a good age in its development, at least as far as the nose is concerned.

Lightly sweet tasting, the beer still has a hoppy, herbal and citrus character to it as well as some nutty age malt character and toasty grain character in the finish. A light carbonation adds a touch of fizz to this beer, this pairs well with the viscous, rich body that is not overly heavy for a Barleywine. Some noticeable alcohol adds some warming and heat in the finish. A touch of butterscotch is brought out by the rich caramel malt character. This has a fair amount of sweetness to it, but it is not overly so and much of the sweetness is complex enough to not come off as cloying. This finishes fairly dry actually as the bitter and slightly herbal hop components help to balance out the up front sweetness. While this is still fairly hoppy, the malt character has taken the lead role, even if the hop character still plays a significant part.

This is ageing nicely; it will definitely last quite a bit longer than the two years it has already aged for. The hop character could mellow out a bit more than it has and even a touch more oxidation might work nicely in the future.

Pour out of 12 oz bottle, dark ruby red almost brown with thin ring of off white head, aroma brings notes of big toffee, caramel, some dark fruits with hints of raisin, touch of heat in there as well with a hint of earth and nutty notes as well. Taste is a mix of sweet caramel, toffee, and a nice vanilla note, some even slight marshmallow notes with fruity dark fruits, hint of cocoa powder and chocolate notes as well, hints of some slight earth finishing fairly sweet, but little to no heat on the taste. Pretty nice! Would like to try one with a year or two of age.

Bottled. A hazy amber beer with a thin beige head. The aroma has notes of over ripe fruits. The flavo ris sweet iwht notes of malt, caramel, alcohol, and over ripe fruits.

Bottle at Papsø. Pours hazy amber with a medium off white head. The aroma is sweet malty and bread like with notes of fruit. The flavuor issweet fruity, light hoppy with lots of sweet malt and caramel.

Bottle at Papsø’s - Thanks. Cloudy amber - white bubbles. Bitterness, juicy, light hoppy, light wooden, berries, barkey, caramel, high sweetness, ok bitterness.

Bottle at Papsø. Clear orange coloured with a small white head. Sweet aroma of caramel, dried fruits and marzipan. Sweet and fruity flavour of caramel, dried fruits, marzipan and hops. Sweet, hoppy and warming alcoholic finish.

Bottled. Golden coloured. Unclear. Dense beige head. Aroma of ripe fruits, spice, vague hops. Flavour of ripe fruits, spice, caramel. Medium bodied. Dry alcoholdense and fruity end.

12 fl oz bottle. Pours hazy brown to orange with no lasting head. Aroma is spiced and caramelish malty. Sweet, caramelish and slight toasted. Slight spiced and dry malty. Ends lingering malty.

Bottle 35,5 cl. Courtesy of Doodler. Pours deep golden with a slight haze and a tiny rough white head. Sweet alcoholic aroma of overripe fruit. Solid body, almost flat, a little overripe fruit with an amazingly hot alcohol finish. 270411

22 April 2011, bottle w/ cgarvieuk. light golden colour, clear. nose is honey and alcohol. quite sweet without as much body. med/full body and slightly fizzy. sugary sweet. not as raisiny as most barleywines. honey and sweet. nice

bottle at home ... amber ... thinest white head ... soft sweet toffee tofeee malts ... that american malt i dont like .. nose ... light sweet toffee fruit ... light malt ... sweet fruity hop ... ok but again not me... little honnyish