 clvand0 (350), Lexington, Kentucky, USA
May 24, 2005 A brewclub member brought this beer back from Colorado for us to try. Pours a dark amber color with a small head that dies off quickly and doesn’t leave much lacing on the glass. The aroma is very nice - sweet, strong malts with a hint of fruit. The flavor is much the same - lots of sweet and strong malts with a slight hop presence. Extremely well balanced. This is one of the best barley wines I’ve had, and that’s saying a lot. Drinkability is wonderful for 11%. Had it with some stilton cheese - excellent pairing.
Crosling (1658), Loveland, Colorado, USA
Mar 16, 2005 22 ounce bottle. Attractive tawny in color. Pleasing aroma of honey covered fruits, caramel and hops. An onslaught of malt and hops in the flavor, rich in both, yet equally balanced with notes of honey covered plums and raisins, chocolate and caramel, fruitcake, juicy hops, resin and pine. Full, coating texture, hiding its potency extremely well. The richest and most balanced barley wine brewed in Colorado. A true "hidden gem" tucked away in the Colorado unknown.
blutt59 (776), Dallas, Texas, USA
Jun 17, 2008 bottle, great grape and hops aroma, color is cognac with no head, flavor is a hoppy dark fruit and raisin, great body and dry hop finish, did not notice the alcohol for an 11 abv
hotstuff (3045), Indiana, USA
Mar 12, 2006 Bottle. Small tan head that mostly diminished, fair lacing, transparent, no visible carbonation, and a reddish brown hue. Nose was malty, caramel, sweet, hoppy, and alcohol. Flavor was sweet, malty, caramel, vinuous and some hop bitterness. Smooth palate. Medium body.
TAR (2008), Boulder Co., Colorado, USA
May 8, 2005 Cherry orange. Teeny-bubbled ring of foam. Sugared plums, grapey malts, and spruce tips in the aroma. Hint of fruitcake, smoke, and malt dust. Tight carbonation. Slipperiness is coarsened by a touch of coniferous accented bitterness. Alcohol lends some astringency and underlines the more-pungent hop aspects. Cakey with a thickset malt base (maris otter?) that masks much of the polished hop traits, but works to sustain the body. Prickly bitterness conveys a sense of salty licorice candy, which exaggerates the dryness and awakens a hint of chocolate. Marvelously balanced, throughout, with a late but salvaging medley of candied apples, alcohol, and supple malt to go along with the piney hop flash. Tolerably sweet finish of soggy plums and grapey malts capped with a bright hop tease. Not overly interesting, but nicely done.
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