Green Flash Barleywine

Brewed by Green Flash Brewing Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Vista, California USA

A very one sided BW. Very heavily malted flavors- oh, this is there second anniversary? Goes to figure- this is a very pedesetrian offering.

vintage 2008

clear auburn brown pour capped with a long lasting frothy cafe au lait colored head. medium amount of drippy lacing but lots of spots. as it sits and warms the carbonation paints a "U" shape on the inside of the glass.

alcohol bites at my nose even though this is probably only 45°. aromas of brown sugar, caramel, floral hops, orange pith, candied orange peel and faint piney character.

the palate is malty but not really sweet or sugary. flavors of crystallized orange peel, orange pith, faint ginger, some toasted nuttiness, brown sugar, flowers, grass, a touch of chocolate, mild pine (though not really resinous) and alcohol on the dry finish. light to medium bodied with creamy smooth carbonation.

it is very easy to drink since it is not harsh, hot or cloying. nicely balanced but not a whole bunch of complexity or character. 7/4/7/4/16/3.8

(Bottle, 2008 vintage, at Pikkulintu on 2008-06-04) Deep amber colour. Slightly brown small head. Clear. Lots of hops and some malts in nose. Dry and full palate. Salty liquorice and hops in taste. Very full bodied and still bitter. Would improve when aged.

Bottle pours a slightly hazy deep caramel color witha short lived tan skin of a head. Big sweet brown sugar aroma with a little furniture polish and tanned leather. Flavor is more bitter, less sweet than many of the style. The bitterness is very powerful and overshadows the sweet malts that I expected. Strong alcohol component and rather fumey. Strong burn on re-entry. I’d like to try another in case there was something wrong with this one.

Labeled as "2nd Anniversary." Bottle at PPRBSG09. Pours a cloudy brown with a small white head. Aroma of sweet caramel malt. Flavor is super sweet, with some roasted malt and vegetal notes. Very heavy on the palate. It seems that this one has not held up over time. Ugh, not a fan. 6/4/6/3/12 (3.1/5)

Overall pretty good. Not too complex but nice balanced flavors. Sweet with some bitterness. Some bubbles tingle the tongue. Bottle as "2nd Anniversary." Same score.

Bottle courtesy of Fratto. Clouded red pour. Lovely dark aged aroma. Dark fruits and nice feelings of aromas. Also has a fair amount of heavy alcohol smell. Heavy fruit taste. Heavy heavy. Taste fairs with some rich woody flavors. This is a solid barleywine. Very nice.

22oz 2009 bomber. Pours wine red dark brown with a large creamy frothy light tan head. Aroma is toffee and peach, resin, plastic, grapefruit, fusil alcohol, I don’t know, it’s flawed but I still like it. Flavor is very bitter resin, plastic, dry pine needles, darker caramel, rich but not super cloying, some toffee and subtle fruit, some of the bitter medicinal cherry. Piney and earthy. Medium/full bodied, viscous but not syrupy and only slightly sticky, smooth abundant fluffy slightly fizzy carbonation. I have an 08 and another 09 in the cellar... we shall see...