3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20UPDATED: SEP 26, 2012 2005 - fresh
When properly poured it’s clear dark orange and cedar colored. Extremely strong bouquet of grassy fresh hops and tree sap. Sweeter malt nose than previous years. More of a homebrew funky malt flavor, almost a little spoiled... very different from 2003 and 2004 - which I prefer largely over the 2005.
2004 - fresh
Murky dark brown and copper with a large fluffy tan head. Very sharp malt nose with pine, tree bark, sap, caramel, loads of honey, and a some hops. Very roasty flavor and a toasted bread and nut note that stands out... along with some hazelnuts and some birch. Really, really fantastic... this is an amazing beer, even this young. I have an 03 and an 04 saved, and I can’t wait to see how they behave in the cellar.
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 15/20
2012 Bottle. Pours a nice dark amber with a lovely finger width of off-white foam. Aromas are hops, honey, burnt caramel, bread, alcohol and roast. Flavors are right along lines of the aroma, however, they seem a bit understated and sometimes hard to pull out. I get liquor soaked orange peel, citrus hops, breads, toffee and roast. Palate is just a tad bit overcarbonated for how I like my Barleywines, but that soon fades given a little time and temperature. Overall, a very solid American style Barleywine with upfront hops and limited sweetness.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
2010 bottle. Aroma of fig, brown sugar, honey, hotd, caramel. Pours murky amber, loads of off-white head with great retention that leaves behind irregular lacing. Taste: really nice. Some oxidation, great balance of sweetness with an appropriate level of citrus hop bitterness at the end to cut in and keep it from being cloying. Unlike the 2012 bottle, this is well-carbonated. Full body, sticky texture. Overall: rich caramel sticky sweet goodness.
---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
2012 bottle consumed in 2013. Dark copper, hazy (sediment jumped up a bit when I opened this lively bottle), beige head. Aroma of toffee and burnt sugar, raisins/prunes, leather. Flavor is deeply malty with more toffee, dark fruits, tobacco/leather, warming alcohol (but not hot), some nutty/biscuity notes. Very nice.
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
355 ml bottle received in trade. Thank you pushkinwow! Gusher! Pours hazy deep golden with lots of yeast floating around. Head is big, frothy goldenish white and slowly dissipates while leaving some thick sticky lacing and trace on the glass. Smell is sweet, malty and fruity with caramel, prunes, raisins, alcohol, toffee, biscuits, honey, grapefruit rinds, lemon zest, sweet dark bread and hints of floral perfume. Taste is sweet, bitter, malty and fruity with biscuits, caramel, toffee, golden syrup, toasted malts, sweet dark bread, pine needles, charred wood, vanilla fudge, grapefruit rinds, grass, resin, figs, dates, raisins, honey, alcohol, leather and hints of dried apricots. Mouthfeel is soft, creamy, silky, tiny astringent and full bodied. Finish is sweet, bitter and malty with caramel, toffee, sweet dark bread, honey, grapefruit rinds, pine needles, resinous wood and lots of dried dark fruits. Very nice heavy beer!
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
Rating #300. Pours dark brownish red and hazy. Aroma is plum, brown sugar, dates, and cabernet. Taste is dark fruits, burnt sugar, molasses, figs, and a sherry like booze flavor. Complex yet smooth.
4.5 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 19/20
UPDATED: APR 29, 2013 Tap @ HOTD. Mahogney color with a creamy dense off-white head. Super fresh hop aroma with notes of caramel and brown sugar. Light sweetness, some caramel flavor, citrus and some light toast. Very enjoyable barleywine with some hop flavor.
3.6 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bottles 12oz., 2006 and 2012 vintages.
2006: Pours deep amber with no head. Aroma is of madeira, fruits, chocolate. Taste is of cardboard, oxydation, fruits, warming alcohol, madeira, metal, spices, bitterness. Palate: Full bodied. Overall: Good. Nearly over the hill. I guess a 5 yo bottle would have been better. Vintage 2012: Pours deep amber with almost no head. Aroma is of fruits, malt, green apple, sweetness. Taste is of fruits, sugar, bitterness, citrus, caramel, warming alcohol. Palate: Full bodied, sticky, very sugary. Overall: I would have though that the fresher hops would have balance that one for good results. This is not the case. I prefer the oxidated bottle (OUCH!). (2012: 6.3.7.3.13)
4.1 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Really good barleywine...super well balanced with a lot of flavor. Palate of dark fruit, hops, booze, some oak, and maybe a little tobacco. Dry sticky finish. Note, this was 2011, so aged about 18 months.
3.1 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 2/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
bottles shared by tom 10101, thanks! 2006 and 2012 vintages tasted side by side. this rating focuses on the earliest version by appreciating the hereafter rationale: it is ready to drink and that majority of buyers will enjoy the product relatively young. pours hazy copper without a head. chocolate, dark fruits, awkward spices, off-apples and cloying caramel, some prunes, few garbagy and earthy notes. soft to flat carbonation, medium body - syrupy, cloying, short grassy-spicy-peppery finish. 2006 vintage: 7-2-7-3-14. not one i will seek for, neither for the declensions..
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bottle (12 oz) 2006 and 2012 vintage, side by side. Both from Daniel, thanks!
2006: Clear amber, no head. Aroma of Madeira, fruits, sweetness, caramel and slight herbal notes. Taste is moderately sweet with caramel, fruits, Madeira and cardboard. Moderate to heavy body. Sirupy. Warming alcohol. No flat, but pretty damn near. Lack of balance. No drinkability, even for the style but quite complex. Not bad, but I wouldn’t seek another bottle of this. Far from a top-10 BW.
2012: Clear amber, no head. Aroma of green apple, sweetness, fruits and hops. Taste is moderately sweet with chocolate, fruits and green apple off-flavor. Moderate to heavy body. Sirupy. Warming alcohol. No flat, but pretty damn near. Lack of balance. No drinkability, even for the style and not super-enjoyable... I wasn’t able to finish my glass. 3-6-6-3-13
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