Swolf3 (252), Elkton, Maryland, USA Feb 23, 2009 Bottle shared with the guys @ stateline. Poured an amber color with huge white head. Aroma is caramel, malt, floral, grassy hops and a bitter sweetness. Finished sweet with nice carbonation. very good and alcohol was hidden well. Retsof (6), California, USA does not count Feb 23, 2009 Was lucky to have this beer in Seattle for a business trip. Wonderful Amber color and great hints of everything in it, but one didnt over power the others. walleye (876), Sterling Heights, Michigan, USA Feb 21, 2009 pours amber with a white head. aroma,caramel, hops, malts. flavor, hops, malts, honey, sugar. goodbeer want more KyotoLefty (1371), Kyoto, Japan Feb 20, 2009 Draught at Popeye’s in Tokyo.
Light amber color, malt, caramel and hops aroma. Clean, rich, excellently balanced flavor. Smooth, silky palate. Not too much of anything--amazingly well put together. One of the best barley wines I have had. GAManiac (1124), Atlanta, Georgia, USA Feb 18, 2009 12oz bottle, batch 71, poured into a tulip.
Pours a deep, clear amber which shines bright orange when held up to light. The head is very small, off-white and hangs around for a bit as a collar with good lacing.
The aroma is big on caramel malts but with plenty of floral and grassy hops in the nose as well. There is also a musty fruit sweetness that mixes with the booze with a bready character throughout.
The taste follows the aroma and has a generous caramel and bready malt backbone with lots of alcohol soaked fruit. There is more of an earthy hop presence in the taste as opposed to citrus hops. The finish definitely has the hop bitterness I was expecting.
The mouthfeel is sticky sweet with less than moderate carbonation, leaving the palate coated with the tastes.
This is a very good barleywine with an interesting hop profile on top of a musty sweetness with plenty of alcohol burn. Good but not great for me. BelgianBeerGal (1277), Sabbatical in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Feb 17, 2009 Draught at Toronado SD. Was this a little sweeter and syrupy than your typical barley wine, yes. Was this the most easy drinking barley wine I have ever tried, yes. Is this where people who claim to think barley wines are too much should start, yes. I would gladly order this again any day. skmikeg (70), Poway, California, USA Feb 17, 2009 Pour a hazy amber color with a thick white head. Aroma of bitter citrus hops, carmel, and a little rye. flavor of bitter hops, carmel, sweet fruit, and a little smoke from the rye malt. mouthfeel is creamy sweet, and just a little syrupy. while not among the top tier of barley wines, this is still a excellent beer nickd717 (1276), Palo Alto, California, USA Feb 3, 2009 Updated: May 19, 200912oz bottle from City Beer Store in SF. Good barleywine but didn’t blow me away. Hazy amber color with a huge, thick white head. Aroma is caramel malt and citrusy hops. Sweet malts, light fruity flavors, and citrusy west coast hops. Well rounded with a nice creamy mouthfeel.
Recently also had a 1998 magnum-size bottle at a beer tasting event. Ages well and really changes over time. Aroma and flavor become very sweet and a bit cidery with port notes, hop bitterness is minimal.
Update again: had it again on tap at City Beer. Awesomeness! Darker in color, sort of a cloudy copper. Huge sweet caramel malt flavor with roast, brown sugar, and honey stands out. Complex hop character. Very smooth and fairly full palate.
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