 nhorween (528), New York, New York, USA
Sep 3, 2006 Updated: May 26, 2007
Bottle, 2005. Coffee colored, very dark for a barley wine, almost no head. Aroma is sweet hops, vanilla, cheese, bourbon, vinous, salty, almost eggy (smells like chinese food). Sweet and smooth, salty smoked meat flavor, almost no bitterness. So sweet, very well masked alcohol, weirdly smooth, and unbalanced in an interesting way. Nice mouthfeel, smooth, creamy, almost no carbonation. A super unique barleywine, and stupid smooth relative to ABV. Nice. Rerate - reddish brown in color. Really nice pour, would’ve like more head, but still nice. Extremely well blended aroma. Really well balanced. Great beer. I’ve had this bottle for about 18 months, and it’s really mellowed. Track it down.
tytoanderso (1195), St. Louis Park, Minnesota, USA
Sep 23, 2008 Eric, your absolute generosity is second to none! Thank you so much for this amazing treat!
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750ml bottle. 2005. Thick, syrupy toffee initially on the nose. Vanilla, wet wood tannin, raisins and plums with hints of lighter tropical fruit as well. A very light bourbon influence, but the barrel presence, thankfully, isn’t overpowering. Very malt heavy. The smallest hint of earthy and slightly musty hops in the background, but by now this one’s all about the chewy, sweet and confectionary malt. The slightest touch of oxidation, but far from detracting. Pours a very thick dark copper/amber. Not quite opaque, but close with a well kept off white head. Subtle, but chewy on the tongue. Vanilla, toffee, creme brulee... Very mild, but still inescapable barrel presence. Damp wood, tobacco leaf... The smallest hint of bourbon spice. Honey... Maple syrup drizzled panckes ... Candied raisins and plums. Shit, this is excellent stuff... much better than expected. Quite balanced for an 11% BA BW! Malt, barrel and hops all in elegant unison. Decadent on the tongue... loads of sweetness but never cloying. The carbonation seems damn near perfect. Finishes with a nice amount of wood tannin (reminding me that it’s a BA brew), spice and a delicate sweetness.
<br /><br />Damn... I knew this was going to be good, but it truly surpassed all of my expectations. Thanks again for you extreme generosity Eric!
LooseCannon (675), Norfolk, Virginia, USA
Aug 31, 2008 750ml bottle, 2005 vintage. Thanks to Immy for this one. Pours copper in color with thin white head. Aroma sweet, malty and bourbon. Taste of malty, bourbon and oak with clean finish.
JMFG (1173), Florida, USA
Aug 22, 2008 Sampled @ RBSG (thanks Odeed!). Dark amber color, thin white head. Sweet apricot aroma, mild peppery English barleywine hop character, not a whole lot of barrel character on the nose. Dark fruits, rich oak and alcohol mix, light spice on the back end. Nice.
theisti (1079), Leawood, Kansas, USA
Aug 8, 2008 750 ml bottle courtesy of willblake. Pour is hazy ruby cordovan brown. Fizzy off white head falls fairly fast leaving behind only specs of lacing. Aroma of stale cardboard and some vinegar notes initially. As it warms, some currant fruit, honey and sweet raisins comes out. Also, the wood becomes very present Taste is very soft, floral, sweet honey raisin fruit and some alcohol heat towards the end. There is a bit of woody saltiness in the taste as well, along with mild black pepper. Interesting and complex. Thanks for sending me this one way back when, Jon, just off the charts generosity.
tjthresh (1315), Greenfield, Indiana, USA
Aug 7, 2008 Bottle shared by theisti. Pours deep mahogany red with some darker hues. Dark, lasting, khaki head with spotty lace. A bit of a vinegar bite in the aroma with a bit of oxidation. There’s some cherry and toffee as well. It opened up a bit better after awhile and the aroma was mostly tannic oak. Mmmmm. Rich toffee with some light milk chocolate. I wouldn’t have guessed that this was a bourbon barrel. Seem more like brandy or calvados. Tastes great. Quite full bodied, light carbonation, and a sweet but mellow finish. There’s still a lot of life in this bottle. Thanks for sharing Tim.
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