3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20Vintage 2004. Pours a brown (some reddish hues) murky color with a reasonable off-white head, but only a little lacing. The aroma is of sour caramel and toffee. The flavor is much of the same with some chocolate and brown sugar mixed in there. Sweet sour complexity, that’s the only plus. Man, HW sure knows how to sour up these "malty" beers. These sour caramel English beers don’t do much for me. Mouthfeel is acidic and astringent. Hops anyone? Some? Anything? Need more bitter balance.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
2004 bottle shared by motortoddhead. Thanks! Hazy brownish red pour. Lovely aged barley wine aroma of lightly oxidized malt, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, and aged hops. Flavor is a sweet caramel, brown sugar sweetness, and mild dark fruit with some alcohol spice to clean out the backend. Some faint, degraded hop bitterness. Semi-slick and coating. Very nice for a 9 year-old beer.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
2004 bottle at Max’s Taphouse in Baltimore. Split with yourefragile and amyliz4. Pours a murky brown. Nose has caramel, brown sugar, raisins, dark fruit, sherry, and a bit of alcohol. Flavor has a bit of residual sugar with backing sherry. Caramel, toffee, bread, brown sugar, raisins, and dates. Medium body and fairly chewy. Has held up fairly well.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
2004. Deep brown. So it is definitely old, oxidized malt, raisiny. There is a definite soy sauce autolyzed yeast character. I’d say this one is about done at this point in its life.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
2004 bottle shared at the 6th annual Richmond Industry Gathering, 11/27/11. Pours a hazy copper color with nearly no head. Aroma of big toffee malts, stone fruits, cinnamon, spices and some oxidation notes, not surprisingly. Aroma of toffee, raisins, spices and bitter hops. Full bodied. Glad to finally try this.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Thanks to officerfriendly or the kind soul who shared this at IBrew2or3’s going away. Pours dark cola brown with an off-white head. Nose is caramel, cardboard, barleywine fruit, port, raisins, and some oxidation. Flavor is similar- past its prime, but has retained much of its former awesomeness. Flavor yields raisins, tart dark fruit, port, sherry, and lots of caramel mixed with oxidation. Medium-bodied, and still enjoyable.
3.2 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bottle supplied by brother bruce at stateline... 2002 and 2004 bottles, both past their prime but.... Pours a hazy orange...decent head.. weak nose of some aroma old cardboard and malts.... Taste...... the hops are gone... but a malty bomb. Not bad.... as said... just past its prime. Medium body.... ahhhhhh. thanks bruce
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bottle shared at Paul and Ryan’s 5,000th rate tasting. 2004. Pours amber with a thin head. Sweet malty aroma with toffee and fruit. The flavor has sweet malts, some port-like notes, light fruity notes, toast, and toffee. Pretty good still.
4.2 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Thanks to daknole. Bottle pours copper with a khaki head. Aroma shows port-like oxidation with notes of toffee, raisin, vanilla and a touch of earthy hops. Flavor shows the same with additional notes of brown
sugar, fig, butterscotch, and a light hint of nuts. Glad to be able to try this one, pretty interesting after the age.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Springslicker with a major gem, thanks my friend! Amber pour. Delicious stone fruit, raisins, oxidized but awesome. Flavor is sweet prunes, raisins, caramel, oxidation, fruit...awesome. Love it.
3.8 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
2004 vintage’ Hazy brown pour with a extremely thin head head. Aroma shows light oxidation, dark fruit and toffee. Flavor follows suite.
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