Howe Sound Woolly Bugger

Brewed by Howe Sound Inn and Brewing Co.
Style: Barley Wine
Squamish, Canada

Serve in Snifter

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33cl bottle sample @ RBBWG 2013, courtesy of 77ships. Cuivrée, foncée, col beige. Arôme est malté, pointe de caramel, sucrée. Palais présente ce côté type de barley wine tirant plus vers le style britannique, léger sucre brun voire caramélisé collant aux lèvres, houblon généreux contribuant à un profil amer citronné assez sec, pour une balance agréable mettant le profil malt bien en avant sans pour cela obstruer le reste .

Sampled from bottle @ RBBWG 2013. Hazy murky opaque reddish color, small white head. Smell and taste malts, lightly alcohol, some bitterness as well as some sweetness. Nicely balanced, good body, medium carbonation.

pours a brown with a red tint, a small khaki head that goes away quickly, and a little lacing. smell is faint, some caramel, and some malt. taste is of grain, caramel, barley, and roasted malt. ends smooth.

Bottle from Malt & Vine. December 2012 version. Pours clear, dark and ruddy. 3 finger creamy beige head. Aromas of fruit and wood. Near full bodied. Flavor is mixed. Wood, herb and brown sugar come to mind. It’s far from the icky sticky standard. It almost drinks like a regular beer. At 11% that’s deadly! It leaves tasty aspects along the tongue sides. Mouth smacking is a decent description. There’s not even a hint of heat. Something reminds me of the vanilla in AV Solstice beers, but not so overwhelming for sure. This is exceedingly good ale.

Pours a deep copper color, with a substantial lasting head and moderate lacing. Aroma is somewhat unimpressive, consisting primarily of malt with ripe fruit notes. Flavor is all about malt with moderate complex flavor of carmel, ripe fruit and citrus, with just barely enough hop bitterness to pull this brew together. The flavors linger well into the finish. Overall I think this is a good, very drinkable barley wine; more so than most. The only reason it fails to rate higher in my score is that it could use a little more complexity, and the aroma is seriously lacking for an otherwise nice brew. I would come back to this again, and hopefully this isn’t the last batch we’ll see.

Nose of dark fruit toffee caramel brown sugar herbal aged hop notes. Auburn copper pour great head lace and legs. Nice looking beer. Flavors of dark fruit toffee brown sugar herbal notes a touch pf brine tang alcohol but smooth and warming. Lingering residual sugar. Really solid beer.

12-oz. 2012 bottle cracked brand-new. Pours a clear but incredibly dark mahogany with bright rubied edges. Dense creamy tan head that falls quickly away to not much at all. Loose drippy lace. Big rich caramel, molasses, and brown sugar nose. Creamy medium body with lively carb--surprisingly light and effervescent for a barleywine, or anything 11%. Caramel, raisins, molasses, brown sugar, balsa wood, and black walnuts on the mid palate, with a long sweetish finish.

UPDATED: FEB 14, 2013 Very attractive (and refractive) deep amber brown color with off-white head that really lasts. Nose of figs, persimmons, caramel, toffee, gingerbread, and allspice. Taste is all of the above plus plum, raisin, baker’s chocolate, and cedar shavings. Very nicely integrated hops and alcohol create a very warming and pleasing orchestra of flavor that just hits the spot.

341 ml bottle. 2012 vintage. Pours a deep red/mahogany with medium lasting head. Aromas of wood, caramel, roasted malt and licorice. Smooth and almost creamy for a barley wine. Beautiful balance and 11% well hidden. Flavors of dark fruit/plums, roasted malt, burnt sugar, and way in the background a bit of pine. Excellent.

187 ml bottle from the brewery, seeing how it is after 2 years’ release, 29th month of life. Poured a brownish body without any head. Looks and taste like rich malt, slightly boozy aroma and there is alcohol warming in the taste, with a bit of booze in the aftertaste. Certainly hits its style, more British in experience, the hops are behind toffee and...butterscotch, understated citrus taste. Smooth drinker.