 Vas19 (211), Maryland, USA
May 7, 2008
2000 bottle. Pours dark brown with a tan head. Aroma of caramel, honey, sour fruit, and alcohol. Taste is caramel with an overwhelming malty sweetness and a bit of roastiness too. Some fruit too. Noticeable alcohol even at this age. Syrupy texture. Delicious.
dm9831 (571), Monee, Illinois, USA
Aug 20, 2008 2004 vintage, whiskey barrel aged. deep ruby colored, tiny tan bubbles with some spotty lacing. aroma of sweet malt and plums. flavor is smokey, thick, smooth, with brandy-like sweet notes. very full bodied, alcoholy, with a full, sweetish finish. i have a thought that the whiskey barrel aging added much of the attraction to this barley wine. this brew doesn’t really try ro hide the 11.5% abv.
buzzoven (93), Japan
Aug 19, 2008 Bottle vintage 1999. Seriously thick brew. Poured like tar from a smoker’s lung. A rich, deep scorched brown molasses colour with opaque orange highlights and some cloudy hazy copper tones as well. Nose is sweet caramel, candied fruits...complex smells. Mouthfeel is thick, sticky, and sweet as hell..even leaving a syrupy residue on the lips and teeth. Taste is perfect balance of fruits and liquer...brandy, rum, whiskey, apricot, plum, raisins, but more so than anything, I would say that this is the port wine of beers. It is something to behold and a fine thing to enjoy. Strangely enough, even at such a high alcohol content, I found it easy to drink fairly steadily. But having said that, this is probably best enjoyed in slow, savory sips.
Juelze (668), Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
Aug 16, 2008 Thanks to my bro for picking this up. Pours a rich brown color with slight hazy and minimal head. Aroma is intense butterscotch, caramel, toffee and light alcohol. Taste is caramel, toffee, butterscotch, some dark fruit and a bit of molasses. Very similar to Triple Bock IMHO, but less soy sauce. This is the ’02 version btw. Anyway, not bad considering the ABV which is very well hidden. Good but not mind blowing.
Petrucci914 (332), Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA
Aug 16, 2008 Updated: Aug 19, 2008Thanks, TheCheeseMan!
2002 Bottle!
Pours a nice dark amber color with a thin white head that disappears quickly. Aroma is caramel, butterscotch, toffee, and alcohol. Taste is about the same. Surprisingly not very rich or boozy for being 11.5% alcohol. Very well balanced and enjoyable!
matt7215 (542), Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
Aug 13, 2008 275 ml bottle from my secret santa (summer 08). 2002 vintage. pours mahogany/amber/brown with a small tan head. the aromas are quite deep and complex. caramel and toffee malts with some dark fruitiness. also a little hot in the nostils. the flavours are very big barley wine in nature. smooth and palatable malts. a touch to sweet. deffinantly a sipper but one that im truly enjoying. thx santa!
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