New Holland Existential Hopwine

Brewed by New Holland Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Holland, Michigan USA

22 oz. bottle. Pours a slightly hazy deep amber color with a creamy medium off white head that is mostly lasting. The aroma is sweet caramel malt, grapefruit, peach, and some floral notes. The flavor is sweet caramel malt, citrus, peach, and almost a hint of port. What seems to be missing s the 10.5 % that I didn’t notice. Creamy smooth drinking. Thick, but not distracting.

This is a big beer, no matter what style/category you put it in. Deep copper/amber color with foamy white head. The nose is full of hops. The flavor was citrus hops, sweet caramel malts, honey, fruit, and more hops. Well balanced between the hops and malt/barley sweetness. Sticky, syrupy, sweet, and lip smacking good. If you like big hop beers, try this one.

Dark orange amber body with a dense light khaki head. It’s a combination of a peanut butter sandwich and grapefruit juice. Some notes of caramel. The taste has some notes of rich toffee candy with some black tea. This leaves a lot of lacing on the side of the glass. The body is thick and chewy. Slightly toasted walnut finish.

Pours a hazy copper color with a white head. Aroma is malty, caramel, biscuit, and some resinious sticky hops. Flavor is malty, biscuit, toasted, bitter resinious hop, and a slight alcohol finish.

From a 22oz Bottle. Obtained in a trade with ogglethorp 10/6/07. Pours a somewhat hazy, thick, viscous, deep orange honey color with a firm finger of slowly building, tight white head. Aromas of candied oranges, apricots, and honey mix with some piney hops. Lots of fruity, caramelly sugars accented by citrusy American hops. Full bodied, sticky mouthfeel with a creamy carbonation. Syrupy and sweet. Caramel malt sugars coat the tongue, along with a honey texture and flavor. More hops, with an emphasis on pine and orange citrus. Flavors and aroma are both pretty good, but this one was way too sweet for my tastes. The grain sugars actually overwhelm the hop bitterness, even though this one is obviously quite hoppy. Thanks, Brian!

Bottle. Pours a deep orangish amber color with a thick, foamy slightly off-white head. Aroma of sweet malt with a hop presence in the background, but the malt aroma dominates overall. Flavor is not what I expected, huge caramel malt, with a honey-like sweetness on the tip of my tongue. There is a citrus hoppiness behind the maltiness, it seems as though it is very malty, which it is, but it is very hoppy as well, a certain dryness comes and goes near the finish, and there is a warming sensation of alcohol throughout. This is like nothing that I have ever tried before, I believe that their description of a hoppy barleywine is a very good description indeed. I enjoyed this a lot, it sort of shoots the gap between an American style BW and DIPA.

Dark amber pour with white frothy head. Sweet malt aroma dominates the nose. Pine resin and malt in the flavor. Syrupy medium mouthfeel. Astringent finish. Enjoyable.

Bottle: Amberish in color, leaning on the orange side, heavy haze, moderate off-white head, foamy, few rings of lacing.   Pale toasted marshmallows, slight citrus and hops on the nose.   Interesting...   Combination astringent hops, citrus peel, and grainy malts on the tongue.   Seems a little green.   Not as viscous or thick as you might think for a 10.5% beer.   Not alcoholic, but very warming.   Backside is fairly astringent, makes my mouth water.   Definitely green.   This one surely needs some time.   Body and mouthfeel are moderate.   Could stand to be a bit thicker.   Not bad, but a little immature.   Hopefully that astringency mellows out with age.   Thanks Styles for the bottle!