New Holland Pilgrims Dole

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

Pours a light straw gold with no head. Aroma is (duh) wheaty and alcoholic. Flavor is quite tart and sour, but not pulled off as delicately as a gueuze. It’s rather astringent, which blurs most of the other flavors. The hearty alcohol content is hardly noticed. Decent but not something I’d buy again.

12-oz. bottle as an extra, via trade with Styles - thanks(?!) Chris.
Semi-hazy and dull safire-orange in color with a dusty oil overlay for the head. Aroma promises with grenadine and maraschino cherries, almond butter, freesia, juniper, raspberry floral crepes and sweet honey bread. First sip rolls in and I have no idea what just happened. Let’s try this again. Nope. Still a conical mess. Pale malt takes on a lucid, astringent buckwheat flavor. Searing acidity cuts like sweaty gym socks pulled out of a cesspool. Diluted cranberries, yet the tartness perseveres. Loose, non-fat margarine mouth feel and haphazardly syrupy all at once. The idea of balance apparently wasn’t a fond notion when the dole was handed out in early 14th century England. Finish takes us back to dried strawberries out of an astronaut pack that expired moments after Neal Armstrong took the first step on the moon. Truly a tragedy. Rule of thumb: avoid New Holland at all costs.

Pour is a cloudy deep red-brown with a thin head. Smells sharply of sweet vanilla and notes of carmel. Initial taste is of malted vanilla cookie dough; alcohol flavor is pretty strong in the after taste with a hint of hop-charged carmel.
The only thing that turns me off is the STRONG overwhelming alcohol after taste. Though after it warms up a bit the after alcohol after taste is much more subtle, covered by sweet malts.

Strong hard apple cider notes, spritzy mouthfeel (surprisingly) and big, peppery alcohol burn. I like the experimental nature of this brewery’s efforts...not always on the mark, but always something I’m glad to have had the opportunity to have tried.

Wow. I like this stuff. Nice maltiness that really fills the mouth. The hops are light -- towards the British side of BW. Unassuming, just a mellow brew that finds itself appealing to many ... which I appreciate. Good stuff.

12 oz (355 mL) brown bottle purchased from Armanetti’s, Mundelein, IL. 10% ABV. Clear orange hued ale having a small diminishing head. Soft carbonation. Nice aroma of fruits, caramel and sweet malt. Full bodied with mouth-coating oiliness that starts with slight sharpness and fruity, caramel and light sweet malt flavors. Finishes dry with lingering fruity and sweet malt flavors. Some lingering hop bitterness also detected. This is a lovely well-balanced tasty barley wine ale is mild enough to enjoy with food. Highly recommended for barley wine virgins or for those with previous bad barley wine experiences.

I’m surprised I haven’t rated this yet. This was aged for about a year in my cellar. Pours a deep clear golden color with a medium rocky off white head. Aroma has scents of yeast, grapes, and wheat. Flavor shows a strong wheat flavor along with a sour white grape taste. This is one of the first barleywines that I have aged and tasted a difference in. I remember the original being sweet and heavy, this is more sour and easy to drink, although still sticky on the tongue. A liittle strange but intriguing for me.

Sweet aroma of caramel and port. Pors out a nice dark amber color with very little head. Sweet and bitter flavor with notes of vanilla. Pretty good mouth feel.