 RomanW70 (297), Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Apr 11, 2008 Updated: May 31, 2008Pours amber brown with a medium head. Aroma of toffee and whiskey. Taste has some big malts up front and a warming alcohol finish. Very smooth. A very nice beer, but more of an old ale than a barley wine.
changeup45 (782), Orlando, Florida, USA
Apr 9, 2008 2008 Batch with 12.5% abv. Pours a deep amber color with very little head or lacing. Aroma is winey, candy sugars with sour fruity malts. The flavor is sugary and sour with bitter fruits, a touch of malt, alcoholic and red wine like. Smooth and warming. Not much of a hop presence. It does go down quite easily but seems a bit basic for a barleywine. Obviously this beer is very young so perhaps I’ll take the advice of others (and the brewery) and let the others age for a while.
Ando (105), Woodstock, Georgia, USA
Apr 8, 2008 *did not mind, would not buy this year*
smell: spiced rum! sweet malts, caramel.
app: ruby garnet lovely magic!
flavor: nice sweet, yummy, but a bit harsh, some chemical in the booze flavor. this is more enjoyable than drinking a rum and a bit more smooth. and full. but it is on par with strength of a rum. like most booze the more you sip the less it hurts and the flavor starts to poke out. this year all n all is a bit harsh for me, i wish it was listed as a different beer.. oh well.
palate: fine, it lacks luxury.
OA: great beer usually, needs lots of age.. which is annoying. this year is not my favorite.
gunhaver (1024), Tampa, Florida, USA
Apr 7, 2008 Updated: Jun 5, 20082006 bottle. Pours a thick, murky, cloudy caramel with red highli9ghts. Diminishing yellowish head, and subtle wet lacing. Caramel aroma is big, with molasses, licorice. Nice alcoholic burn on the nose hairs. Some dark candy rounds it out. Flavor is very rich. Molasses, dark and sweet brown sugar. Licorice is prominent, too. Alcohol is nowhere to be found in the body. Rich and warming, bitter finish. Way too drinkable.
mistersinalin (367), St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
Apr 6, 2008 When I bought this, I thought it was an Old Ale. Nevertheless, it was a fine barley wine. Plenty of yummy malts and richness.
robbmotiwalla (50), Kennesaw, Georgia, USA
Apr 4, 2008 caramel is what i smell and what i taste. very complex. maybe a little fig or apricot. nice hop bitterness. you can really taste the alcohol. 11.7%
bombshelter (349), Washington, Washington DC, USA
Apr 3, 2008 2007 bottle from whole foods. pours a dark brown, offwhite head that subsides quickly. aroma is caramel, hint of the hop bitterness. flavor is all fruity caramelly malt, but it’s hopped well enough that the finish is quite dry. laced with figs and some higher alcohols, but not as many as the abv would indicate. I’d be very interested to see how this ages as the hops mellow out. Still, it’s pretty damn good right now.
cmillward (418), Orlando, Florida, USA
Apr 3, 2008 2004 Bottle. Tasted 04/02/08.
Poured a deep garnet with a small tan head. This little sipper was quite a knockout. Aroma is slightly boozy with rich sugars, indistinguishable (to me) fruits, vanilla, and perhaps a hint of oak. Alcohol leads in the flavor and up your nose, but very mellow and not overpowering. As this opened up and got to room temperature the flavor gained complexity. Rich dark fruits follow and then lead to a dry and complex (meaning, I can’t quite describe it) finish. Definitely no hop presence detectable around the other flavors and aromas. The last few sips felt a little heavy, but besides that it had a wonderful mouthfeel.
Looking forward to trying this fresh, and in different vintages, but hope to be able to lay this down yearly to enjoy in the future.
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