 frankenkitty (1873), Oak Lawn, Illinois, USA
Feb 14, 2006
2004 Vintage Pours a near-opaque, rich ruby/vermillion with nigh a head except for a thin, white halo. Juicy, caramel aroma, mostly malts with a lick of alcohol and plenty of dark fruits and caramel. (Intoxication intensifies exponentially as it warms.) "Oh my," I actually proclaim as I taste this one. Rich and wooden with the alcohol seriously penetrating, the flavor also finds vinous notes, deep veins of caramel and sweet baked goods... it’s like being a child again, finding delicious treats in the strangest of places! A thick, syrupy, warming palate rates a "4" until I take into account the soft shroud of drunkeness that blankets me. Perfect.
Gene, you can keep your Old Horizontal... I’ve found a BarleyWine worthy of my time ("floor-malted Maris-Otter Malt" my ASS).
<font size=-4>Purchased at <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp?PlaceID=1477>Archer Liquors, Chicago, IL 60638<font size=-1>
ljstephenson (102), Lawton, Oklahoma, USA
Jul 4, 2009 Dark ruby-brown pour with a disappearing white head, aroma is dried fruit and oak, flavor is strong with malt and bitterness, well balanced and thick, finishes dry, slightly bitter and keeps the dried fruit presence throughout.
leeburg (144), Juneau, Alaska, USA
Jun 30, 2009 2008 vintage, red-auburn with a moderate tan head. Love barleywine noses, and this was a nice potpourri. Like a fruit stand inside a flower shop, plus generous hops and barley. Flavors were thick, sticky sweet and strong, nicely balanced and followed the aroma profile. Alcohol was not as whelming as I thought 12.5% would be, and it didn’t feel like it was destroying my enamel the way other barleywines sometimes do.
imadeadguy (353), back in NJ!, New Jersey, USA
Jun 28, 2009 Tap. Pour is deep amber/ruby with a fluffy off white head. Aromas of caramel, rasins, and dark fruits. This beer is full of hops, toffee, caramel, and sweet candied fruits. Awesome BW here.
durhambeer (990), Durham, USA
Jun 27, 2009 2007 bottle. Thought I had rated this before, but I guess not. Can’t figure out why I’m drinking so many heavy-ass beers this summer, but maybe this is why... might be the one that finally convinces me of the greatness of the style. Christ, this hits the spot. Pours deep muddy chesnut with a half-inch temporary off-white head that turns into a lingering ring. Smells of complex fruity caramel, cotton candy, toffee, nuts, golden raisins, and soft stewed fruits. Still good carbonation; even slightly prickly. I love it and wish Iike to have more of this vintage. Curious to see how the 04 and 05 vintages I have compare.
zapprentice (217), East Setauket, New York, USA
Jun 24, 2009 Aroma was not terrible, sweet and sugary notes. Taste was just not good, sweet boozy yuck
LilBeerDoctor (1291), East Setauket, New York, USA
Jun 22, 2009 Draft at Sunset Grill. Pours a dark amber with a white head. Aroma of sweet malt and jam. Flavor of super sweet malt, yeast (?). Overpowering sweetness and booze. Wow, I don’t know what other people see in this beer, but I don’t care for it.
6/4/5/3/11 (2.9/5)
bw1982 (52), , Arizona, USA
Jun 19, 2009 Bottle, 2008 vintage. I was trying to hold off, but I decided it was time to break one of these open. The color is a sort of dark copper, there is basically no head, but the few bubbles present were off-white. Aromas are pretty sweet, lots of barley and some malt. Flavor is overall sweet, but finishes with a really nice sweet/bitter balance. The bitters in this beer are surprisingly smooth. ABV is hidden pretty well, very smooth drinking beer for something with this power. I loved this beer.
yobdoog (1021), Woodridge NY, New York, USA
Jun 18, 2009 2009 Bottle. Man this one needs many years. Clear reddish brown with ruby highlights. Aroma is sweet and sugary and slightly bitter and vanilla. Taste is extremely boozy. At first very bitter and warming doesn’t help much. Almost hard to drink, very harsh.
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