4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
Bottle 2001 vintage poured a clear gaenet with an amber head. Aroma was vinous with dark fruit, brown sugar, and a hint of dark chocolate. Palate was rich, thick and a bit oily leaving nice Brussels lace behind. Flavor was vinous with plum, molasses, and cocoa wiyh a warming bitter finish.
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
UPDATED: SEP 4, 2006 2006 Vintage. Amber/reddish color with a small offwhite head. Lovely aroma from oak, plums and other fruits, oily and a bit burnt, figs, toffee notes, licorice and notes of cocoa. Very warming once I tasted it, malty, some oak and oil, figs, licorice, salty. Very complex body and a malty, fruity finish with some salt and cherry. A wonderful beer to enjoy for hours...
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
2003 Bottle...Hazy copper with a thin tan head, some fair lacing at the brew line. Sweet roasted malt aroma with a creamy caramel nose. Sweet malt flavor with a dry alcohol finish. Warm and medium to full-bodied creamy palate.
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
UPDATED: MAY 14, 2009 1/7/2008:
2007 VINTAGE:
Very nice malty (cookie and molasses) and hoppy (pine) aroma. Also detected some tawny port, alcohol and raspberry. Poured a medium sparkling clear amber with a creamy off-white head. Initial flavor is alcohol followed by a long and nutty aftertaste. Mouthfeel is creamy and carbonation is soft. There is a strong presence of alcohol throughout. Will probably improve with age.
Ar: 8
Ap: 4
F: 7
P: 4
O: 15
TS: 3.8
2-16-2008:
2008 VINTAGE:
Wow, as much as I liked the 2007 vinatge, the 2008 was horrible! Shared with ilovedarkbeer. Aroma was raw pumpkin with meelon, cinnamon, alcohol and vegitables. Creamy, off-white head with good lacing. Flavor was bad. Dry texture, lively carbonation and astringent!
Ar: 4
Ap: 4
F: 5
P: 3
O: 10
TS: 2.6
2004 Vintage consumed 5/13/2009, thanks to Lumpy. Pours with a small head over a murky amber body. Aroma of port, alcohol, toffee, maple and plum. Taste is prune, alcohol, toffee, light port, some oxidation and raisins. syrupy mouthfeel.
838415=3.8
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Colour: dark brown, mahogany shine; disappearing cream head.
Nose: hops, coloured malts, vanilla(?), blue cheese.
Taste: immediate sweet impression, then very hop-bitter, fading into satisfying plumcake taste.
Mouthfeel; very thick and rich, velvety. Alcohol evident.
Aftertaste: after a while, noble hops haunt the palate for quite long.
A very nice old ale - with American noble hops, as one would expect from a Californian brewery.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 16/20
Tasting at Brewtopia. Great cloudy amber color with a light beige head. Aromas are all over the place. I get sweet hops, vanilla, caramel, spices and some woody notes. Flavor is really nice. Caramel, wood, malt, toffee, floral hops and just a great body make this a superb beer. I cannot believe it took me this long to try it.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
A Mes rate: Bottle at HogTownHarry Fest ’08
A 2006 big abv version thanks hugely to Harry. Beautiful amber colour with a head that dies all to quickly but the high abv doesn’t give it much to hold onto. Really enjoyable cheesy alcoholic funk in the aroma with sweet dark malt underneath. Really sniffable. A proper barley wine flavour. Chunky, spicy and lots of chewy malt. Alcohol is obviously there but not at all over powering. Palate is excellent. Creamy and full giving a wonderful warmth as it slips down. Wood, cardboard, leather and all sorts of other aged stuff. Lovely soft mouth feel. A real malt celebration and bloody enjoyable. Much more like an English BW than an American one in my opinion. Great stuff and surprisingly under-rated for a US beer.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
UPDATED: APR 5, 2004 2001 sampled on 4/4/2004: Pours a murky dark copper brown with a nice off-white head. Aroma of bready complex oxidized caramel malt. Body has a nice, thick sweetness to it and goes down very smoothly with some hoppy bite still noticeable. This has aged very well and turned into a classic barleywine.
2001 sampled on 8/14/2003: Very complex, heavy aroma of dark fruit, licorice, caramel and hops. Medium to dark brown in color with an average-sized tan colored head. Starts sweet, almost syrupy with good malty complexity. Very smooth, but with a strong alcoholic finish. Moderate bitterness throughout. A good barleywine, but a bit too strong and not as drinkable as some others I've had.
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 17/20
2003 vintage. A reddish brown ale after fizzing from a high quality Belgian-like pour. Some cognac and barleyiwne aroma. Fine carbonation on the tongue. Immediate tummy warming from the alcohol. Barley wine and malt tastes, with Eno epsom salt. Numbing aftertaste.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 18/20
Tap at Blind Tiger. Pours a luscious, deep amber-red with a lofty, white head. Nose hints of sweet malts and Belgian yeast. Flavor is interesting. By my palette, quite fruity, smacking of apple juice. Some nice, low-key paleness. Medium to big in body with mild carbonation. High ABV give the beer a nice, warming character. Definitely a beer to be sipped and savored.
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