Real Ale Sisyphus

Brewed by Real Ale Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Blanco, Texas USA

Serve in Snifter

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Bottle, 04. Cloudy orangy amber pour. Sweet malt and raisin fruity aroma. Tons of malt flavor, and some citrusy hops in the back. Medium bitter finish. I really enjoyed this, and glad I got to sample an aged one.

12oz 2004 bottle via trade with whaleman - Thanks Dave! - Pours slightly cloudy copper with a short tan head. Aroma of sweet malts and raisins, and a touch of plum. Flavor starts out sweet with caramel malts, raisins, a touch of the grapefruit hops remain but I suspect most is gone due to the age of this brew. The palate is quite smooth and full bodied. Blended very well a touch of the alcohol comes through on the back of each sip. Not bad..

Thanks to Walt for this beer.

Poured a cloudy amber with a small fizzy white head which dissipated completely. Sweet citrusy aroma of grapefruit, orange and a touch of alcohol. Taste was mostly yeasty and dry with a touch of citrus and smoky caramelly malt. Yeastiness left it feeling chewy and gave it a dry sticky finish. Decent in general for a beer, but felt sloppily crafted for a barley wine.

UPDATED: OCT 24, 2005 2005 Bottle. Pours thick with no head and low carbonation evident. Looks like dark honey. Aroma of grapefruit.Tart and citrusy smell. First sip... This ain’t no lightweight. Thick and gooey. Not much carbonation in this bottle at all. Some hoppy bitter aftertaste, I like that. Fair amount of alcohol warmth in this one. Overall, decent, though I’d like a tad more carbonation (as this one is nearly flat).<P>Rerating another bottle from same batch, 10/24/05: My tastes in barleywine have improved since first rating. Pours thick with a 1/4" tan head. Aroma is rich in malts with a good hop touch. Mouthfeel is thick like honey. Flavor is strong malts, bitter citrus hops, with good warmth from alcohol. My early rating complained about carbonation - I didn’t realize it’s part of the style. There is ample in this one! I think I’m about to go clean out my local store of these for the winter...

2004 Vintage. Hazy copper w/ small almond coloured head. Sweet, malty aroma w/ herbal, citrusy hops & peppery alcohol. Full-bodied w/ some sticky edges. Thick, sweet, malty flavour w/ notes of prunes, raisins, dates, grapefruit & pine. Mellow finish that leaves a warm alcohol tingle.

Aroma 8; Appearance 3; Flavor 8; Palate 4; Overall 15; Total Score 3.8

2005 Vintage. Cloudy copper w/ frothy, pale tan foam & much more carbonation that 2004 sample. Aroma profile is similar to the 2004 sample but the hops are much sharper & forceful. Full-bodied w/ a soft, creamy carbonated feel. Flavour profile is much hoppier than the 2004 sample & far more bitter. Alcohol is more evident in the finish as well. Still quite young, but seems to mellow nicely with age.

Aroma 7;Appearance 3; Flavor 7; Palate 3; Overall 14; Total Score 3.4

2005 vintage. Hazy orange brown, film of white head. Orange peel and alcohol aromatics. Doughy, with old fruit notes and some nuttiness. Finish is slightly bitter with lingering turned apricot. Mouthfeel is thick and chewy.

2003 Vintage. Orange hazy. No head. Citrus aroma. This is an extremely heavy beer. With a very long bitter finish. Quite good one.

Vintage 2003.
Hazy dark orange body, foamy off-white head. Full and sharp in the aroma, notes of hop, fruit, malt and spices with bready tones. Dominating bitter hoppy flavor, dry and biding, with nutty and spicy notes. Good fruity base. Quite extreme and very tasty. I just looove these American barley wines!

[Vintage 2003 sampled June 2005] A hazy amber-red beer with a disappearing orange head. The aroma is sweet with notes of alcohol, hops, and caramel. The flavor is sweet with notes of alcohol, peach as well as a more general fruityness, but also some acidity. The alcohol burns the tongue - but in a nice way. The end is quite bitter. Thanks to Fly for letting me fly home with this from GABF.

Bottle, no dating anywhere. Poured slightly hazy orange amber with small to no head. Sweet fruity aroma, and alcohol. Tasted like alcohol and some grass and hops. Very strong alcohol in this one, minus points.