Rock Bottom Braintree Liquid Courage

Brewed by Rock Bottom Braintree
Style: Barley Wine
Braintree, Massachusetts USA

AKA Liquid Happiness, pouring at the Rock Bottom, Boston, MA location. Liquid Happiness is an English Strong Ale by style, it is an excellent one. This style is brewed up during the cold winter months as a "winter warmer", and makes for an excellent beer to take the chill off those cold Boston winter days and nights. Strong ales are of course stronger in alcohol, but they also have more malt heft, and are more hop character than the average bitter or ESB. Liquid Happiness is brewed with imported British malts and hops, and comes in at a warming 7.6% abv. This was the perfect afternoon beer to have as I walked off my lunch at Jacob Wirth(see my review for details) and was the perfect beer to sit and relax with at the bar. Liquid Happiness pours to a beautiful, bright, deep copper color, with a slight white head, and a soft to moderate amount of carbonation. The nose on this beer is wonderful, with lots of sweet and bready malt aromas paired with some peppery notes of alcohol. The palate is full and lush on the tongue, with sweet, toffee/caramel malt flavors, and subtle jammy fruit flavors. Liquid Happiness finishes with more sweet malt, toffee,and fruit up front, then ends with a malty, peppery alcohol burn that lingers. This is a great sipping beer, perfect for the cold weather, and a great after work brew to enjoy at the bar at Rock Bottom, or a great after dinner drink.

On tap at Braintree location, from a snifter. Ok nose, sweet. Subtle but complex. Got some cardboard when cold, but that faded quickly. Dried fruits, plum & raisin, cocoa, buttercreme, caramel, brown sugar. Dark orangy brown color that slowly faded, good head with some lacing. Bittersweet flavors, like aroma, thought the malts took on a more of a molasses flavors. Had some citrus when rolled on tongue. Medium body, creamy oily mouthfeel, sweet dry finish, though it’s the 9.3% doing the drying. Gave me a little burn when touched my lips. Tasty BW though would like to see some age mellow this abit.