emptylemon51 (12), Arizona, USA
Jul 3, 2009 Super malty beer with nice, strong finish. This one sneaks up on you even for a barley wine. Go easy. Good brew.
lordsummerisle (17), New York, USA
Jul 3, 2009 2008 bottle. Reddish amber color with medium white head. Piney and fruity scent with heavy hop aroma. Taste is pretty intense with caramel malt giving way to piney hops and subtle fruits. Nice complexity, just slightly more bitter/dry than I prefer in barleywines. Palate is thick, too dry in the finish. I prefer other barleywines to this one but I would definitely drink this again.
 fata2683 (835), Panama City, Florida, USA
Jul 3, 2009 Bottle, 2009 vintage, pours dark amber, medium off white head. Bread and nut malt character ends with a big punch to the face of hop bitterness. Definately an American BW. Balance is good and keeps the beer refreshing.
Hoptagon (132), Arlington, Virginia, USA
Jul 2, 2009 12oz. 2009 Bottle. Have had many of these over the past decade or so, but have never sat down to rate it. The pour is excellent with a rich ruby color and a thick lacing head. Nose is still largely hops with lots of pine and hints of caramel, malt and alcohol. This beer tends to be strikingly bitter during the first year of its life and this one is no exception. Shows a sharply bitter bite with notes of crystal malt, toast and dark fruits lingering in the background. Has a rich and lucious texture with a fairly high amount of carbonation. Wouldn’t describe it as syrupy, but it is definitely heavy on the tongue. Finishes slightly bitter and with an intense dryness. Not bad, but still a little too green for my taste. Will cellar the rest and enjoy the malt complexities that emerge in this beer after a year or so.
mcmd (130), Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Jun 28, 2009 2009. Pours a clear deep red amber with a nice off-white head. Very fruity and floral aromatic nose with plenty of hops present. Flavor is an incredible balance of sweet malt and piney hops both in the front and the finish. Very nice hop style barley wine. I will put back many of these.
madvike (301), Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Jun 25, 2009 Sampled 2001, 2004, and 2009 vintage off tap at the Malt House in Madison, WI (2009 reviewed) - Pours a deep ruby with a little tan head. It smells hoppy and caramelly--I would guess this was an IPA if I didn’t know what the pour was. Taste is hoppy with a dry, malty grain taste. Aftertaste is dry, bitter, and herbal, along with a skunk that tastes off. Mouthfeel is syrupy with lots of dryness on the finish. Overall, just not feeling this one. I know it’s supposed to be the bomb, but the hops are just way too dry and bitter for me and they overwhelm the malt. The aged versions were much better, as the hops faded away and brought forth more of the caramel/malt flavors.
CanIHave4Beers (831), Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Jun 25, 2009 Pours a deep red color with a nice large head that leaves lace and halfway through the glass diminishes into the classic espresso swirl. Aroma is citrusy hops, cherry fruitiness, some rum like booziness, some apple, and some good sweet malt. The hops seem to have faded quite a bit from previous 09 bottles that I have had but even faded this is still one moderately hoppy bitter little barley wine. Plenty of good sweetish malty notes, some burnt sugar flavors, some mild roastiness, and a it of an odd but weirdly pleasant saltiness is fairly dominant in the beer at this point. Fruity notes of some cherry and plum play on the palate. Delicious as always.
DalzAle (473), Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA
Jun 23, 2009 Aged 2007 bottle from Moejuck (thanks!) Hazy firebrick brownish/red pour with very little carbonation and a heavy malty aroma. Flavor is excellent caramel, malt, bitter hops and very floral and warming on the aftertaste. Solid barleywine that does very well with age. I’m going to have to make it a point to buy a case next year for aging.
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