22oz bottle. Bottle labeled bottled October 2004. Poured a deeper mahagony color with an averaged sized off white head. Aromas of dark fruits (cherries and raisins), toffee, wood, roast, nutty, and chocolate. Tastes of dark cherries, toffee, and caramel. Had a tart cherry finish (going south due to the age?).

<i>Sampled bottled</i><br />Dark brown, almost black, tan oily head, light lacing. Nose of special B & lots of heavy roasted nuts. The flavor is hot & a bit of chocolate & strong bittering hop. Finishes sweet, cloying & just unrefined.

This isn&#8217;t a typical barley wine, it isn&#8217;t trying to be one. It&#8217;s more like a Christmas-flavored highly hopped English stong ale. Murky brown and purple colored body with a filmy sand colored head. Intensely sweet nose of brown sugar, maple, chewy, caramelized sugars, woody, mossy hops and some interesting spicy, peppery yeast notes, even containing a little smoke. A little reminiscent of a fresh Bigfoot. First taste is very pungent, striking, pasty texture, with a peppery, biting, sour and lactic grass flavor. I can see what this is trying to do: it&#8217;s almost a nice, peppery and grassy hop bomb.. The finish leaves a coating of gritty paste-like resin all over the mouth. Reminds me of an English style barley wine on steroids. It&#8217;s very interesting, overall very sweet - but the underlying juniper, pine sap and "tree" spices are surprisingly good after a few short glasses. Dare I say this reminds me of Anchor OSA at times?

Head is initially small, frothy, light brown, fully diminishing. Body is hazy dark amber, bottle conditioned. Aroma is moderately malty &#40;caramel, cookie&#41;, lightly hoppy &#40;apricot, resin&#41;, lightly yeasty &#40;sweat, dough&#41;. Flavor is heavily sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is moderately sweet, moderately acidic, moderately bitter, unclean. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation. Yikes. Pretty poor stuff...bland aroma, kinda dirty tasting. Blah.

Poured a hazed brown color with a small off-white head. The aroma is of aged dark fruity malt. Notes of caramel, paper, chocolate, figs and tobacco. Dark fruity malt with a tart middle and finish. Oxidized taste. Medium bodied with a smooth mouthfeel.