Smuttynose Barleywine Style Ale

Brewed by Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

Serve in Snifter

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A 650ml bomber from my cellar. Bottle conditioned and aged since 2006. Had an unexpected and very special guest drop by tonight and this seemed like a fitting celebration of this great surprise. Pours a murky chestnit brown with thin tan head that reduces to a slight ring. Aroma is wonderfully complex and deep; toffee, light roasted grainy malt, aged brandy fruitcake like. Taste is so damn amazing; like banana pan seared in ouzo and rum butter (seriously). Hops still evident, viscosity makes the liquid stick to the tongue but not feel too chewy. Sublime finish of aged fruit, a slight note of woodiness (even though this isn’t barrel aged). Alcohol so well worked and mellowed that, while I know it’s potent, the beer slips down like a velvet assassin. Absolute bliss and damn near perfection. If you have some of this vintage you are a lucky bastard. And as for my buddy...you are welcome, and TOTALLY undeserving!

Aged 2 years on tap at unos. Aroma of grapefruit, pine, and a sweet citrus overtone. Pours red with a small orange head. tastes creamy with orange zest, pine notes, and toffee. not overly sugar tasting and very complex. great barleywine!

RateBeer Rating, Style and Glass: 91, barleywine, snifter ABV, Volume & Calories: 10% in 22 fl oz. estimated at 400 C Purchased at: for $4.99 Aroma: sweet, nice, inviting, maple. 9 out of 10. Visuals: deep but clear opacity, ruby color, limited clarity, tan, persistent head, intricate lace. 5 out of 5. Taste: heavy malt, roasted, bitter, nicely crafted. 9 out of 10. Palate: coating, drying, buzzing, long, strong finish. 5 out of 5. Overall: Lighter and crisper than Old Ruffian. I’d have it again in an instant. Nicely priced, and great flavors. Get it. Well crafted. 18 out of 20.

Bottle. Sampled at Akkurat, Stockholm. Murky, red-brown colour. A beauty to look at. Smells like runny honey. Thick, sweet aroma. Little noble cheese in flavour, probably good in accompanion with a French Chevre cheese. Massive flavour spectra, that wipes away anything else in your palate. This is a demanding brew, or rather aquired in its taste. Maltsweet, flowery flavour, a bit big on the alco in aftertaste. Actually, the high abv might prevent the good hop bitterness to bloom out. Peach and pineapple juice, as well as a light strawberry tone were very prominent. Yummy!

UPDATED: JUN 17, 2006 Huge-giganto creme-colored head that dissipated over a couple of minutes leaving a thin film floating on top. Dark coppery color. Spicy, hoppy flavor that whispered with a light alcohol-y bite.

I picked this bottle up back in 2004 I believe, sometime after sampling the oak aged version. I didn’t care for the oak, so couldn’t get motivated to open this up. Finally seeing that the oak version had been split off, I decided to pop open this thing. Unbelievably good beer. Medium orange amber, slight haze from the sediment, good head. Aroma was winey, woody, alcoholic, loaded with caramel, and bitter, anise laden hops. Flavor matched, wildly complex with additional notes of dark fruit, chocolate, pine, grapefruit, and toffee. Perfectly balanced, this was absolutely fantastic. A fantastic surprise. This thing should never touch oak.

there are few beers i enjoyed as much as this. lovely bridge between the overly hoppy or sweet barley wines, with a lighter body than you would expect for the abv. but what got me was the malt taste, and a little smokey...something wonderful i can’t put my finger on. will always look out for it.

Clear dark amber with a thick beige head. Beautiful aroma of wood, a ton of hops and caramel. Flavor has notes of toasted malt, toffee, wood, caramel, light chocolate and a big dose of hops which works very well in this beer. Pleasantly sweet and as previously stated, plenty of hops to balance it out. Nice warming alcohol presence detected on the back end. Medium/full body with moderate carbonation. Loved it!

22oz bottle: Lightly hazy bright red & amber colored body with a tiny tan head that quickly dies. Medium carbonation, sticky and slick. This has one of the best aromas I’ve encountered from a barleywine. It’s fruity, hoppy, and sweet with notes of apple, cherry, plum, berries, citrus, mint, alcohol, spice, carmel, toffee, pineapple, dough, and wood. The taste is complex, and really progresses nicely as you drink it. There’s notes upfront of fruit, berries, grapefruit, pineapple, and sweet malt. The hops make their presence felt towards the middle, as Indra noted, giving you bitter & spicy flavors of citrus, grapefruit rind, grass, flowers, and berries. Towards the end the hops back off just a bit, allowing the peppery alcohol, caramel, toffee, raisin, and toasted, syrupy malt flavors to come through. Finishes very hoppy with grain and alcohol; sticking to your mouth. A classic american barleywine here.

22 oz’er. Bright red with an almost orange tint. Nice airy, boiling head of foam, ubbles appearing and bursting every few seconds. The aroma is stark and sweet with a yeasty sense along the way. The flavor isn’t quite as over the top. This drinks with a musky fruitiness, a bit of citric acidity and an undertow of warming alcohol. I could see this as a wonderful accompaniment to a dish of game and wild vegetables. Excellent. (#3314, 2/2/2008)