Smuttynose Wheat Wine

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

22-oz bottle received from SS ’07, holdenn. Pours clear amber with a spare, frothy, white head, diminishing with spare lacing. Aroma is average malt (cookie, caramel), heavy hops (flowers, perfume, pine), light yeast (sweat) with notes of heavy alcohol, apple, and honey. Full bodied, alcoholic texture, average carbonation, and a bitter finish. Average duration, moderate sweetness, heavy acidity and bitterness.

Bottle. Part 3 of 5 of my barleywine-fest, even though it’s not quite a barleywine. Pours viscous amber with a tannish head. Aroma is a sweeter and lighter version than your typical barleywine. Tastes like a failed banana liqueur I made a few years back. Alcoholic and harsh. This is absolutely horrific.

Draught at Oliver Twist, Stockholm. Hazy pale amber with a creamy white foam. Perfumy aroma of coriander, green bananas and sugar. Clean and fairly alcoholic flavour of of green bananas, dried oranges and vanilla. Dried oranges, wheat and alcohol in the finish.

22 oz bomber purchased at Spirits RB. Pours a clear copper orange with a small off white head. Aroma starts off with some nice sweetness of honey, caramel, toffee and a nice blend of maltiness but as it warms the alcohol takes center stage just like Eddie VanHalen forcing out Diamond Dave back in the mid 80s. Flavor of cereal and grains, raisin and lots and lots of alcohol. Perhaps this beer needs more time but it was all over the place and not that enjoyable despite it’s potential.

This wheat wine pours a medium orange gold color from a 750ml bottle. Small sized white foamy head. Aroma is orange and sweet. A medium bodied barley/wheat wine. The malts are wheaty and sweet. Lots of orange flavors. There is a touch of alcohol oiliness. Very smooth tasting. Nice beer. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Tap at Blind Tiger. Darkish mahogany colored pour with a greasy head. Lots of alcohol comes through. This is like a nutty barley wine without any of those well developed malt characters that need to be there to balance. Tasty though, and the ABV doesn’t overwhelm. Nothing too special though.

tap at blind tiger. finally get to say those word. this was surprisingly dark in color because i was expecting it to be similar to the goose island wheatmiser. wasn’t nearly as super sweet and malty. kinda nutty though, and pretty hoppy. it was drinkable, but i didn’t think it was anything too special. i’d appreciate more complexity. nothing really wheat about it except the opacity, but when it’s that dark who cares anyways.

Draught at Oliver Twist, Stockholm. Clear reddish amber, minimal head. Resiny grapefruit flowery hops up front. Sweet and quite thick. Vinous with lots of warming alcohol, and full body. Despite the caramelly malt alcohol remains dominant, pushing it slightly off balance.