Smuttynose Wheat Wine

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

First off, I like Smuttynose- my bias is clear. The aroma is typical barleywine, alcohol, hops, malt, fruit. The mouthfeel is a bit lighter than a traditional barleywine, which I like- still thick, but not quite as syrupy. The flavor is malt and hops up front, sweetness and fruit and a bittersweet finish. I don’t detect anything that shouts "Wheat!!!", but it is a well made barleywine-style ale. I got another to cellar, we shall see. Well done again, Smuttynose.

I stumbled upon this beer not knowing anything about it. Actually, I was obsessed with Bear Republic’s Hop Rod Rye at the time and thought this might be similar. To my pleasure this beer is absolutely outstanding. The aroma is malty and mild, it pours a nice amber color with a creamy but light off white head. The initial taste is slightly bitter and dry but it rests on the tongue very gently. As the beer warms up, subtle floral notes become present and it drinks easier and easier. It wasn’t until I had 5 or 6 of these that I realised it was such a strong beer. The alcohol cannot even be tasted. The info thing says 10% but at The Sunset Grill and Tap in Allston, MA they list it as 11.5% so who really knows. This is an amazing beer and I hope everyone has a chance to try it.

Draught at Akkurat, Stockholm
Hazy red color; medium creamy head. Good caramel aroma and hop, light alcohol too. Full bodied, strong caramel flavor, strong bitterness. Very good, with some fruitness it would be great.

Pours with an orange-amber body topped by a medium thick head with little lacing. It’s slightly sweet and malty yet hoppy with a nice citrus note. Medium bodied, smooth and warming.

Hugely satisfying barleywine. Alcohol and hints of wheat on the nose, beautifully bitter taste with a bit of fire. Hops are evident, but the increased wheat addition allows this barleywine to be refreshing without a hops infusion. Classy stuff.

Tainted orange color with a smear of light brown. Glowing, thick hazed body. Thin and patchy ivory capping of loosely placed bubbles that don’t last. A thin collar persists though as lacing sticks in stocky webbed strings with lots of thin little fingers. Aroma is quite nice, reminiscent of a aged barleywine with a penitrating, soft heat of dark citrusy wax and syrupy juices. Orange, peach, tangerine, pineapple, melon, all make for a nice marmalade mix on the nose. Taste is more flattened and dulled with a pale wheat sweetness bringing a soft, medium tone of orangey-apple pancake syrup. Somewhat bready and beefy, warmth is prevalent, welcome and lasting in the throat. Hints of pineapple tropical gum and wheaty sugars also make some tiny slidings into the play of flavor. But mostly simple, yet satisfying, with a dulled sweetness of tropical fruit tang, wheat based sugars, and a good amount of heated warmth to cap it off to let ya know you’re drinking something with some girth to it. Feel is medium bodied, well heated, smooth, and a low carbonation level seeps in with ease to let the sugars rise before the heat. Slight fresh spearminty pine oils float about the palate on the finishing warmth; late. A nice little addition to the flavors. Made me want more, and so I obliged to partake in some more. The heat/warmth of this beer is mightily present. It’ll hold ya back some, but not much, as this is a solid treat from the folks at Smuttynose.

At the 2007 Big Beer, Belgians, & Barleywines Festival in Vail.pours orange in color with a thin off-white head. The aroma is just amazing! Honey and floral hops with maybe a touch of cotton candy. Flavor has a huge wheaty malt syrup that renders this beer so smooth that you get no heat whatsoever. great beer.

Draft at Ebenezer’s. Pours an orangey-amber with creamy head. Super fruity hops in the nose, much like Hvedegoop. Booze comes through, resin and mango, caramel. On taste, big bitterness holds up the immensely sweet and fruity beer. Defintely thick mouthfeel and creamy. Finishes surprisingly dry. Very warm and very good. Fantastic.