Southampton Old Herb

Brewed by Southampton Publick House
Style: Barley Wine
Southampton, New York USA

2006 (bottle 152/500) sampled at 14 months old. Perfectly still, hazy brown beer. Not terribly appealing in appearance. Aroma is very oaky and chewy, heavy herbal character, oak, vanilla and bourbon. The flavour is lightly sweet, bourbon, caramel, oak, chewy malts. A bit of raisin and white grapes. Palate is surprisingly thin given the ABV. Earthy/woody hop aroma, but the bitterness has faded quite a bit from the last time I recall. More balanced overall and the aroma is quite lovely, but I don’t think this one is ever going to get much better. Still sweet, but the grapes/raisins have integrated nicely into earthy and lightly fruity hops. Some cherry aroma/flavour adds a hint of complexity as well. A solid barleywine. If you’re holding onto 2006, I’d drink ’em up. 2006 vintage 12 oz bottle enjoyed at the brewpub. Very cloudy red-amber coloured brew. No head at all. Aroma is fairly odd. Hoppy and woody notes. Cedary and fairly briny. Strange deadness to the aroma and to the body. The yeast seems to have totally crapped out and stopped trying. The flvour is quite herbal and woody, dill, oak, toasted malt and some lingering earthy hops/malts. A very strange barleywine. Some good elements, but it is still way too young. The lack of carbonation doesn’t help either. Sweet, but not sugary. Strong herbal notes, but they need some help to make the whole package come together. Nowhere near as good as it could/should be. 7/2/6/3/12

05 vintage Small tan head, good retention, settling down to a thin protective layer. Hazy gold color. Nose is frutiy, plums and a hint of raisins, mildly sweet maltiness and a hint of roast. Body is full, lightly coating. Mildly sweet malts with hints of caramel and grain, mint and pine flavors bringing up the rear. Dry finish. Bottle courtesy of zathrus13, in a trade some time ago.

Nice beer. Pours a cloudy orange color. Tastes syrupy and woody. Great matly finish. Sweet and full bodied.

Deep carmel in color with decent head that stays and med lace. Big molassas and pine on the nose with hints or sherry and almonds. Rich and mouthfilling. Big carmel upfront with a nice hops clean up, the hops and the alcohol tingle your tongue. Nicely balanced. 2004 vintage.

Bottle 139 of 500, provided by and shared with tpkenned. Glowing, semi-translucent safire color with jagged ice and a creamy tan wrung for the head. Aroma is a precursor of good things to come: grenadine, amarillo, maple soaked pistachios with a touch of grandad’s brandy manhattan, and musty rose petals in plant food saturated water. Ripe bing cherries roll out the flavor, with smooth oak impartations to balance a sweet hop profile. Promulgating amaretto and grenadine join soggy juniper spice bread. Thick cherries and a palatable almond cheesecake, drizzled with sap from an evergreen. Not overbearing on the palate, but confident, expansive and lingering. Perfect palate performance with a strong attention to the bitterness portion. Finishes with maple, cedar and sweet amaretto bitters. Lovely indeed.

Thanks to Eyedrinkale for this bottle. Very interesting barleywine. Super sweet in the beginning, but somehow it isn’t cloying at any point. Just about every imaginable type of sweetness is in here, from the obvious dried fruits, to brown sugar, candy, honey and maple syrup. The maple is what really shines through. All this sweetness is balanced by a pronounced bitter finish. The mouthfeel is exceptionally thick and smooth, almost buttery. That first taste is amazing with the smooth, creamy texture and the rich, sweet flavor. Never had anything like this one. A bit sweeter than I normally go for, but still a fantastic beer.

Fully hazy, funky red-brown beer; nearly no head. Fruity, rich malts nose, some chocolate. Fruit is as sugar-preserved oranges. Seriously bitter hoppy flavour overlying sweet malts, brandy; bitter chocolate again retronasal, gradually leaning over the whole taste. Liqueur -like. Well bodied, slick, sticky; alcoholburn. Good BW, warming, vinous - and it IS herb.

this is annoying - I was at the pub;ick house last week and this wasn’t available -- but I buy it an hour from ’shop’.!! -- aroma is a little like vinegar. smooth fairly mild for a barley wine. but is good nonetheless .