Southampton Old Herb

courtesy of fiulijn; 2005 vintage sampled 12/2007 - slightly hazy bordeaux colour, poor head; aroma of prune, licorice with a touch of alcohol and a strong hop presence; oily and full-bodied, powerful bitterness; dry and long bitter aftertaste of prune, herbs, pepper with notes of warming alcohol

Bottle shared with Hogtown Harry and Blankboy, courtesy of Harry. 2003 vintage, bottle 181 of 500. Thanks for the very exclusive bottle Harry! Dark ruby red, small white head. Musty, dusty malt, rich fruity malt as well, alcohol, some hops in nice aroma. Great taste - lovely rich malt, alcohol still very prominent. Rich lovely complex stuff - aged very well. Nice.

2006 bottle consumed in 2007: Poured a cloudy deep hazy brown color ale with no carbonation. Aroma of sweet vinous malt is dominating. Taste is a mix between some very sweet malt with some light toffee notes. No discernable hops or dry fruits characteristics which I usually enjoyed in this style. Body was full with limited filtration with no carbonation and no discernable alcohol. This is a weird one – almost like drinking a 10-15 year old Thomas Hardy without all the complexities.

Bottle (12oz) shared with HogTownHarry & tupalev -- courtesy of HogTownHarry. 2003 vintage, bottle 181 of 500. Pours a murky orange-brown with a small diminishing beige head. Decent lacing. Nice aroma of caramel malt, wood, dark fruit, piney hops, alcohol and brown sugar. Flavour’s strong but good, this must’ve been really boozy when it was young. Sweet flavour of dark fruit, caramel malt, brown sugar and hops -- pretty well balanced. Medium bodied, sticky mouthfeel. This held up very well, a very good Barley Wine indeed.

Bottle (12oz). Via trade with chimay, shared with blankboy and tupalev - 2003 vintage, bottle #181of500. Murky muddy brick-red pour, average frothy beige head. Soft, woody, subtle leafy/dusty hops balanced nicely by sweet juicy malt - aged and mellow, virtually no alcohol character at all. Balanced taste - dry, dusty/musty, very malty, weak hops, building alcohol packs a veiled punch - so smooth. Fairly thick body, light carbonation, dusty aftertaste, restrained alcohol. So good - holding up really, really well - as tupalev said, a prime example of why you age a barleywine. Chimay, I’m indebted to you, man.

Bottle, shared by Papsoe. (#95/500, 2005?) Poured an unclear, flat, copper body, with a minimal, beige head. Rich malty nose, some alcohol, a nice sweetish touch, and some dried fruits. There’s also a piney hoppyness, and a hint of flour. The flavor is on the sweet side, with alcohol, pine and some citrus. There’s some oak-like notes as well. The finish has a little oxidation, as well as a lovely bitterness. Full, warming mouthfeel. A really lovely, mature barley wine. Why they brew so little of it I don’t understand. (071005)

12oz bottle. 2005 vintage. Bottle no. 345 of 500. Not a gusher but a some foam came out when I opened this one. Lots of floaters. Poured a darker and cloudy amberish color with a larger sized off white head. Aromas of caramel, roast, orange rinds, smokey, and some dark fruits. Tastes of caramel, roast, some dark fruits, and some brown sugar sweetness. Smooth body. Alcohol content hidden.

(Bottle 35,5 cl) Courtesy of Degarth. Bottle #95/500. Hazy, amber golden with a small, rough, off-white head. Fat aroma of overripe fruit and caramel. Very solid body with plenty of caramel, overripe fruit and an almost burning alcohol. Spicy, vanilla-like finish with the alcohol really shining. 051007