ChainGangGuy (2522), Kennesaw, Georgia, USA Mar 23, 2008 2007 bottle.
Appearance: Pours a clear, orangey body with a small, bubbly white head.
Smell: Candyish toffee aroma with a hint of grain and bright fruitiness of dried figs and grated orange peel.
Taste: Rich toffee maltiness with a medium sweetness that gets kicked in the jimmy by a spicy bitterness. There’s the zest, there’s the figs. The sweetness manages to recover in time for a bittersweet finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Warming alcohol presence. Slight stickiness.
Drinkability: Yeah, that was pretty ok! Recommended. puzzl (2579), New York, New York, USA Mar 22, 2008 2007 bottle, aged in my cellar for almost exactly a year. Still pretty hot, hoppy. Body is nice on this, not too brutal, a nice maybe Belgian yeast to it, kind of lemony, sage finish. Still a bitch to drink, though. This beer needs some serious time. I’d say 5 years should work. shp555 (1677), Atlanta, Georgia, USA Mar 22, 2008 ’07: Pours a slightly hazy copper color with a white head. Aroma is caramel, apricot, and some toasted malt. Flavor is malty, caramel, a hint of fruity apricot, toast, and a bitter hop finish. sliffy (1966), Columbus, Ohio, USA Mar 17, 2008 Shared at Cleveland tasting 3/15 2007 Bottle: Pours a clear copper with an off white head. Aroma, some caramel, boozy, grains. Flavor, yeast, sweet caramel, some vanilla, fruits, and an earthyness to it. Brigadier (1217), Chagrin Falls, Ohio, USA Mar 17, 2008 Cleveland tasting
Thanks to whomever popped this open about halfway through the festivities. It was an interesting change of pace from the other St Ambroise beer I’ve tried (the relatively easy to find Oatmeal Stout). This was the 2007 vintage which means it probably will be very solid for the next few years to come.
Aroma / Appearance - The transparent golden body was fluid with a bit of lacing. Graininess mingled with vinuous aspects to create an airy headspace. It was hard to detect much of what I would consider a barley wine. This smelled more like an old ale (at least at this point). Perhaps with time it will settle into something more mellow.
Flavor / Palate - Warmness keeps the palate busy while honey and watermelon kick things off. The vinuous finish brings it around to a blend of hops and malts which are balanced evenly. This is an easy going sipping beer for a nice winter night which should be good for a few years to come. BeerVirgin72 (778), Pataskala, Ohio, USA Mar 17, 2008 Bottle shared at the Cleveland tasting. 2007 vintage under the name Millesimee. I love my barley wines, so was excited for this one. Pour was a pretty amber orange color. Aroma was raisins and toffee. Flavor was carmel, fruits, some woodiness, and even some bitter hoppyness...I prefer a much sweeter stronger barley wine. This one was a tad disappointing to me. Imperial-John (154), Mississauga, Ontario, Canada Mar 14, 2008 LCBO $4ish. Light hoppy aroma. Nice orange colour with white head. Was surprised by the taste as this is down as a barley wine. Very hoppy and bitter dry like an ESB with only a hint of barley wine.
Reminded me of the Rogue Brutal Bitter I had the day before. I was disappointed with it especially given the price they charge. larsga (2937), Oslo, Norway Mar 8, 2008 Really big offwhite lasting head. Hazy dark brown body. Fruity alcoholic toffeeish malty aroma, mild and delicate. Dry-sweet intensely fruity toffeeish caramelly taste with tobaccoish roasty notes. Tastes like it has oxidized a little. Bittter fruity toffeeish aftertaste. Very nice, and probably even better fresh. (0.341l bottle traded from glouglouburp. 2006 vintage.)
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