Sweetwater Donkey Punch!

1L flip-top courtesy of gford217. I got an immediate whiff of toffee and hops when I popped the top. The color is a very nice orange with a sudsy head that immediately laced my snifter. Citrus aromas, oranges and orange rinds along with a toffee and rum-cake smell. It smells like an American Barleywine to me, specifically West Coast. Super sweet flavor that really seems to walk the line between DIPA and barleywine. It is so sweet and fruity that it is borderline cloying. I expected a little bitterness given the 91 IBU’s. This beer reminds me of Stone 10th Anniversary IPA, very sticky and sweet. This is a good beer but I should have shared the bottle, oh well. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 04-14-2008 01:20:09

Orange with small head. Aroma of Hops, Citrus, and Malts. Taste - Citrus, sweet, malty, and nice hops bite. Overall - It is a good beer, only my 2nd "barely wine" so can’t really speak for the category. But I will definitely try this one again as I could see myself having a few of these.

1 L bottle from kan! bottle in 07 that was in Kan’s fridge for almost a year.. pours hazy red with white head. nose of cane sugar. flavors are sugary, a touch oxidized, toffee. watery body that has a bit drying finish. the hops faded in this one. hopefully i get a chance to re-rate a fresher sample.

1 liter bottle from jmichael back when i visited ashville....pours a mostly opaque with a darker orange brown hue with a soapy white head..... aroma of somewhat papery caramel malt and dark fruits..... flavors remain consistent. some oxidized caramel malt and dried fruit. extremely light in the mouth and doesn’t have much substance like a barleywine should. fluffy carbonation

Appearance: Pours an opaque, mahogany-hued body with a frothy, creamy, whitish head with plenty of staying power. Smell: Sweetish, citrusy nose of grapefruit backed by an aroma of caramel and pale malts with a small whiff of good, clean alcohol. Taste: Initially sweet, with tastes of pale and caramel malts. Light herbal hints quickly followed by a large dose of juicy Red Blush grapefruit and orange fruitiness complete with a touch of citric acidity. Sure, the hop bitterness certainly remains, but it’s much, much more manageable now. Drying, bittersweet finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium-high carbonation. Drinkability: When initially released in August of 2007, this one was more akin to a Double IPA than a barleywine, but time has shifted the scales back towards barleywine. Personally, I feel it could stand a bit more time away in the cellar. Shame on Sweetwater for failing to re-brew this one since it’s 2007 inception, instead opting to give us more Road Trip.

Bottle. Had a medium golden pour with a light to medium fruit aroma with a sweet malt background. Had more malt than hop in the flavor making it a sweet and balanced brew. Had some apricot, light plumb and slight hops in the flavors and towards the finish. Good and complex brew.

2007 Flip Top 1 Liter bottle.. Big thanks to Matt, The Beer Sommelier for hooking me up with this one. Poured a cloudy orange body with thin head. Aroma is sweet, lite citrus hops. Flavor is a bit sweet with citrus, orange and a bit of faded hops. Much smoother than I expected.

I am glad I cellared this 1 litre gift from Captain Couger. I think it mellowed, with a bit more balanced flavour from the hops - not in your face from 90 IBU. Initilly a bit sour, then the hops kicks in, a lot of citrus, lots of malt and barley. Very drinkable though not the most complex or impressive barleywine I have had.Big white head on cloudy golden yellow body.