4.6 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 19/20
LIKE A FRUIT FAIRY WALKING A TIGHT-ROPE MILES HIGH ABOVE COMPETING BARLEYWINES---A PERFECT BALANCE BETWEEN CARAMEL MALT(S) SWEETNESS AND MASSIVE HOPS.
4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
UPDATED: SEP 17, 2003 I must say that I really enjoyed having my senses tickled, or massaged...literally all 5 senses took part. The soft exploding of bubbles was noted and I swear I saw a dove in the lacing. Amazing creamy & malty (Grape-Nuts soaked in 2% milk) aroma. The initial fruity goodness widened to a juicy caramel apple kiss. Sticky, chewy, vinous. Impressive carbonation.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Deep brown color with a medium beige head. A bit if an alcohol taste, hints
of caramel and citrus fruit.
4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
Thanks to hopsrus for sending me some of his stash of this (bottled from growler). Very dark maple syrup color with a medium beige head. Strong malt and caramel nose. Rich and full-bodied, consisting of flavors of malt, alcohol, caramel and pineapple. Nice tart hops presence in the finish. Excellent.
4 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
RAF: Dark copper in appearance. Very bitter with an aggressive hop aroma. Alcohol is evident. Lots of hops in this one. Pine, caramel, grapefruit/citrus masked by intense bitterness. Very sweet. More drinkable than other barleywines I've sampled, given its relatively young age.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 15/20
UPDATED: MAR 3, 2003 Fresh Draft: superbly subliminal gleaming intoxication of dark ruby red..a thin head above and aromas of cherries and grapefruits, smoke, and alcohol..the tongue is slapped with sticky pine resin, grapefruit rind, cherries, fruit cocktails, and beef jerkey...a delightful, dark-lit/late night sipper..and so freaking tasty it amazes me..although i suppose the hoppiness can get out of hand if your not in the mood for it.
2 AROMA 4/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 3/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 6/20
UPDATED: JUN 4, 2003 Hotstuff and I went on a tour of their brewery. For $5 you get a 12oz glass of 3 of their beers. I thought this was the worst of their beers. The aroma was obnoxious to me. The head was mixed with large and small bubbles. It had a heavy taste with an after bite and an initial taste that I could only describe as off. The color was very nice deep caramel brown and you could not see through it. GF did not rating it but preferred to get another Robert The Bruce instead!
4.7 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 19/20
Mmmmm... Barleywine! Dark reddish black with a light head introduces you to this great barleywine. The strong combination of flavors mask a high alcohol content. So complex that it could take a life-time to figure out all the flavors on your own. Goes down smooth and is the best sipping beer for a winter night.
4.1 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
Bottled from growler, thanks hopsrus!!
Clear red, small head. Very roasty hop aroma. Sweet and resiny. Softly malty, but still feels light, despite it's gravity. Flowery and citrusy. Syrupy bitter finish.
4.2 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20
Dark red-brown color with a light haze - expectedly small head and light carbonation (appropriate to style). Rich malt aroma with caramel and fruit (pear and fig), but mainly caramel, with peppery hops. Full round sweetness and lip smacking lingering toffee like flavors. Resiny and peppery hop flavors with a lingering mild bitterness. Alcoholic strength is definitely apparent with a chest warming buzz, but generally speaking its well masked for an 11+% beer. Beer becomes sticky and sweet, almost syrupy, towards the end - a bit unattractive in a barleywine, and indicative IMO of under-attenuation, perhaps the yeast pooped out in all that alcohol.
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