Three Floyds Behemoth Barleywine

Bottled in 2005: I purchased this at the brewery for $180 a case. I have poured it into a tulip. The slight head quickly fades. The body is a clear amber. When I was at the brewery yesterday, a lady popped one of these, and poured it into a glass. I kid you not, I smelled this thing from 5 feet away. We were standing in the brewery, with all kinds of other smells, yet this stood above them all. The nose is of cherries and pineapples, with a nutty, malty backbone. The alcohol is definitely noticeable. The taste is fu!@#ing huge! The hops are running wild up front. Orange, pineapple, this hop profile could only be pulled off by Nick Floyd. The hops seem to be sweet instead of bitter. They leave an oil slick on my tongue. The malt side has molasses, toffee, and cherries. There is also a nutty, doughy, bready character as well. This is like a big, juicy, alcoholic grapefruit. The mouthfeel is thick and chewy. It is certainly coating. The drinkability is better than average, but the acidity of this prevents me from having another one, for now. I have plenty for later. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 10-03-2005 05:26:07

2007 yellow wax. ruby amber pour with a ring of creamy froth around the glass. sweet malts, hops and grapes on the nose. thick malty taste with wood and caramelized fruit. sex in a bottle.

2008 Purple wax seal. Took a little bit of doing to open, but boy was it ever worth it. The pour was a deep copper color, with very little pure white head. The aroma hits hard, a fruity, hoppy mind-trip. The hop flavor is superbly balanced by an equally intense maltiness. One of, if not the best beer I’ve ever had. A real treat. This is the first beer I ever had where my reaction was "wow, this is amazing", and really kinda set me along the great craft beer path, and so I have a little bit of an emotional attachment to it...

Bomber on the Pacific ocean beachside... I thought it was going to be too big for the heat of the tropics, yet it was hugely refreshing, yet satisfying. Wonderful aromas, complex flavors sweet yet hoppy, smooth yet rude. Sweet malts, with citrus hops... Heaven.

Purple wax that was a bitch to open - well worth the effort though. Had to drink this slow and enjoy it, at $16 you got to make it last. Very full of flavor and thicker than it looks, all the flavors meld together. Not too fruity, this is a big malty hoppy mix of goodness. At the price I cant say I will get it again, but its definetly the best barleywine I have had to date.

Pours a hazy caramel brown color with a very small and crisp, tan head. Smells of spicy hops and then alcohol and then sweet and malty. Tastes of a great balance of spicy hops and sweet malts, plenty of booze flavor in there. There’s even a little hoppy grass flavor and citrus. Thick and syrupy with good, subdued carbonation.

2005 bottle. Clear pale red with a big frothy head. Sweet hoppy resinous caramel malt aroma with mango, passion fruit and pine. Simcoe, no? Candy like malt and hop flavor, ever so smooth for the size. Like a hop lollipop. Amazingly hoppy for the age. Little alcohol and relatively low bitterness in the flavor. Maybe a little thin in body. Awefully good.

’08 purple wax. pours a copper orange with a one finger creamy fluffy tan head. aroma is strong citrus with caramel malt and a touch of alcohol. has a medium body with good lacing and carbonation. flavor is the same as aroma but stronger with a little pepper. big pine towards the end and the aftertaste and just sticks on the tongue for a while. a little sticky on the lips and as it warms more of the caramel malt comes out in the flavor. just a bit to thin on the palate but all in all pretty good. could use some aging but not worth $16 a bomber i would rather pay $11 a six pack for some sierra nevada big foot.