Three Floyds Behemoth Barleywine

Brewed by Three Floyds Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Munster, Indiana USA

2007 Yellow Wax. I decided to open this one up after having the BA version at FFF. The hop profile on the BA one was very toned down and I kind of wanted to try the young hoppy version of the brew. So here goes...pours a nice ruby red amber with a smaller bubbly off white head that left some sticky lacing. Aroma of pine, grapefruit, dark fruits, caramel, alcohol and some vanilla. Flavors of pine, orange, grapefruit, dark fruits, toffee, toasted malts a bit sticky. Really liked how the strong hop flavor and bitterness is balanced nicely by the smooth sweet malts. Glad I enjoyed this fresh...wishing I also had one to lay down. 2007 Bottle (Yellow Wax) over a year old. Eric shared a year plus old bottle of this one. Pours a translucent ruby amber with a medium creamy/bubbly off white head that left lacing. Aroma of caramel, toffee, dark dried fruits, vanilla, leathery, tobacco...hops are very toned down. Flavor of toffee, caramel, still has a lot of hop bitterness, hop flavor still there as well. Pine, vanilla, sweet maltiness. Still holding up very nicely.

Deep amber with a dark crystal sweet aroma with big skunky pnw hoppiness. Taste is big toffee and dark fruit sweetness and big grapefruit hoppiness. FInishes nice and bittersweet. Pretty damn tasty.

Happily enjoyed with the J-Niz. Yum yum! Only knock on the appearance is a minimal head - but the aroma was oh so nice - lots of sweet caramel. I loved the mouthfeel - thick and chewy, dominated by caramel malts and bittering hops...delicious. The finish was not quite as good, as the alcohol seemed to show through a bit, with a moderate hop blast, especially for a b-wine. Awesome beer - and thankfully I shared it, b/c I was feelin its effects. Would do great with some more age.

Much thanks to jarspag for sharing yet another great brew; as well as deftim13 in a more recent tasting at PP Bottle Shop with wetherel & DenverLogan. Golden brown color with a good haze that holds the light nicely. Barely any head with minimal lacing. The aroma consists of lots of sweet caramel, with some fruity citrus notes like grapefruit and apricot, with some pine in there from the hops. Well balanced flavor, a complex blend of sugars, hops, and lots of caramel. Great mouth feel, thick and silky. Slightly acidic finish, I think the alcohol might have dominated a bit too much though. It has that wet-cardboard nose to it when fresh, but I could see how this beer would improve greatly with lots of age. A great barleywine if you can get your hands on it.

2007 Bottle, Pours a hazy orange color with a medium off white head. Aroma of hops, pine and grapefruit is intense. Taste is hoppy bitterness with only a slight hint of malt. Probably should let this one sit in the cellar for a bit to mellow out. Flavor of hops is dominating. Finishes with a complex bitterness.

BIg, bad and dirty. Skunky hops and dark crystal malts make this one of the best Bwines out there.

My 200th rating!!! YAY!!! Poured a nice copper color, no head...Smelled absolutely fantastic! Sweet molases and citrus! And the taste. Where does one begin?? Honestly, this is the MOST complex beer I have ever had. While this is blended very very well, it is amazing that sooo many flavors come out in succession...Sweet, caramel malts, citrus in the form of grapefruit, plums, cherries, and definitely some pine...The alcohol is incredibly well hidden here. So much so that I was quite drunk before I knew it! HAH! This is fantastic! Not sure its worth 20 bucks a bottle, but definitely worthy of its high ratings!!

the most intense beer i have ever had the pleasure of drinking! i have drank only a sum total of 4 bottles in my brief beer history(all but one of them shared in good company...and no taps, alas, though i have tried to coax the local distributor to indulge my hedonism!)...the first 2 came from the 2004/2005? pink wax topped batch(although i believe they were brewed in 2004 i purchased them locally in the fall of 2005)...intense aromas of pine, flowers and multifarious malts encrusted with molasses were indeed present and nearly overwhelming in intensity...flavors were chameleon-like in their depth and fleeting essence---every sip revealed a new degree of flavor and minor changes in temperature altered the overall flavor profile noticeably---long, lingering caramel malts encircled a deep, piney hop center (as if Dreadnaught had been coated with some ambrosial, malt nectar)...2 bottles from the 2006/2007 batch were sampled prematurely, but showed much promise...one awaits in my beer fridge, whilst three others stand by in my beer ’cellar’(aka a three floyds bomber box occupied by several other late-blooming, tasty ales)...acquire and/or horde if at all possible...