 malrubius (969), Valley Stream, New York, USA
Aug 16, 2008 12 ounce bottle in Duvel glass. Slightly hazy garnet with lasting ring and a little lace. Complex aromas of earth, port, wood, brown sugar, cherry pie. Brown sugar toasted caramel sweetness, ripe fruit, medium bitter finish with lingering sweet fruitiness. Full body with a little carbo bite. Barleywines are usually love ’em or spit ’em out for me. This one’s pretty damn good. Complex and drinkable and in-your-face.
spikester (602), Salem, Oregon, USA
Aug 14, 2008 Dark amber with modest tan head, good amount of lacings. Aroma is roasted malt. Sweet rich roasted malts with some soysauce, molasses, brown sugar, prunes, and a nice bitter hop finish. Some citrus in the hop flavor. One strong beer that is entirely enjoyable. Go slow though, this one will sneak up on you. Label abv is 11%.
NomDeBeer (397), Maryland, USA
Aug 14, 2008 I’m not a big fan of Barley Wines, but this is very good. Perfect amount of warming alcohol presence. Sweet, dark fruit, caramel and hops. I’m glad they put this in 12oz. bottles, 22oz. might be too much. One of my favorite Barley Wines.
alumbis (7), Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
does not count  Aug 12, 2008 Pour is dark brown/red with small head. Aroma is fruity and a little sweet. Taste starts off smooth then comes in sweet with a little alcohol bite, but nothing overwhelming. A really great beer. Highly recommended.
TOSG55 (75), Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Aug 11, 2008 Updated: Feb 14, 2009Bottle. Pours a copper brown, with little head, and a (somewhat off-putting) thick floating yeast sediment. Aroma is malt and yeast, with a bit of fruit sweetness, and a slight metallic tinge. The flavor is very nice - dark fruits, brown sugar, and caramel, with a slight hoppiness in the finish. The 11% ABV gives the beer a nice warming bite, without being overpowering. An excellent barleywine, though a tad underwhelming, given its phenomenal ratings. A bit more hops would balance the beer nicely.
UPDATE: Added 2 points to the overall impression score, as I just cracked open one of these that had aged for ~6 months, and it was phenomenal - much more flavorful, drinkable, and well-balanced.
changeup45 (782), Orlando, Florida, USA
Aug 1, 2008 Wow, this is one amazing barleywine. I was happy to find it on a road trip and my only regret now is not buying a lot more. Pours a reddish brown color, some haze to it, and a thick tan head with some really nice staying power. Aroma is quite fruity with pine, caramel, sugars, alcohol and it all creates a wonderful scent. This is a nicely hopped barleywine but not over the top allowing so many other flavors to play a major role. Toffee, brown sugar, sweet candy malt, grapefruit and pine hops and even light traces of darker fruits. Really well done. Warming but the 11% is hidden with very little alcohol sting. This can compete with any barleywine out there.
dalekliz (546), San Diego, California, USA
Jul 31, 2008 Bottle. Pours a hazy reddish-brown with a small off-white head that fades quickly. Big sweet citrus hops aroma. Sweet and bitter taste of hops, malt, and a hint of under-ripe fruit. Lingering fruity bitterness. Really tasty barley wine.
PolakPorter (82), Chicago, Illinois, USA
Jul 30, 2008 One of my all-time favs. Dark luscious caramel color. The aroma consists of a wild combination of nearly every fruit found in the western hemisphere. Going down, it is seductively sticky. The array of sweet fruits becomes apparent and the alcohol performs its warming effect. At about that time, it becomes obvious that this is an excellent barley wine. Not at all overpowering, but not for the weak. Really glad I stocked up on this one last spring!
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