Viking Brewing Berserk Barleywine

Bought a 4-pack of 12 oz. bottles of this on a whim. Sometimes whims turn out great, as was the case this time. A pour into a tulip glass showed an opaque deep coffee brown with a medium tan head. Nice lacing. Nutty, fruity aroma with a helping of breadiness. Quite sweet initial taste with a full palate of toffee, vanilla and plums. Residual "earthy" taste as it finishes; surprisiingly clean for a big beer such as this. Alky is well hidden. I pronounce it "superb"!

Bottle. Sweet, chewy malt aroma. Dark, candied fruits, maple syrup, wet wood and a considerable amount of alcohol as well. Pours thick, syrupy dark amber with barely any head. Flavor is sweet and metallic. Some grassy and earthy spice, but really a sweeter barely wine. Loads of dark, jammy fruits and sticky caramel and maple. Medium bodied. Slight cloying sweetness. Meh.

Aged for quite some time, but don’t know how long
A very slight hiss is heard as I pop the cap on this. A careful pour produces a light dusting of a head, the sparse bubbles appear to be a dark tan color. The beer is a brilliantly clear, concentrated amber color that shows a cherry red color when held up to the light. The aroma is very rich and meaty; substantial malt contributes lots of umami like notes. Salty aromatics, even a touch of something like peat is noticeable as is some smoky phenolic character. Lots of concentrated caramelized malt aromatics are found here; aromas prunes, toffee, brown sugar and deeply caramelized bread crust. Toasty grain and biscuit-like notes are found in the finish. A touch of muted hop character is perhaps found here and there is also some noticeable rum like notes.

Chewy and fairly thick, though not overly sweet, as the malt character is rich enough to offset any residual sweetness. Aged malt character with touches of sherry adds a lot of complexity to this brew. The hop character, while missing in the aroma, is still quite present in the flavor, though it is a secondary note; the hops contribute a touch of citrus, light pine and a persistent bitterness that adds some balance to offset the malt character. This hides the alcohol pretty well for a beer of this strength; a touch of woody aged malt notes contribute to a touch of bourbon like notes when coupled with the alcohol. The flavor also has a touch of fruit character, made up of berries, a hint of cherry, prune notes and some raisin flavors.

This is a very nicely aged Barleywine. Quite good and it even seems to be peaking right now. The aged malt notes really add a ton of complexity here, on top of the already nice malt character; flavors of peat, smoke, fruit, oak and bourbon are all found here.

12oz bottle acquired in trade with DavidP (thanks!). Poured a darker and muddy mahogany color with a very small sized off white head. Aromas of toffee, caramel, with some dark fruits. Tastes of caramel (lots of it), dark fruits (raisins, plums, and dark cherries), toffee, and lightly earthy. Alcohol content hidden.

12 oz bottle, via joebrew I believe. Pours a very dark ruby body under a minimal covering of fizzy beige head that faded to a patchy partial covering. The nose is heavy toffee maltiness with some oxidation, light coffee, and a little alcohol. The flavor is a mix of toffee and heavy oxidation that really works for me. Not a cardboard type of oxidation, more of what you’d expect from a Thomas Hardys. Almost no hoppiness remains with very well hidden alcohol. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a slightly sticky oily texture and nice soft fizzy carbonation. This definately has some age on it, don’t know how much, but I’m guessing it didn’t taste anything like this when fresh. It’s really good though.