Wailing Wench - Middle Ages Brewing Co., Ltd.

froggyfrog

Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

The golden cap with its intertwined MA logo folds over under pressure from the business end of a black Beer Advocate bottle opener. Gas escapes its twenty-two ounce prison with a sharp hiss as if this brown glass bottle holds not strong American ale but a tangle of pissed off serpents.

A prolonged tip of bottleneck to glass snifter yields a dusky red-yellow liquid with a pervasive off-white cap.

Iron and calcium carbonate ride unseen currents of air to reach quickly for my nostrils. Heavily caramelized sugars mingle with earthy-herbal hops and a low-key spicy alcohol. Warmth spreads like a bloodstain on cotton through my body as the pleasant taste of alcohol permeates my tongue.

The strong mineral scents fade away with time, allowing ripe citrus notes to shine through.

Let it warm up a bit to get a nice peppermint-ginger finish in the swallow.

Spend some time with this beer. It is as delightful as the inviting young woman on the label seems to promise. This is truly a world-class beer.

Hell yeah, Wench! Sorry it took me so long to find you.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2007 04:37:24 | More by froggyfrog

Drknight

Virginia

4/5  rDev +0.8%

06-15-2013 14:27:10 | More by Drknight

luvbier

Vermont

4/5  rDev +0.8%

06-02-2013 20:12:05 | More by luvbier

Slackerville

California

3.88/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Classified as a strong ale, Wailing Wench has a lot going on. Lots of breweries are making Cascadians and Black IPAs these days but this is a different beer. It can be summarized by a strong hop aroma, aggressive malt and ester flavors in the middle, then finishes hop bitter and alcoholic. Something for everyone and a fine beer to lay down in bottles for a few months without losing too much overall flavor.

Middle Ages has a wide range of beers with good northeast distribution in bars and 22 oz bottles. The Wench has been one of their staples for years, a great beer for those craving hops in the winter.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2013 01:59:11 | More by Slackerville

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

05-16-2013 16:25:33 | More by Slatetank

blknikon

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -11.8%

05-08-2013 19:45:45 | More by blknikon

Corey17

New York

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

05-08-2013 00:41:47 | More by Corey17

hurdjg

Iowa

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

04-21-2013 14:16:17 | More by hurdjg

oldp0rt

Quebec (Canada)

3/5  rDev -24.4%

04-20-2013 14:19:37 | More by oldp0rt

Woodysbeard

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -11.8%

03-31-2013 21:35:36 | More by Woodysbeard

BGsWo22

New York

3.5/5  rDev -11.8%

03-20-2013 20:50:13 | More by BGsWo22

Brad007

Vermont

3.58/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark copper with a thin but robust head into my glass. Been a while since I've had anything from this style.

Sweet at first but that gives way to a solid malt backbone that I feel is just one step down from a barleywine. It's not a DIPA like I originally though.

The flavor backs that up in spades. Nutty with just a touch of caramel, toffee and booze. Hops play second fiddle on my palate.

Mouthfeel is the same. Carbonation level is satisfying. Maintains the stance of a mean, hoppy ale despite not really being such.

Check it out. I just hope that the wench is wailing about something other than the lack of hopsplosion.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 04:05:59 | More by Brad007

PrimScrewhead

Rhode Island

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

03-09-2013 20:03:23 | More by PrimScrewhead

UltimateLivewire

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +0.8%

03-09-2013 13:30:41 | More by UltimateLivewire

JohnQVD

New York

4/5  rDev +0.8%

02-17-2013 22:45:01 | More by JohnQVD

DmanGTR

New York

4/5  rDev +0.8%

01-29-2013 17:52:40 | More by DmanGTR

Eweimer1

4.75/5  rDev +19.6%

01-09-2013 02:48:29 | More by Eweimer1

endingcredits

Ontario (Canada)

5/5  rDev +25.9%

12-31-2012 22:33:35 | More by endingcredits

Andragos

New York

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%

12-12-2012 03:42:21 | More by Andragos

thebuck

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

12-07-2012 03:45:08 | More by thebuck

SLeffler27

New York

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

11-18-2012 05:59:52 | More by SLeffler27

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.83/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

We pour a brew of glowing ruby red. It holds a frothy, two and a half finger monster of a head, composed of tannish bubbles. They bubble away at a snail’s pace, leaving sticky, patterned lacing clinging to our glasses. There is mild haze with the last half of the bottle, and no sediment is noted, while the carbonation appears slow and light. The aroma is sweet, with red grape and apple juice sugars, fig, yeast, and sweeter, cakey malts. The latter also show notes of lightly cooked caramel, and musk. Wet woodiness comes with warmth, along with booze and black pepper. The advertised “screaming” hops are light and in the distance, in the form of grassy and herbal varieties. Our first impression was that it tastes as sweet as expected, but extraordinarily more hoppy than the nose might lead on. The flavoring opens as a battle between liquid caramel and citric hop and rind. Sugar predominates, giving syrupy sweet caramel malts, yeast, and hearty plum pudding. Booze soaked fig and plum move to the peak, until bittering soapy hops effectively cut that initial sweetness. The finish is of clean caramel, citric and soapy hops, metallics, mineral, yeast, and a final flash of that grapey sweetness from the nose. The aftertaste breathes of booze and black pepper, charcoal, light coffee malts, and big, bittering citric and resiny hops. These all mix for a warming grumble from the back of the throat following the sip. The body is fuller, and the carbonation is medium. There is great slurp, smack, cream, froth, and pop, with a bit of a bubbly mustache from the nicely retained head. The mouth is initially cooled and thickly coated, but once that dissipates, there is a moderate astringent streak leading down the tongue. The abv is appropriate, and even a bit easy for what we’ve come to expect for the style, and the beer sips pleasantly.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the solid flavoring and the great feel to it. We were presented with a beautiful beer in coloring, and in foam, but the following taste after the invitation was robust, and as hoppy as advertised. The bitterness from the hops really dominated the finish, and you’re left with quite a different flavoring than you start with, which keeps the drinker guessing. The nose was comparatively weak, but everything else was exciting, and decidedly tasty.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2012 00:30:05 | More by TheBrewo

xgoodyx

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

10-29-2012 20:57:41 | More by xgoodyx

t0rin0

California

3.25/5  rDev -18.1%

10-29-2012 00:35:41 | More by t0rin0

rastley

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

10-16-2012 16:43:26 | More by rastley