15th Anniversary Double Wench - Middle Ages Brewing Co., Ltd.

tdm168

North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A - dark amber with a big, frothy, off white, brownish head that has great retention

S - big malts, caramel, candy sugar, some dark fruit, piney hops

T - caramel, burnt sugar, faint tropical fruit like fruit punch, earthy and piney bitter hop finish

M - full bodied, warming alcohol, well carbonated

This is a pretty solid offering. It's malt-forward and reminds me a lot of a Barleywine. The maltiness is primarily sticky caramel and burnt sugar. The hops are also intense adding some fruit initially but then offering a huge, bitter finish to balance things out. The ABV here is rather well hidden except for some warmth in the finish making this surprisingly and scarily drinkable. This is definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2013 01:08:16 | More by tdm168

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.68/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

22oz bottle purchased as a single from Savemore Discount Beverage, Clifton Park, NY. Nice label.

Poured into am imperial pint, formed a 3/4" tan head over the cloudy reddish brown brew. Head is going nowhere fast, with chunky lacing. Aroma is green hops and alcohol.

Taste is sweet to start, citrus in the middle, and cruised to the close with a balance of rich grains and bitterness. Alcohol lingers after the swallow. Mouthfeel is wow smooth, and drinkability is superb, esp for the style. Hope this one stays in their lineup.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 21:15:36 | More by ppoitras

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.33/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

650 mL bottle poured into a snifter. Reviewed from notes.

Appearance - Dark amber with a small off-white head. Good retention and ok lacing.

Smell - Like a barleywine. Booze, caramel, and hops, in that order. Definitely alcoholic.

Taste - Hot as hell. Tastes like a hot, boozy, undersweet barleywine. Caramel and way more bittering hops than are necessary. Boozy, bitter finish.

Mouthfeel - Bitter and boozy. Have I mentioned those attributes before? Tough to drink this, even slowly.

Overall - The best compliment I can give this is that it isn't a sugar bomb at 12%. Well attenuated.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 03:32:38 | More by Alieniloquium

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle, no date

brown in color, off-white head. thin covering of head remains as I drink. a bit of piney hops and caramel sweetness in the aroma. pleasant.

doesn't taste of any booze, for the strength. toasty biscuit and caramel malt are balanced with strong hops. coats the tongue, but not thick. medium carbonation.

overall a nice strong ale that isn't over the top, and hides the ABV well.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2012 01:51:18 | More by jmdrpi

Edwaka01

New York

3.25/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from 22 into Duvel tulip.

A - Deep red/brown. Thin head with impressive retention time.

S - Hops, potpourri, and malts.

T - Hop-forward, but with a nice strong malt backbone to support the floralness of the boquet.

M - Nothing notable here. Full bodied, but for a 12% strong ale, it should be.

O - I enjoyed thoroughly, but don't know how soon the next enjoyment will be.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2012 00:35:50 | More by Edwaka01

Jeffo

Netherlands

4.1/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Another bottle provided by STEG in a recent trade. Thanks for the brews man!

From a bomber into a snifter.
Drunk right after the regular Wench.

APPEARANCE: Pours a two finger, thicker looking, fluffy, light tan head with good retention. A opaque rosewood red color with no carbonation evident. Head slowly fades to a good foam cap and slathers the glass with sheets of lacing. A splotchy wisp remains until the end and coats the glass with lacing. Similar to the regular Wench, but a tighter head and more opaque. Really good stuff.

SMELL: Definitely more malty than hoppy. Caramel, toffee and red fruits on the nose. Some grassy and piney hops are still there, but they’ve faded and allow the raspberries and cherry notes to shine through more. Lots of caramel, sugary malts here.

TASTE: This is great. Caramel, toffee, sweet grainy malts and lots of red fruits up front. Raspberries and cherries show up through the middle, leading to a nice grassy and piney hop finish. Big, bold aftertaste of bitter hops, pine, and some caramel and toffee sweetness lingers and lingers. The ABV is very well masked, and it’s very tasty and much hoppier than the nose had led on still. Good stuff.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. Slightly creamy on the palate, goes down fine and finishes slightly sticky on the palate. Heat has mellowed out nicely.

OVERALL: This was great stuff. Much bolder and more impressive than the regular Wench. While the hop aromas have perhaps fallen off a bit, the hop flavor is still quite present and enjoyable, and the malt base is very tasty on its own. Kind of an American Barleywine and Double IPA combined, which I guess means it gets thrown into the catch-all American Strong Ale category. Whatever it is, I like it and would definitely drink this one again. Thanks again for the trade STEG.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 14:22:44 | More by Jeffo

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.03/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

an interesting treat, opened up right before the turkey came off the grill on thanksgiving. poured an unfiltered apple cider color, cloudy and red/brown, with a decent cream head. smells like a big barleywine, thick and malty, with notes of more elegant things like fruit, spice, and wood. the taste really surprised me here, much different then the wailing wench. there is a sharp citrus element and a definite hop presence. not a beer you could drink all day, but definitely a nice treat here and there, went great with the food! very very unique brew

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 19:49:15 | More by StonedTrippin

FosterJM

California

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

923rd Review on BA
Bottle to CBS Snifter
22 oz bottle

Not sure the year on this.
Served at 56F

Thanks to mjtiernan for this one.

App- A very good mix of sentowns/reds and some copper highlights. A big two and a half globs into the snifter. A lot of pulled apart stringy lace shows. A bit of a melted ice ooze puddle on top.

Smell- Quite aromatic and thick. Mostly malt driven with a dense grain bill behind it. A somewhat citrus note is behind the malts with a soggy damp feel. A bit of a stinging booze nose radiates last.

Taste- Seems to taste like a mash up of a couple styles would. A good bit of body like a big barleywine, a thick malt presence like a red ale, a citrusy malt note of a DIPA. It's really not light on flavor similar to the Wenchs boobs aren't light on heft. A good tasting beer with a multifaceted depth of flavor.

Mouth- A bit of a medium body bordering on a creamy low feel. The carbonation level is right where it needs to be with a good bit of tingle and bubble behind it.

Drink- I personally liked this one for the kicked up strong ale note with more of the barleywine flavors vs wailing wench. Wailingh wench had the better mouth feel being a little more sweet where this is more malt/damp as a bigger ABV should. Both were good, but again as her cleavage is a bit bigger this score will be a bit bigger with the 4% raise in ABV.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2011 02:20:44 | More by FosterJM

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.18/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

This may be a horrible beer if you're a fan of weak, timid, finess, and elegance. But if that's not your thing, then this is your beer! Caught somewhere between American Barleywines, Double IPA's, and the no-man's land where all these thing create a toasty and dry malt character- this beer is blazing the trail that's among the best of American Strong Ales.

The beer seeps into the glass with a voluminous pour of dark mohogany brown colors and redish highlights. The beer builds a dense, lighly tanned barley-stained head that is as withstanding as the best. Lacing evenly with every sip taken, the beer just has one of these dense and masculine appearances throughout.

Dense malt aromas of burnt toffee, heavy toast, butterscotch, light cocoa, and malted milk are covered with pine and citrus notes that are more reminescent of spruce and grapefruit. A light yeasty twang and mild estery fruits seem hardly distinguishable from hops. This beer promises strength in flavor. Let's see...

Malty-rich flavors of heavy toast, deeply caramelized sugars, earthy woodiness, butterscotch, and true barley malt in it's richest forms in a very stern and and robust profile. Not to be outdone, hop flavors make up ground just after the inital sweetness in form of sharp and citrusy white grapefruit, piney resins, freshly cut grass, rich wood tannins, and walnuts. Niether the hops, nor the malts dictate balance, leaving this beer dualing it out until the bitter-maltier end. Complementary notes of light yeasty tartness, estery apples and cherries, along with spicy black pepper; all weave in and out of the flavory mix- complex as hell when the beer delivers new flavors with each sip.

Full bodied with an emphasis on malt density, the carbonation engulfs the notion of creaminess in a cottony mouthfeel with malty weight and a dryness resulting from alcohol and hop resins. Malty-dry is schizophrenic in terms but seemingly the only way to fully describe the texture of this beer.

The linger of both hops and malt result in an aftertaste that's oddly memorable and terse, allowing for a full next drink well before you should at 12%. Similar to Stone's Double Bastard Ale, this Double Wench demonstrates many of the similar flavors but a more emphasis on toasty dryness, less malty-sweet caramel richness, and with a pronounced English-like tawny flavor with heightened fruity flavor and light buttery toast. Whew, you know when a beer is comples when it's difficult to wrap up a review!

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2011 04:14:57 | More by BEERchitect

tempest

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a bomber at the brewery for $10 to share with a couple fellow fans of Wailing Wench. I was surprised by how smooth this beer was for 12%. I also liked that for that strength it wasn't too thick or syrupy. The hops got a touch soapy, but otherwise had a balanced, fruity citrus character with mild pine and grass notes. If you like strong, but relatively drinkable beer (and wouldn't you?), check this out.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2011 02:04:33 | More by tempest

DaveHS

California

3.48/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

thanks to trxxpaxxs for this one.

A-Pours burnished orange/red with a rocky tan head that reduces slowly, leaving plenty of attractive, sticky lacing.

S-Honey, Kellogs Frosted Flakes, plum/prune sweetness, some booze.

T/M-Very malty and sweet up front, with an undercurrent of dry bittering hops. Unbalanced, with a really boozy finish. Heavy, sticky mouthfeel with low carbonation. Reminiscent of a Stone Double Bastard that's been left out too long.

O-Not one of the better beers I've had from Middle Ages. The balance of dry bitter hoppiness and sticky sweetness is tricky, and this beer is proof of that.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2011 01:15:32 | More by DaveHS

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I happened to "stumble" upon this while traveling through Buffalo at one of my regular stops whenever I'm in town. Yep, it's Wailing Wench with a boob job. Since the bust area seems to be the popular topic of this beer, kudos to Middle Ages with their marketing creativity, it's one of those nuances I wouldn't have noticed. 'Guess that's what 17 years of marriage does...when you start noticing the eyes above anything else...good gawd, I'm getting old...

A - Pours a dark amber brown color with mild lacing, mild carbonation, and it sticks to the sides of the glass like sticky glue.

S - Mild resiny pine, dark fruit, biscuity malt, somewhat bready. Considering this was released back in the Fall and it's now the end of February (when this was sampled), I'm guessing the beer lost a little bit in the hop aroma department which is to be expected.

T - I'm actually getting some cooked apples in this (sounds crazy, I know), resiny pine, brown sugar, toasted caramel malt, dark fruit, and has a hop bite. There's a present alcohol warming on the way down and some citrus tang emerges about half way through. Plums, raisins, prunes, oak woodiness. Finishes semi-dry. Leaves a boozy, pine/citrus coating smeared with toasty plums and some brown sugar.

M - Heavy, medium body, gentle on the tongue, and eventually leaves your mouth watering once again for another sip.

D - Very good.

This is by far my most favorite beer from Middle Ages. It would be unfortunate if they decide to let this one die as a one off...it needs to be added to their regular rotation.

Serving type: on-tap

03-01-2011 23:17:44 | More by jzeilinger

jrallen34

Illinois

3.33/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle poured into my De Struise glass... A nice pour of a dark orange with hints of copper, semi clear but doesn't look dirty, just dark. A big light tan head that is very full, great retention and lacing, looks great... The aroma is very strong hops throughout but there is enough caramel malt on the front to break it up. Smells like a barleywine, I'm very intrigued... The hops attack to much on the palate, not balanced at all. A super hopped barleywine, lots of hops and alcohol on the finish. The more you drink the more alcohol comes out in this...The mouthfeel is light but very rough, too warm.

This is not very good. Way out of whack, gotta pass.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 00:02:29 | More by jrallen34

brew3crew

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Part of a middle ages tasting. and yes, you can see more boobs on the double wench than the single.
A-hazy auburn in color with white head
S-the hops are upfront and let you know they are there
T-slight hops bite through out. Good combination between sweet and bitter
M-medium bodied and so smooth
D-when I saw the abv, I said holy crap. Does not taste like 12% at all

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2011 23:12:17 | More by brew3crew

Urbancaver

Ohio

4.3/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

After an hour of argument about whether double wench has bigger boobs than the regular wench we came to the conclusion that the double wench is indeed just wearing a lower cut top.

Pours a darker reddish a bit murkier than the Regular wench. Smells hoppy and very strong malt backbone, a great smelling beer. Sme pine citrus and grapefruit on the nose. Bitter on the tongue with a full body. Bitterness passes quickly and leaves citrus and piny hops on the tongue. Well carbonated and very drinkable for 12%. Very good brew

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2011 23:05:34 | More by Urbancaver

thekevlarkid

Maryland

4.18/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Off tap this beer (easily sold to me because of the doubly busty 'wailing wench' tap) was an opaque deep brown color with one finger of khaki colored head. The retention as a petite skim was good and it left lacing in sliding bands that became spots over time. The aroma was of cotton candy, candi sugars, fruity esters, caramel malt and toffee. The flavors were very enjoyable. Starting with lots of sweet malt presence it soon followed up with plenty of fruity esters. Not as complex as a Belgian Strong Ale but a none-the-less very muscular brew. Candied fruit and lotsa butter. The citrusy (and slightly herbal) hops seemed to be an attempt at tethering the stampede of malt flavors. Surprisingly (and dangerously) drinkable for a 12% ALC beer. Not to be drunk around busty women unless you're prepared to say incriminating things. The mouthfeel was average, the body full and the carbonation good. A cheeky, enjoyable, bold beer worthy of a 15th Anniversary celebration. The bosoms of booze overflowth!

Serving type: on-tap

12-26-2010 20:53:34 | More by thekevlarkid

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Double Wench coming out of a 22-ounce bomber bought at Beers of the World in Rochester, New York, and poured into a crappy short hotel glass in Buffalo.

Appearance: A nice big white frothy head that persists, dying slowly and retaining a half-finger head with bubbles and good lacing. Deep amber-brown color, very hazy and opaque. Looks like Double Bastard, a bit more carbonated.

Smell: Dark hops, bread and biscuits. Strong maltiness. Aromas of sweaty breasts freshly slathered in coconut oil. Goes perfect with the "Double Wench" name!

Taste: A slightly metallic feel right away, followed by booze, malt, chewy caramel and sweetness. Ends with some cooked-citrus hops. A bit of a raisin-y feel, like a young barleywine. It is pretty much a by-the-book American Strong Ale. My wife detected some wild-flower-and-honey sweetness, and commented it felt like "frolicking naked in a field of barley". Goes well with the sweaty boobs.

Mouthfeel: Goes down bitter and dry, coating the throat and esophagus and leaving a pleasantly pungent sticky residual taste on the back. Adequate carbonation, right for the style. Medium-to-heavy body, a bit boozy as it warms up. Hot but manageable.

Drinkability: Pretty damn good for a huge beer! Doesn't feel too big or overwhelming, drinks easy. Could down a bomber of this.

I like the Double Wench, but not as much as Double Bastard. I wonder how well this would age...

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2010 03:40:01 | More by DoubleSimcoe

ChrisPro

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz. bottle tasted blind as part of Blind BIF #3:

22 oz. bottle pours burnte umber with a light khaki head.

Nose is dominated by huge west coast hops: tons of pine and spruce with a little citrus and vanilla. Slight sherry and fig notes of a vintage barleywine.

Great caramel and vanilla sweetness balanced with a solid bitter hoppiness.

Light carb and very full bodied.

Without knowing better, I'd guess something like full sail old boardhead. Great carbonation and very drinkable, yet slightly dangerous. Seems like a huge big west coast barley wine

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2010 03:06:07 | More by ChrisPro

billab914

Virginia

3.53/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into my Dogfish snifter. It poured a very dark caramel color with just a slight reddish hue to it. Definitely much darker then the regular Wench. It started with a pretty nice sized head to it, which retreated to the edge of the glass after a minute or so. Pretty good lacing too.

The aroma has a lot of flavors going on. The hoppy citrus comes through a bit more then the malt, with a lot of grapefruit like flavors to it. Behind the hops I get more of a malty sweetness with a little toffee, and dark fruit flavor going on. The alcohol is also not surprisingly more apparent compared to regular wench.

The taste shows more of the malty, sweet, toffee, dark fruit flavors to it right off the bat compared to the nose. The hoppy, citrusy flavor really comes out too with some nice grapefruit flavors to it. It seems to have just a touch of roasty flavors going on towards the finish. The finish is more on the bitter side with more of the hops coming through as well as more alcohol.

The mouthfeel is on the heavier side with carbonation being a bit below average. Drinkability is pretty decent considering the abv%. The flavors all came together pretty well in it and was surprisingly quite smooth. The alcohol came through more compared to the regular Wench though, which shouldn't really be a surprise. Overall a good beer but I didn't feel that making Wench this much bigger did much for an already very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2010 00:21:53 | More by billab914

oberon

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I poured into an oversized wine glass a deep clear tawny color with a fluffy one finger off white head that held well.A grat mix of herbal,citric hop, and fruity malt,in the end the hops win out.Flavors are of candied fruit,and caramel malt to start off with,a bit of butter as well,resiny,citric hop comes in in the finish,the hops really stand out more as the beer warms.A nice beer its been awhile since I had the standard wench,but I gotta say I like this a bit more,this a well made American strong ale,my favorite style.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2010 22:29:28 | More by oberon

Franz4

Ohio

3.48/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A- dark copper/amber color with a decent head that faded relatively quickly, left some slight lacing.

S- Strong, hoppy aroma with some caramel malts that come through as well. Notes of pine as well.

T- Starts with a burst of hops, pine, citrus as well. Malt balance is there, almost like it's slightly smoked...maybe closer to burnt w/ a bit of charcoal. Taste not for the faint of heart. ABV is noticeable, but not overpowering.

M- seemed to finish relatively dry, medium bodied. For as powerful as this beer was on the taste I expected something with a fuller body.

D- Tough to drink this in large quantities, I'm not sure how much you could taste after drinking this either. 12% ABV doesn't help it either.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2010 22:39:38 | More by Franz4

taigor

New York

3.25/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into 8oz glass.

A - Poured clear amber color with medium head that quickly dissipated leaving slight lacing around the glass.

S - Fruits and malt sweetness with slight hoppiness.

T - Slightly sweet upfront, malts, raisins, and other dark fruits with a slightly hoppy bitter finish.

M - Medium bodied with high carbonation.

D - Not bad but would not recommend it to anyone.

Serving type: on-tap

10-27-2010 20:18:27 | More by taigor

Beerenauslese

California

4.35/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours clear, with a lovely shade of dark reddish brown, and a tan, moderately sized foamy head (despite an agitating pour), that quickly dissipates to a thin ring of foam, but still leaves nice lace curtains on the glass.

This has a lovely nose of roasted malt, coffee, dark fruit (raisins and plums), and sweet brown sugar syrup.

Taste follows, with sweet malt upfront, charred barley, and then a dark bitterness, which gets quite dry in the finish and turns kind of minty. It seemed to me disjointed at first, but now that I have spent some time with this, I think it gives the palate an interesting ride.

Body is medium and the carbonation level is just enough to give this a slightly creamy mouthfeel.

I find this to be an interesting beer, at 12 percent ABV it seems to me more in barley wine territory than an American strong ale. The charred minty flavor in the finish reminds me of Girl Scout chocolate mint cookies. I think that is remarkable for a beer, but may not be to everyone's taste. I would pair this up with a dark chocolate mint confection of some sort (or Girl Scout cookies, which makes a nice comparison to a double wench).

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2010 02:57:21 | More by Beerenauslese

Kendo

New York

3.6/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured into a pint glass, split the bomber with a friend. Body is slightly hazy dark brown with crimson hues. No real head and no lace.

S: Toffee and brown sugary malt is followed by a strong waft of booze (no surprise given the 12% ABV). Hint of vanilla.

T: First impression: big boozy finish, both in heat and dryness. Underlying fruity malt foundation. A woodsy, oaky bitterness cuts the sweet malt a bit, but it never comes together as balanced. Instead it's a bit jarring, with alcohol heat thrown in over the top.

M: Medium in heft, carbonation is average.

D: This is a slow-sipper, for obvious reasons. Glad I split the bomber.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2010 18:30:51 | More by Kendo

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I am glad this is not listed as a double IPA. It was quite hoppy,but not a tongue shreader. very enjoyable and dangerously drinkable. Copper body,maybe 3/8 of an inch head, a little hoppy aroma. A tad above average mouthfeel. Not very complex, but tasty stuff.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2010 02:48:49 | More by northyorksammy