Cucapá Barleywine
Cucapá Brewing Company

Cucapá BarleywineCucapá Barleywine
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From:
Cucapá Brewing Company
 
Mexico
Style:
American Barleywine
ABV:
10%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.87 | pDev: 14.21%
Reviews:
38
Ratings:
47
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 07, 2018
Added:
Jan 28, 2007
Wants:
  20
Gots:
  6
This one was retired, although the Cucapá guys decided to brew it as a Winter seasonal.

The bottle was changed, though
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of SenseiCaco
Rated by SenseiCaco from Mexico

3.18/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
This is an okay beer for not being a craft beer. Looks pretty good but the taste just isn't there.
Apr 07, 2018
Photo of apridar
Reviewed by apridar from England

2.67/5  rDev -31%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3
New bottle, poured it into a cold mug. Very cloudy amber/brown with 2 fingers foam and some lacing. Taste is heavy on malts and alcohol (no surprise at 10%). Almost no malt smell and very limited hops. Overall ok, not great.
Jul 15, 2015
 
Rated: 3.76 by Tivlavrie from Canada (AB)

Dec 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by rderedin from Maine

Oct 16, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by jazztoloc from Mexico

May 04, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by t0rin0 from California

Sep 18, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by ObiWanKushnobi from Minnesota

Aug 20, 2012
Photo of brokensail
Reviewed by brokensail from California

3.58/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Pours a copper color with a small tan head. Sweet and fruity on the nose with plenty of caramel, sugar, and toffee. A light toastiness, some floral hops, and a hint of alcohol. The flavor has a mild bitterness, alcohol, and lots of malt notes. Some toasted bread, caramel, and toffee notes. A light fruitiness to the beer, which I find enjoyable. Not bad, but not my favorite either.
Aug 07, 2012
Photo of RblWthACoz
Reviewed by RblWthACoz from Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
This is a good barleywine, for the most part. I think it's positive attributes are mostly that it is a beer with "potential." With that in mind, it seems like it could use several more years of age to mellow and even it out. Too sweet and malty in a bright kind of way. Needs to be rounded out. For what it is now, it is still fairly good. But I do feel like some age, and maybe some recipe tweaking, could make an even nicer brew.
Jul 30, 2012
 
Rated: 4.75 by davidtarantino from Mexico

Apr 29, 2012
Photo of LiquidAmber
Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington

3.92/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a slightly cloudy medium to dark red amber. Active lively thin off-white head forms on pouring, but dissipates rapidly, leaving no trace nor lacing. Aroma has all the barley wine characteristics, sweet caramel malt, dark and dried fruit. Flavor follows, dominated by sweet malt, dark fruit and alcohol. Finishes with hints of vanilla, whiskey barrel and moderate hops. Medium bodied, but the lack of carbonation detracts from the overall mouth feel. A nice barley wine with no real stand out qualities. A bit more carbonation and less booziness would bring out the good flavor a bit more. Glad I tried this and hopefully a promising hint of good things to come from south of the border.
Apr 09, 2012
Photo of UCLABrewN84
Reviewed by UCLABrewN84 from California

3.62/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a murky brown with a khaki head that settles to an oily film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form randomly around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, brown sugar, caramel, alcohol, and some herbal hop aromas. Taste is the same with a dry hop finish. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good barleywine but it smells better than it tastes. It's interesting to see a barleywine coming out of Mexico for sure.
Mar 25, 2012
Photo of karait95
Reviewed by karait95 from Mexico

4.33/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A: excellent looking, a very dark amber color more like reddish brown, good head formed by light brown mixed bubbles, dissipates not fast and leaves traces behind on the glass. Carbonation is medium and body looks also medium.

S: alcohol and some dark fruits are sensed at once but hops are not to hidden behind for a penetrating aroma.

T: flavor is very good, it is balanced between malts, fruits and hops but alcohol and hops are the main part, as expected for the style this one is complex for the palette.

M: this starts with some sweetness that changes very quickly into bittersweet and at last a long bitter ending.
Feb 08, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by jophish17 from Georgia

Dec 09, 2011
 
Rated: 5 by spatendan from California

Dec 07, 2011
Photo of seand
Reviewed by seand from California

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A: Pours a clear red amber, with a fair amount of light tan head. Not much retains - just a couple spots of film on the surface and a ring around the edge of the glass - but it's enough to leave small spots of lacing.

S: Rich, thick, nutty sweetness. Some leather, and a lightly burnt bitter note.

T: Very sweet and very boozy. Finishes with a heavy burnt bitter not that is also somewhat floral; relatively dry.

M: Full body, low to medium but prickly carbonation.

Overall it's not bad. Certainly unlike any other beer I've tried from Mexico. I'm not a huge fan of the flavor mix - it's a little too burnt - but that may just be personal preference.
Oct 22, 2011
Photo of Vanlingleipa
Reviewed by Vanlingleipa from California

4.35/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
This barleywine's taste is soft compared to most barleywines and that's a relief. Too often, my tastebuds feel battered by the intensity and denseness of several other barleywines that approach the strength and consistency of syrup concentrate.

The Cucapa BW is thin only by comparison to the black holes of the barleywine world, however, it doesn't lack flavor. There is a brightness to the roasted malt/molasses that is the dominant flavor here - bright and strong, but not to the point of overkill. A slight edge of bitter hops comes in towards the end and lingers, a nice counterpoint to the sweetness of the malt and molasses.

Everything said and done and tasted, this is a quality brew - the first I've ever sampled from Mexico. Tip of the hat and I'm looking forward to trying their other offerings.
Sep 27, 2011
Photo of Trilogy31
Reviewed by Trilogy31 from California

3.72/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours a cloudy chestnut with a creamy off white brownish seafoam head leaving no lacing. The nose brings rich nougat, prunes, bourbon booze, sweet caramel and a light port character. The nose is full blown sweet caramel and bourbon barrel, vanilla and finishes with pleasant hop bitterness which cuts the sweetness - though as it warms it really begins to show its booze and the balance is a bit lost. A nice beer and one i would never guess its "terrior".
Sep 22, 2011
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

3.83/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Dark pecan brown that becomes blurry blood orange when backlit with morning sunshine. The golden sandstone colored cascading crown has settled out to becomes a thick slab of sponge-like foam that is hanging around for an impressive length of time.

Caramel malt (dominant by far) and assorted fruits make up the nose. Along with dates and figs, there's a hint from citrus zest buried way down deep. This one could go either way on the palate.

For starters, Cucapa Barley Wine Ale is waaay too thin. The flavors seem fine in the first few sips, but with such a massive malt deficit, they don't have the opporunity to sink in and truly impress. Here's hoping that the passage of time and the loss of the slight starting chill will work some magic.

It might be the mouthfeel, but this CBC offering seems more like an English barleywine than an American one. Specifics include tons of steely caramel, (not that sweet) brown sugar, a surprising amount of anise/black licorice, ripe figs, a splash of tangy citrus juice and a half-splash of white rum. Sneakily complex beer here.

By the bottom of the first glass... if we think of this as an aged English barleywine... and round up... the mouthfeel ekes out an above-average score. The barely audible escape of CO2 on crown cracking was worrisome, but the carbonation is both fine and dandy.

Cucapa Barley Wine Ale is interesting beer that is growing on me with each successive sip. Is it the best that the country of Mexico has to offer? Bohemia is pretty solid, but with respect to big beer... yeah, it just might be.
May 05, 2011
Photo of Phelps
Reviewed by Phelps from Arizona

3.52/5  rDev -9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Very dark, mostly opaque maroon, fading to notes of burnt orange at the edges. It’s crowned with a fizzy, dense head of khaki that disappears quickly, become a large, frothy ring. Not much in the way of lace.

In the nose I get sweet grape juice and deeper notes of dates, along with some orange peel, toasted pumpernickel and a hint of alcohol. Not terribly complex, but a decent barleywine aroma.

The bottle claims that “since its conception it has been rated as the best beer that Mexico has ever produced.” I’d assume this is akin to being the best football player to ever come out of Pahrump, but I’ll lend that it is rather enjoyable. I get a deep, figgy sweetness that blends with bitter orange peel, toasty bread, some molasses and even a port-like character. The finish is clean, with just a hint of lingering citric bitterness on the sides of the tongue. It’s not bad, but rather delicately flavored for a barleywine. I’m afraid the chicken dinner I’m eating alongside might overpower it.

Peppery medium-light carbonation amidst a pleasant medium body. The amazing thing here is the alcohol, or lack thereof — I can’t pick up a trace of it except the number it’s doing on my head.

Gracias, Cucapa! Whereas most Mexican beers taste like they were brewed with the water we’re told never to drink, you've managed to produce a very approachable barleywine.
Apr 14, 2011
Cucapá Barleywine from Cucapá Brewing Company
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 47 ratings