Twisted Jim - Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery

zeledonia

Minnesota

3.38/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Tasted on-tap at the brewpub, on release day, 22 Feb 2012. Poured into a 10 oz. goblet. Reviewed from notes.

Pours dark amber, not quite brown, and pretty clear, with little to no visible carbonation. Brought to me with just a cap of foam; okay lacing.

Smell is barely detectable. How is that possible for a barrel-aged barleywine? Poured on the cold side, but even after letting it warm up, and sniffing and sniffing, I couldn't smell much. A little bit of corn mash bourbon smell.

Flavor comes through mostly as the mid-point of bourbon taste. A nice slightly sweet grainy rise on the front-end, with leather and tobacco, followed by a dip, and a big rise up to the big punch of flavor in the finish. The first peak is malty, but not too sweet, with some oomph but not a ton of flavor. A bit of corn, woody malts. Fairly strong hop presence that kicks up some serious bitterness, followed by a sharp finish as the Jim Beam train pulls in. The flavor is rather hard to describe. A fluid, flowing amalgam of faint malts. The base beer comes through, as does the barrel, but I taste them as two separate parts.

Mouthfeel is rather thick, not quite syrupy, but chewy. Medium-low carbonation. Right on for a barleywine.

Overall, it's a decent beer, but I'm not super impressed. Some barrel-aged beers just don't quite do it for me, and this is one of them. Feels like I'm drinking a beer with a whiskey chaser. I want more of the base beer, and better integration.

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2012 04:23:34 | More by zeledonia

Gonzoillini

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

04-27-2013 12:20:31 | More by Gonzoillini

Rhettroactive

Virginia

3/5  rDev -27.5%

03-02-2013 21:48:00 | More by Rhettroactive

sacrelicio

Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

02-21-2013 21:24:58 | More by sacrelicio

tuckerlikesbeer

Minnesota

4.75/5  rDev +14.7%

01-19-2013 15:40:45 | More by tuckerlikesbeer

arniepnminne

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

01-17-2013 04:14:56 | More by arniepnminne

spycow

Illinois

4/5  rDev -3.4%

01-13-2013 21:58:36 | More by spycow

westcoastbeerlvr

California

3.5/5  rDev -15.5%

01-08-2013 22:29:35 | More by westcoastbeerlvr

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle courtesy of dougofthefuture. Served in a snifter. Pours a medium caramel color with a short receding head. Thin collar. Nose has some caramel malt and bread along with some bourbon. Light toast. Flavor is a bit sweet with toffee, caramel, and bready malt. Bourbon and oak through the background, though nothing too heavy. Fairly smooth, but not all that interesting, especially when compared against some of Town Hall’s other Barrel-Aged offerings.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 19:01:07 | More by Thorpe429

Etan

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

750ml shared by Todd (immobilisme) at Zwanze 2012. Thanks!

A: Pours a dark amber with a good light tan head.

S: Thick toffee and vanilla in the nose, with a hint of maple and oak. The barrel influence is smooth and not quite as in-your-face as other highly regarded BA barleywines.

T: Caramel, toasted coconut, bourbon and oak, and a palpable hop bitterness on the end.

M. Thick, light carbonation.

O: Not the most assertive BA barleywine, but certainly tasty.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 05:41:55 | More by Etan

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer is brown with a small head of broken bubbles. The aroma is boozy with oak, vanilla, malty sweetness. The flavor is ok. Lots of sweetness and booze. Maybe some vanilla and coconut, as well as caramel and brown sugar notes. Medium bodied with a warming finish. Complex but not balanced as well as it might have been. Overall, this was still a tasty beer, but has the potential to be even better.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 02:36:46 | More by Huhzubendah

drabmuh

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Meh, served in the new Town hall glass. Beer is brown and hazy with a tan head of small bubbles, low retention, no lacing, moderate carbonation.

Aroma is malty, sweet, a little booze.

Beer is sweet and too sweet. It is mildly oak, boozy but overall not a very enjoyable beer. A little bit was enough, not a repeat for me.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 17:15:56 | More by drabmuh

Samwhyz

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -3.4%

11-05-2012 01:37:06 | More by Samwhyz

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev -3.4%

11-04-2012 03:41:59 | More by t0rin0

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

4.15/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip glass form a 750ml bottle.

Pours a gorgeous dark dark amber color with some caramel notes and some nice slight golden honey edges. There is a gorgeous 1 inch light cream head that is dense and extremely sticky. There are some more medium sized soapy bubbles sprinkled around but it is very creamy.

Aroma starts off with some delicious sweetness. Tropical fruit sweetness as well as some awesome caramel and molasses notes. there is some slight mango, papaya and sugary pineapple that also come through. Very nice. Awesome Bourbon notes and some nice vanilla and barrel notes. The sweetness is refreshing and fruity and not cloying at all.

Taste is smooth and bourbon infused. Nice molasses sweetness and caramel sweetness mix in with some great Bourbon heat and slight citrusy hop note that is also perceived. The Bourbon notes are intense but not harsh. There is some great toffee and vanilla notes that smooth things out and as the brew finishes the heat kicks back up. After it warms the heat kicks up a bit. Still a very good Barleywine. Mouthfeel is smooth and surprisingly light but a bit sticky.

Overall this AB is really good. Very nice Bourbon notes and some nice heat. There are some good toffee and molasses notes with vanilla that mix in with the heat. There are some nice oaky notes as well. Very good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 02:03:31 | More by JoEBoBpr

Devi0us

California

4/5  rDev -3.4%

10-28-2012 18:51:36 | More by Devi0us

billab914

Virginia

3.85/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes from our Town Hall tasting. 2012 vintage poured from a750ml bottle. It poured Amber orange in color with a thin spotty head to it. Decent lacing as I drank it.

The barrel flavors are lighter in the aroma, but I do get some notes oak and vanilla to it with just a little bourbon. I get some good toasted malts and sweeter caramel flavors to it. A little fruitiness is there as well. It's a good aroma, just not a great one. Both the barrel and barleywine flavors seemed to be lacking a bold, rich flavor I'd expect in a top beer of the style.

I get a little more of the barrel flavors in the taste. Some good notes of caramel, dry woody oak and little bourbon all come out. It's got a touch of chocolate to it as well. The finish adds a little bittering hops helping give it some balance. It comes together pretty well in the taste.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Overall, it was the best of the Town Hall barrel aged beers we had tonight but I still didn't think it was outstanding for the style. It had a better barrel character compared to the others and it felt a little more balanced, but overall it just didn't really impress me in the barrel aged barleywine category.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 11:31:11 | More by billab914

acurtis

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

09-30-2012 01:00:01 | More by acurtis

GRG1313

California

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

09-17-2012 06:10:04 | More by GRG1313

jera1350

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

09-09-2012 03:27:16 | More by jera1350

gatornation

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

on taop @ MTHB 10oz pour

A-pours a slight hazed rusty brown colr with a solid 1 finger head lots of lacing on side of glass

S-bourbon and oak first with caramel,toffee,and vanilla

T-smooth mellow bourbon with nice mild oak ,caramel and toffee sweet malts

M-sweet and creamy texture with low/medium carbonation nice bourbon compliment to this

O superb BB aged Barleywine surprised at how fast i drank it very smooth and creamy will have this one again when i see it

Serving type: on-tap

09-08-2012 21:51:24 | More by gatornation

Ungertaker

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +8.7%

09-03-2012 01:22:45 | More by Ungertaker

jmarsh123

Indiana

4.73/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours reddish brown with a big creamy off-white head. Good retention and lacing.

Lots of sweet caramel and toffee in the aroma along with wood and a good bourbony boozy smell

Follows the nose pretty closely. Big rich toffee and caramel notes up front before receding into a boozy finishing kick. Finish features a ton of vanilla, some wood and noticeable, but not harsh bourbon.

Creamy mouthfeel although more on the medium side than something thick and sludge like. Medium to low carbonation levels.

Absolutely amazing beer. I think barrel aged barleywines may be my favorite style, but even among them this stands out. I like mine big and boozy so if booze isn't your thing, may want to let this set a while. I think it's well integrated and a good mixture of booze and traditional barleywine components. Tons better than Czar Jack.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2012 21:24:50 | More by jmarsh123

womencantsail

California

3.88/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a murky amber color with a small white head. Bourbon and vanilla on the nose with lots of caramel, oak, and dark fruit. Mild oxidation gives a touch of cardboard. Mild booze, some brown sugar is there too. Tastes of bourbon, vanilla, caramel, oak, brown sugar, and a touch of coconut. A little bit of alcohol heat on the back end and hints of maple syrup.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 17:58:04 | More by womencantsail

cosmicevan

New York

4.23/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Another one from the 7/27 Top Hops mini tasting! thanks to beerness for the swap.

a - nice barleywine look. deep maroon orange with a creamy large head and lots of lacing.

s - strong caramel toffee with nice booziness.

t - boozy. lots of caramel and toffee. good sweetness. nice barleywine, just a bit hot.

m - easy drinker in viscosity. a bit thin, but pretty boozy.

o - overall, i really like this. this is the highlight of the town hall series so far for me. if i could change anything about this one, i'd wish for better integration with the booze. perhaps let it sit a bit...but tasty indeed.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 03:42:29 | More by cosmicevan