Founders Bolt Cutter - Founders Brewing Company

Florida9

Illinois

3.3/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: A fine looking beer. Clear, light chestnut brown. Forms a moderate sized white head that reduces to a very large, very bubbly ring around the edge. Leaves some large clumps of lacing on the way down.

S: Fairly hoppy, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Mostly orange and other citrus with some citrus rind, a small bit of pine, and a lot of caramel malts, and even more pungent alcohol.

T: Taste is sweet. Very sweet. Lots of caramel malt, but there's a lot of hops as well. Citrus and citrus pith. There is some very light barrel character on the back end, with some light notes of oak and vanilla, but they are most overpowered by the hops and the strong pungent boozy character.

M: On the heavier side with a mild viscosity. Lower-medium carbonation. Mild to moderate bitterness.

O: This one really reminded me of an "Imperial Devil Dancer" if there was such a thing. Sweet, hoppy, and boozy this one was more like a triple IPA than a barleywine, offering up very little barrel character, but lots of sugar and lots of alcohol. A good beer, but far from "exceptional."

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 03:07:48 | More by Florida9

brewandbbq

New Hampshire

4.24/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

7oz pour for $8.00 at Cask and Vine in Derry, NH.

Presented with a quarter inch of bone head atop a light mahogany body with a haze. A partial skim coat and zero lacing for the duration of the glass.

After the beer warms up the aromatics reveal plenty of alcoholic heft, raisins, toffee, figs, caramel, bourbon, oak, and vanilla.

On the thicker side of medium bodied with a creamy mouthfeel.

Chewy malt, boozy bourbon, and vanilla lead off the palate. A mild bitterness runs underneath the sweet malt and chipped toffee. A warmth on the throat carries form one sip to the next.

Finishes with lingering malt, bourbon, and vanilla.

This is one big Barleywine and the bourbon barrel finish is nicely balanced. Quite a treat to sample on tap in NH.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 20:18:41 | More by brewandbbq

chinchill

South Carolina

3.71/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Shared bottle. Very high ABV cannot be hidden. While I'm not hit in the face with the full 15%, this is, nonetheless, a bit too boozy for me. The high ABV comes in a very flavorful brew, which suggests various fruits and fruit brandy. Excellent hop/malt balance.

M: Rather full bodied, with excellent (low) carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 17:46:42 | More by chinchill

cbutova

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from notes from Saturday night. A good beer to celebrate a friend's birthday.

A- Shared between about 5 glasses from the 750ml bottle. Somewhat hazy red body with a creamy white cap. Decent head retention and tons of lace clouds everywhere from a frothy ring.

S- Big deep caramel malts and the cascade hops are noticed instantly. Some spicy raisin and some oak. Not getting a ton beyond that in the aroma specifically.

T- A ton more opens up here compared to the nose. Maple is nice and just a bit sweet atop the big caramel, raisin, dark fruit and spicy notes. Oak and bourbon are subdued but balanced in very nicely. Dry hopping lends a citrus floral feel that actually works nicely with the rest of the flavors. Slight alcohol hints.

MF- Body is creamy and somewhat silky but not as thick as I would expect. Alcohol warmth and some bitterness.

Big but very dangerously drinkable. Awesome balance of huge barrel and barleywine flavors.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 03:23:21 | More by cbutova

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

4.18/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A-Such a beautiful hue. Burnt marmalade or blood orange. Slow, lazy bubbles rise to feed the head. Head is the color of lightly burnt marshmallow. Head dies off to a thin film and a cluster of bubbles. Thick seams of lacing. Very pretty.

S-A surprisingly intense haymaker of hoppiness. Hops are sudsy, and candied citrus. Tropical hops too. Wood-induced spice. The notes from the barrels start to set in after the hops waft out of the glass a bit. Dried-out biscuit and rich toffee. Caramel liqueur. Fruit cake and dried plums and figs. Vanilla extract and yes, even a bit of warm Maple Syrup. Herbal tea with a shot of Bourbon. Astonishingly complex.

T-The hops attack first. Soap and bitter pine followed by tangy grapefruit. Apricot hops too. Then a neat amalgamation of Maple Syrup infused with Bourbon. The syrup flavor is great. Coffee Cakes and baklava. Fig Newtons. The more I dissect the flavors, the more noticeable the oak becomes. Vanilla and scorched wood. Caramel all over the place. Boozy carrot cake...I could go on forever.

M-For 15%, this doesn't feel incredibly full. Don't get me wrong, it is full bodied, but it isn't massive. I kinda like that. Super, super, super dry. High, lingering bitterness. This goes down with frightening ease. Soft carbonation. Pretty boozy, but what would you expect from a monster like this?

O/D-Great beer. Shocked by its hoppiness. Impressed by its complexity. That being said, it is about one tier below some of the best Founders beers I have tried. Still, this is one of the better beers I have had in the past month or so. I would consider this brew a great success. So complex it makes my head spin. What a great beer to have with some turkey and stuffing.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 17:29:19 | More by VelvetExtract

Gobzilla

California

3.63/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: poured a pale amber brown in color with pale yellow highlights and a thin head that left very little lacing sticking to the glass.

S: lots of malty sweetness upfront in the aroma with grassy earthy notes, booze heat, plenty of hop character and mild caramel but with slight brown sugar presence.

T: caramel sweetness was more noticeable on the palate with a good hoppy profile that was accompanied by grassy earthiness, plenty of bready malts, the booze was all up in your grill with a touch of underlying brown sugar.

M: the brew was medium in body with a moderate amount of carbonation which had a sweet, malty, hoppy, boozy and crisp finish.

O: I honestly was a little let down from all the hype but then again it's just hype after all. It can be that I've had some AMAZING barelywines lately too. I was just decent and nothing more

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 00:53:59 | More by Gobzilla

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Founders Bolt Cutter

Poured into a 4oz tasting glass from the tap at iTap (Soulard).

Pours a copper color with some nice amber hues. Nice and clear. Light cream head rises up about half an inch. The beer is very nice looking. The amber and copper colors are bright and lively. The head recedes slowly and definitely leaves some sticky lacing. (4.5)

Starts off with some aroma of vanilla with some intense hop juice sweetness that comes up quick and fierce. Nice caramel and citrus notes mix in well. These notes are followed by some more vanilla and butterscotch and very nice bourbon notes. There is some nice piney and grapefruit notes as well. (4.0)

Flavor is intense. Tons of resinous hop notes! Very piney and slightly sweet with some good citrus notes and grassy hop notes. Sweetness is very present and intense but its not overwhelming at all. Caramel notes mix in with the barrel and the intense hop notes. As it warns the hop notes are much more intense and there is some nice syrupy notes mixed in there as well. The finish is quite dank but mixed in with some awesome barrel notes. Oily and slick with an intense finish that is sticky but at the same time dry because of the hops. (4.0)(4.0)

Overall. This brew got a lot of hype. And even though it’s not all undeserved because it’s a good brew it might have been a bit overblown. Very flavorful and well done mix of intense malt sweetness, caramel, toffee and vanilla notes. There is some nice dank pine as well as grassy and herbal hop notes that are also complimented by some citrus notes. (4.0)

Serving type: on-tap

12-15-2012 23:23:11 | More by JoEBoBpr

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Pours a warm red-orange color with a thin collar of manila foam. Looks quaint in the Church Brew Works taster tulip.

Weird soapy yeasty aroma that caught me by surprise. Light caramel, hint of woodiness, and citrusy hops. Very mellow. Not a good start.

Woah. Grapefruit hops, barrel wood, whiskey notes, and the mildest of caramel notes. Of course, I forgot a big solvent-y booze note that I'm not fond of. Not very sweet, but it is decently medicinal. Hints of stone fruits, but I think that's hop-related, too.

Tuned-up way too high. Booze-forward, majorly. Body is pretty thin for the style, too. Not a good feel.

What a disappointing beer! I'm never this harsh on Founders, but c'mon! A slightly above-average American Barleywine, at best.

Serving type: on-tap

01-29-2013 20:26:47 | More by thecheapies

deltatauhobbit

Maine

4.33/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a nice amber color, not much of a head though and no lacing.

Smell has huge sweet malt aroma, caramel being the most dominant, some toffee, decent citrus hop presence at first but soon is pushed out of the way by the malt, can pick up some alcohol which isn't that surprising considering its strength.

Taste is very malt heavy yet the citrus hops are surprisingly strong and help balance the flavor from being too sweet, also surprising is the lack of heat, the alcohol is definitely there and present but much tamer for a young 15% barleywine than I would have thought.

Very tasty and normally I would recommend aging barleywines but the current citrus hop presence ages a lot and will only fade with time.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 22:51:16 | More by deltatauhobbit

inlimbo77

Delaware

4.23/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750ml, November 2012
The Bruery tulip

A: Pours a slightly cloudy deep orange/amber color. Initially about a full finger of slightly off white head. Actually sticks around a while. Some lacing bits. Seeing some alcohol feet.

S: Getting big hop notes. Big citrus and some piney hints. Then big caramel and toffee underneath that. No bourbon at all unless it comes up later. It does smell sweet on the nose.

T: Up front, you do get some hop bitterness. Some of that orange marmalade, other citrus, etc. Getting nice bready malts. Some slim caramel and toffee. I get that maple sweetness....which I guess is from the barrels. Lots of booze does so its face later as you start.

M: Big medium bodied here. Not as thick as i thought it would be. Some booze.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 16:13:40 | More by inlimbo77

hardy008

Minnesota

4.18/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark amber with a one finger off white head which has very good retention and lacing, especially for such a high abv beer. Smells like toffee, caramel, vanilla, alcohol, and citrus. Smells like this will be very sweet.

Tastes just like it smells. It is sweet with toffee, caramel, alcohol, citrus, and a little vanilla. There is enough hop bitterness to keep this beer from becoming too sweet. The alcohol is noticeable and warming, but there is no alcohol burn. Has very nice flavor, and is just about perfect for a cold winter night.

Full bodied with low carbonation, and a sweet aftertaste. Leaves the mouth feeling sticky. A nice big Barleywine from Founders.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 03:39:45 | More by hardy008

mntlover

Tennessee

4.35/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy burnt copper color with a nice one finger cream head from a bar pour lasts quite a while. Lots of pretty lace from such a small head. A beautiful looking brew.

Aroma is big malty notes,biscuit notes and lots of caramel, maple sticky goodness all around. Nice big fruit notes with spicy alcohol seems like sherry more to me then bourbon but its all good whatever is going on.

Taste is nice big malt sugary goodness with nice sherry like alcohol notes I swear it seems more like sherry to me of well. It all blends perfect eh 15% tastes more like 10%. Somewhere in the middle good citrus notes come out and keep this from being cloying. Instead its a big kick your butt tasty sipping brew that is hard to put down. Only draw back I see is what I paid for my 10oz pour.

Mouthfeel is well seems light for such a big brew I would say only medium.

Overall very drinkable for such a big brew. Happy I found it on tap on my vacation .

Serving type: on-tap

02-15-2013 20:16:27 | More by mntlover

jjanega08

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

15th Anniversary Ale- 2012

A= Pours a nice deep hazy amber color with a thin off white head that holds some pretty steady retention and lacing for such a large beer.

S= The smell has a nice big hop bite to it as well as a big caramel sweetness to it. The alcohol does make itself present but barely in the nose. Smells like a big syrupy barleywine for sure. The hop malt balance gives it a caramel sort of aroma.

T= The taste is about where I was expecting from the nose. It starts with a big hop bite that is different because of the quick following of the big caramel sweetness in it. Tons of sweetness in the middle with a boozy finish. The hops are not as potent as that in an IIPA but they are still there in force.

M= Big and syrupy

O= This is a powerful beer. I'm a few sips in and it's really getting me toasty. A great beer for this time of year. This beer is a little boozy now and becomes a little much after a while right now. With some time I can see this being very smooth and sweet. This beer works but it's not the crazy good barleywine that one would expect Founders to make. Not all of them can be homeruns but this one is a nice double.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 05:04:54 | More by jjanega08

Dope

Massachusetts

4.23/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a clear ruby red with a big and dense tan head adorning it. Fades very, very slowly. Leaves an almost solid wall of lacing behind. Top-notch head retention.

S: Whoa, english barleywine? Not so sure about that. Very hoppy. Lots of tropical fruit like apricot, mango, pineapple along with a bunch of raisin. Noticeable alcohol sting but honestly not as much as you'd expect. Hoppiness covers it up quite a bit. As it warms up, the raisin really comes to the forefront with a touch of brown sugar.

T: Again, surprisingly hoppy. Very hoppy in fact. Lots of tropical fruit up front mixes with a very, very strong raisin aspect. Some garlicky/oniony hops too. Lots of caramel and toffee in there. Has sort of a grainy aspect towards the finish. Finishes with toffee and more garlic/onion. Some hop oil coats the mouth nicely as well, leading to a long lingering hoppy aftertaste. Booze is surprisingly well hidden though it does immediately warm the belly from the very first sip.

M: Big and heavy. Not over the top though, decent carbonation and hoppiness cuts it nicely.

O: A hell of a big beer. Big ABV, huge malt notes and huge hop notes. Lots of strong, sharp flavors all mix together quite well. Very enjoyable even for a super fresh 15% ABV beer. Hope I can pick up another one of these to cellar, curious how it ages.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 06:53:27 | More by Dope

portia99

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

750ml bottle received in trade with Speedwayjim poured into a Founders CBS snifter.

A - Pours a glowing, brilliant amber orange color with medium clarity and a finger of frothy tan head that dies slowly over a minute or so leaving rings of lacing on the glass.

S - Bourbon, butter, vanilla, toffee, sweet malt, mild citrus hop presence. The buttery and toffee aromas blossom as the beer warms and take over.

T - Alcohol/boozy up front, some citrusy hops, mild/mid hop bitterness. Caramel and some sugary malt flavors, some brown sugar. Touch of astringency, some fruity esters. A dry, biscuity, maybe a touch nutty finish with hints of roasty malts.

M - This gives a huge tingle on the lips and tongue from the healthy dose of bourbony booze found in here. From beginning to end it is there reminding me that this is indeed a 15% beer. Body is quite full and a bit sticky. Carbonation is low/medium and fits well here. Bourbon gives a bit of a warmth on each sip.

O - Balanced and more bitter/hoppy than many/most barleywines. Not as hop forward as Big Foot, but it is missing a lot of the rich malty depth typically found in the style. Rather boozy all around...keeps this towards the sipper side of the scale...tingly and warming on each sip.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 18:41:24 | More by portia99

rlee1390

Indiana

3.91/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A-Clear ruby red, one finger head with not much carbonation.

S-Maple, hops, bourbon, some caramel and molasses.

T-Maple, bourbon, hops. Not really balanced. Slight bitterness.

M-Lighter than I was expecting, not much carbonation and some alcohol heat.

O-Needs some time to age, the beer isn't all there yet. The flavors have potential but right now the balance isn't where it should be.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 00:07:03 | More by rlee1390

vfgccp

New York

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Barcade BK, Founders tap night.

A - Low offwhite head with ok lace and retention. Cloudy burnt sienna, cognac body.

S - Huge apple brandy nose, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, dried apple, light caramel.

T - Soft round booze, caramel, dried apricot, vanilla extract, sharp oak, dark brown sugar. Long afterglow of warm booze caramel and nutmeg.

M - Expansive mouthfeel with a solid body. Great staying power without feeling syrupy.

O - Insanely smooth. I can't believe this is 15%; it could definitely get you into a world of trouble if you're not paying attention. A stellar barleywine.

Serving type: on-tap

11-29-2012 21:31:54 | More by vfgccp

jmarsh123

Indiana

3.83/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours muddy reddish brown with a thin ring of foam. Little lacing.

Fresh out of the fridge the aroma consists of heavy aggressive hops however, as the bee warms a lot of oak, and booze come out. Lot sof sweet caramel notes kind of contrast the hops.

Lots of hops up front. Good aggressive assault of pine and some citrus and age has tamed this one a bit. Not longer overly hoppy. As it warms more oak and booze comes through. Hops fades near the end as the strength of this beer is felt.

Medium bodied, but quite thin from what I would expect from an ABV this high. A bit too boozy at times as this alcohol is not concealed well.

Not too bad, but nowhere near the level of hype when it first came out. I absolutely HATED this fresh, but time has mellowed the hops and brought it together into a drinkable, but still not great beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2013 19:11:16 | More by jmarsh123

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

3.68/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured from tap into snifter at flying saucer Kansas city. Poured a seethrough amber brown with chewey head and lacing. Huge hop aromas...way to much for me...mixed with big sweetness. Taste is sweet caramel toffee malts and lots of hops. Its a bit hot and sharp. I am so glad I didn't buy a bottle. ..its just way to hoppy. Maybe some age would mellow this out a bit but id never get again unless it was aged...

Serving type: on-tap

03-07-2013 00:06:28 | More by DrinkSlurm

Bendurgin

Maine

3.76/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured into a tulip. This one pours a slightly muddy copper rust color with some golden hues and a nice cap of beige head.

The aroma has a nice grassy hop blanket with some boozy caramel notes and dark fruits like raisins. The pallet is a bit of the sweet side. Vanilla and raisins with brown sugar and some notes of grassy hops on the background.

The body is full and with good carbonation. Overall this one is enjoyable but a bit pricey. I just assume grab Bigfoot or something to that nature.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 02:11:27 | More by Bendurgin

dogfishandi

New York

3.83/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

750ml bottle at about fridge temp poured into a snifter. only a few months old.

pours out a nice, fairly clear, deep orange/ light copper color with a wonderful off white, tight head with great head retention. lots of sticky lacing and a good bit of legs are left on the glass. i maybe expected just a slightly darker color, but it still looks pretty nice.

initially i get some earthy, somewhat floral hops and lots of caramel malt sweetness. as it warms, the hops and malt are still there, but lots of booze seems to take center stage. not as complex of an aroma as i thought it would be.

tastes like a DIPA, and almost like SN- bigfoot a little bit. earthy, floral hops with enough bitterness to support an IPA. fairly thick deep caramel malt sweetness. lots of warming booze, but no real evidence that this was at all barrel aged. hints of toffee slightly charred sugars. finishes warming with lots of hop bitterness.

big, fairly heavy bodied, good carb for the style.

pretty much what it is, an american BW. but for such i highly anticipated anniversary beer from my favorite brewery, i expected a bit more. i was really hoping for more of the barrel aging to show through, which it hardly did at all. not really worth the price tag. hopefully some age can turn this beer around in the future.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 23:48:33 | More by dogfishandi

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.95/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

We pour a brew of deep, yet bright golden orange. It holds a one and a half finger head of massive, soapy-looking tan bubbles, showing okay retention, and decent reproducibility. Vestiges of this sit in aggregates to one side of glass, with spots of lacing dripping down the sides. There is a definite haze, and swirls of sediment run through the liquid. Carbonation appears light. The nose initially gives deep caramel malts, hot booze, and brushes of lemony, citric hops. Bubblegum esters add sweetness, as does sticky toffee, warm bourbon, and faint maple syrup sugars. Vanilla, musky woodiness, and dirty, muddy mineral come out with warmth. Our first impression is that the beer is nicely flavored, the various barreling efforts are each visible, and the booze is massive. As we sip, raw honey sweetness, burnt caramel malts, fusel vodka booze, and dried maple candies start things off. We move to the peak with salty caramel, citric hoppy freshness, warm oakiness, medicinal phenols, more hollow fusels, and the sweetened cloying bite of warmed maple sugar. The finish wash is of thick buttery grain, caramel sweetness, insanely bittering wood, and more fumes of that fusel booze. The aftertaste breathes of fiery peppery booze, bittering citric hops, biting woodiness, raw plastic phenols, maple sweetness, caramel sweetness, and mineral. The body is full, and the carbonation is light to medium. There is wild stickiness to the feel, with the lips and tongue left coated with sugary smack. There is nice slurp, pop, cream, and froth, and the mouth is satisfyingly coated and warmed. The booze and wood both add eventual dryness, but not to the point of puckered astringency. The abv is huge, and the beer drinks accordingly as a definite, slow sipper.

Overall, what we liked most about this beer was how the beer is very much like it is described, and the soft, sticky mouthfeel. As this beer is a blend we were worried that the mix would get overly complex, and that the maple and wood would get lost. This was very much to the contrary, as the sweetness was there, while the wood was present, almost overly so. The latter gave a strong bittering pucker of flavor to the finish and aftertaste that wasn’t quite balanced out. The nose was nice, and in the same vein, while the feel was great, and greatly contributory to the experience. This is a nice beer, but a bit hot, and in need of perhaps a little more age.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2013 02:23:51 | More by TheBrewo

Treebs

Illinois

2.98/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

750 ml bottle served in a Hofbrau tulip.

A: Semi hazy dark cherry color. A light tan head forms on the pour with great retention. Sticky webbings of lace are left down the glass. Looks a lot like Devil Dancer.

S: A little pine with some citrus zest. Some candied sugar with a hefty dose of bready malts. I'm not picking up any barrel notes and it doesn't smell anything like a barleywine. More like a big and boozy DIPA.

T: A little melon up front with some candy sugar and a ton of alcohol. A little maple with some citrus and bitter pine. Bready malts with a hot and boozy finish.

M: Medium bodied with a medium carbonation. Pretty hot with a ton of booze on the finish.

O: This isn't close to a barleywine. Too big and boozy and not really well made. The barrel is non-existent. A bigger let down than Frangelic Mountain Brown.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 04:20:19 | More by Treebs

Tucquan

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this on 2012-11-22 in Pittsburgh, PA

A - Very hazy orange-brown with 1/3-finger tan head that fades fast and leaves mild lacing. Alcohol legs.

S - Hop floral, citrus, sweet, graham cracker, baked apple, bartlet pear, cherry.

T - Hop forward, dopplebock-like malt, caramel, pine, vinuous, cherry, rasin, apple/pear. Not overly sweet. Lingering bitter/piney finish balanced with enough of the other flavors. Taste improved as it continued to warm

M - Medium-heavy body and light carbonation. Resinous, prickly, not syrupy. Definitely a tongue-coater.

O - Quite good for such a high ABV brew. As a comparison, I liked this more than the Avery Mephistopholes.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 17:13:55 | More by Tucquan

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 750 ml bottle into a Surly Darkness chalice glass.

Appearance: Pours a deep and hazy copper amber orange with a moderate amount of carbonation. About one finger of off white head that recedes into a thin patchy layer. Leaves a good amount of lacing around the glass.

Smell: A big kick of sweet malts, hops, and booze. Sharp citrus hop aroma up front with hints of orange, grapefruit, pineapple, lemon, and mango. Some earthy hops and pine spice. Sweet malts with big hints of burnt caramel, toffee, biscuit, and yeast. Some brown sugar, honey, and maple syrup add to the sweetness. Barrel presence is pretty laid back with only slight hints of bourbon and vanilla. Alcohol scent is pretty noticeable as expected. A very big and good aroma.

Taste: Tastes as big and strong as it smells. Big presence of bitter and spicy hops up front. Notes of citrus grapefruit, orange, pineapple, mango, and lemon. Earthy hops and a sharp spice from pine resin. Fairly grassy. Big malt presence that adds some balancing sweetness. Notes of burnt caramel, toffee, yeast, and biscuit. Also some brown sugar and maple syrup along with a little taste of honey and vanilla. Slight taste of bourbon and wood although its pretty subtle compared to the other flavors. Alcohol heat rounds out the taste. Big and pretty good taste.

Mouthfeel: Heavy full body with a moderate amount of carbonation. Chewy, slightly syrupy, and pretty visceral. Finishes fairly dry. Lots of alcohol warmth is felt as expected.

Overall: A very good take on a American Barleywine. A slow sipper for sure and not for the faint of heart. Big hop presence that is very sharp. It will be interesting to see how this one ages.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 07:44:21 | More by MattyG85