Killer Penguin Barleywine - Boulder Beer / Wilderness Pub

Phelps

Arizona

3.38/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed at the Boulder tap room at the Denver airport. Enjoyed in a small mug.

Colored like a year-old penny -- tarnished copper with just a bit of haze. One finger of silky tan film sticks around a long time and grips the walls in full blankets.

Big caramel, a touch of roast, orange, toffee, sherry. Hops are fairly mild, just a little orange peel.

Smooth and a little sweet. Lots of sugars -- caramel and alcohol. A bit of toasty bread rolls as well. Long-lingering notes of slightly overripe orange.

Small body for a barleywine, a medium light. Very fizzy, but mildly carbonated. Spike of alcohol at the swallow, big bitterness on the sides of the tongue.

Very middle of the road. Balanced and inoffensive.

Serving type: on-tap

05-12-2013 23:39:12 | More by Phelps

goblue3509

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a medium copper color that looks a little thin around the edges when held to the light. There is a nice one to one and a half finger off white head which gives way to nice strands of lace. The aroma has a caramel malt backbone, and then a sweet fruity aroma. The backend has a slight citrus kick. The taste starts out bready with caramel malt, and then gives way to a fruity taste along with a slight citrus kick at the end. The fruit appears to be a grape or plum flavor. The mouthfeel is lowly carbonated and a bit watery. Overall it was an okay beer, however, I would peg it more in the english category than the american for a barelywine.

Serving type: on-tap

03-05-2012 17:38:28 | More by goblue3509

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured on-tap into a snifter, the beer is a deep, dark, auburn coloring, with ruby highlights and a fluffy, small bubbled, light tan head of a good half inch. Malty and rich aromas, with a good boozey highlight, some light spicing, and a touch of hops. Good, bold flavors that are very well balanced. Good hops profile that touches the tip of the tongue, but settles in on the mid-tongue. Malty profile is rich, with a crystal and roasted caramel palate. Good, toasty characteristics to draw everything together, leading to a peppery hopped aftertaste, with a little kiss of the booze again. Decent cling along the glass while you drink. The finish is surprisingly light, with only a slightly sweet linger that is very tasty and pleasant. Good tasting brew, but I'm not sure how it would hold up over time. I am curious enough to try it...

Serving type: on-tap

01-04-2012 19:01:21 | More by GarthDanielson

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

2.63/5  rDev -25.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Not my favorite barley wine... This beer is an opaque brown color with a solid head on it. The lacing is very nice too.the problem I have with this is the mixture of sweetness and spice. It's not very well balanced. I had a difficult time even drinking the 6oz. Sampler I had. I don't plan on having this one again anytime soon.

Serving type: on-tap

04-05-2011 02:54:13 | More by Knapp85

Rumplemintz

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +33.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This was my first Barleywine this year.
I was very pleased.

This beer had a rich velvet mouthfeel.
Lots of fruit, maybe some toffee, caramel.

Amber to copper in color with a haze

I don't recommend to many of these if you need to get behind the wheel. this beer packs a punch.

Serving type: on-tap

03-16-2011 20:56:10 | More by Rumplemintz

david18

New York

3.5/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had a twelve ounce draft of this at the amsterdam ale house on manhattan's upper west side. Overall I found this beer to be a bit strong in flavor and unbalanced in that regard.

Color was somewhat light and cloudy with a minimal head. Aroma had a nice balance of hops and malt. As said earlier, I felt the flavor was a little on the hot side but otherwise as a barleywine should taste.

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2011 23:22:14 | More by david18

AventinusCam

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

I want to keep this short, but I was kind of excited to try this. I shouldn't have been. No aroma, very very weak flavor profile and no mouthfeel. There was a profound alcohol taste, smell and burn, but it had no hops and a slight hay grain taste. I am not sure if I have had a less impressive American barleywine yet.
It just was not a good brew.

Serving type: on-tap

01-25-2011 01:02:42 | More by AventinusCam

gfreed

Massachusetts

1.73/5  rDev -51.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

On tap at Cambridge Common, and has the honor of being the first dud I've ever had there. This is the most un-barleywine barleywine I've tasted: no depth of flavor or aroma, no complexity, not even an interesting color. Very light tone, body and flavor. None of the intensity you'd expect in a barleywine; it's as if it visited the shrink before leaving the tap and had all the mystery reasoned away from it. Letting it warm up for about half an hour didn't even bring out much flavor. Blech.

Serving type: on-tap

12-31-2010 17:40:54 | More by gfreed

ColdPoncho

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - its a hazy orange copper with a white head that retains exceptionally well and leaves some nice lacing.

S - there is a strong scent of a balanced but nondescript hop/malt combination

T - Again, well balanced hop and malt character, but nothing very interesting. Tastes good, but not intriguing.

M - Very nice mouthfeel - big and creamy.

D - Easy to drink, nothing too offensive.

Serving type: on-tap

12-23-2010 05:14:06 | More by ColdPoncho

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.9/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Max's tonight.

The beer pours a copper amber color with good head retention and lacing. The nose offers up considerable sweet malt, and I also get some noticeable cherry vanilla as well. On the palate, this is a pretty tasty BW, showing considerable vanilla, butter and cherry cough drop, but with a hint of hoppy bitterness on the finish to balance the considerable sweetness. Mouthfeel is pretty full, with a fairly long, very sweet finish. Drinkability isn't too bad, though the sweetness and noticeable alcohol wear out the palate fairly quickly.

A pretty nice BW, but a little bit goes a long way.

Serving type: on-tap

12-08-2010 22:40:07 | More by johnmichaelsen

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

2.83/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Transcribed from undated notes.

This was presented with a small off-tan head with low retention. Nose had a sharp alcohol scent underlain by a malty sweetness. Mouthfeel was medium with a bit of an alcohol burn on the tongue. As it warmed, I got pine-y notes of hops along with a general malty sweetness. The finish was softly sweet. The Bros. calling it "a barleywine on Mute" was spot on. C'mon, Boulder, crank it up to 11!

Serving type: on-tap

08-10-2010 01:06:16 | More by woodychandler

czechsaaz

Washington

3.53/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Big malty nose with some buttery diacytal and a mild dose of citrus hops.

Orange colored and clear with a nice white head that leaves good lacing.

Flavor is mostly bittering hops. In fact the hops pretty much over power the malt flavors. The aftertaste is resiny grapefruit hop flavor.

Body is a little thin. Good light but lively carbonation for the style.

I don't dislike or really like it. It goes down easy which isn't really a plus for a barleywine. None of the flavors is really blow away. I really want more complexity or excitement out of a barleywine.

Serving type: on-tap

03-02-2008 09:14:54 | More by czechsaaz

cooncat

Ohio

4.2/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Serving was on tap during The Brew Kettle's "Ogre Fest", Feb. '08. (Strongsville, OH.)

The brew is a deep copper color, with an adequate head that dissipates, as expected for a brew of this size. Minimal lacing on a swirl of the glass.

The nose is somewhat light, and for me, disappointing. However, I was not drinking from the proper glassware having had this at a brew pub, so I can't downgrade it significantly for a lack of nose. What nose I did perceive was primarily sweet dark fruits.

First taste ... Oh My! This brew is HUGE. Dark fruit and dark breads dominate the taste. Almost a syrup type full mouthfeel, yet not cloyingly sweet. A little warming from the 10% ABV, but nothing alarming. Very drinkable. As I sat there quaffing this excellent barleywine, I longed to try something that I'd read from Fred Eckhardt, i.e., warm up a barleywine to about 100° F and then dip in an Oreo cookie. According to Fred, you'll never go back to milk and Oreos again!

Of all the brews sampled at the 2008 Ogre Fest, this was easily my favorite. Highly recommended and a beer to seek out and enjoy.

Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2008 15:12:15 | More by cooncat

warriorsoul

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +22%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the Cambridge Common 11/14/06....
Poured in an unchilled glass (at my request) - 10oz. pour.
Arrived a vibrant mahagony color with a full finger of off-white head....spotty lacing at best as all but a fine layer of foam disappeared.
Fruity aroma...with some cherry, raisin and slight alcohol.
The taste is incredible...not overhopped like many American styles and not overly malted like some of the English BW's I've experienced...the best of both interpretations combine to make an extremely balanced, drinkable barleywine style ale. Mildly fruity in the flavor with just enough raisin flavor to stay true to it's name...not bitter at all.
Medium-bodied with enough carbonation to make this extremely drinkable...10% abv is ridiculously masked.
I have had last years version recently and I believe this one is amped just a bit more and I look forward to trying them side by side real soon.
I'd recommend seeking this one out now.

Serving type: on-tap

11-14-2006 20:45:32 | More by warriorsoul

SHODriver

California

3.75/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A: pours a slightly hazed reddish brown with a half finger of off white head that fades to a collar around the snifter
S: smells smells of caramel, toffee, and herbal hops. very sweet with a bit of fruity alcohol on the nose
T: herbal and slightly piney hops with a syrupy caramel flavor. surprisingly sweet and not a lot of hops. a bit herbal toward the end and the swallow brings a lot of warming alcohol, some fig flavor and a bit more caramel and brown sugar
M: full bodied and slightly syrupy. carbonation is light but slightly prickly. dry finish
O: Not bad but not great. for a fresh american barleywine it's pretty light on hop flavor. the alcohol is there for sure and the malts are pretty solid. a bit more english than american in my opinion

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 04:31:21 | More by SHODriver

BeerDawgs

Georgia

3.9/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A 22oz bomber with a vintage 2011 sticker glued into the wax covering of the bottle top.

A - A dirty cloudy red amber with a finger of head and lots of lace left on the glass. Plenty of sediment floating around in the glass. Impressive appearance

S - Big fruity dank hops with lots of caramel and burnt brown sugar. Great aroma!

T - Very sweet, with huge malt backbone. Grapefruit, sugar. Very good, but not quite as good as the aroma.

M - Well balanced, medium carbonation.

O - A good brew no doubt. Much better than the Bros rating would leave you to believe.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 01:24:50 | More by BeerDawgs

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.61/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours out a color that I will describe as copper, amber, mild red and brown. Beige head, not substantial, but what gets there does leave above average lacing and holds down its retention with the best of 'em.

Nose is fairly toffee-esque with plenty of earthy notes to it. Some old aged oak and vanilla going on. Mild citrus tinge.

Taste yields itself to a good amount of earthy and sweet malt, with a good amount of hopping to it. Alcohol was hid pretty well on this beer. The dark bread breadiness was a nice touch, caramel running throughout it. Nothing real exotic going on, this is a straight up middle of the road barleywine. The hops aren't massive, the body isn't massive, the flavor isn't massive. With all that said, I think its well done and above average for a barleywine. Right in the middle in terms of whether this could be classified as an American or English barleywine. Straddles that line quite nicely. Love the chewiness. Bitterness seemed just right, as was the carbonation.

Tend to enjoy this one more in the winter.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2013 21:53:12 | More by Beerandraiderfan

draheim

Washington

3.2/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22oz (2011) into a snifter. Pours a clear amber w/ moderate carbonation and a 1-finger head of foam that sticks around for a bit.

Aroma is nicely floral and malty-sweet. Caramel and brown sugar. A little subdued.

Taste is pretty harsh up front. Alcohol burn, followed by thin caramel malt and bitter hops. Not very complex.

Mouthfeel is, again, pretty thin, almost watery. Not right for a barleywine.

Overall a disappointment. Closer to an American strong ale than a barleywine. Too many really good ones out there to pick up this one again.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 05:55:48 | More by draheim

FosterJM

California

3.6/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

1746th Review on BA
Bottle to Woodshop snifter
12oz

Purchased @Famous Liquors

App- A deeper orange with a bit of wood stain browns and gold’s intermixed in behind it. The head was a smaller ½” with a little bit of bubbles as it fell. The cling really wasn’t there but the density of the center made up for it.

Smell- A very straightforward barleywine to me. Had a good amount of citrus and floral fruits with a thicker malt balance on the aromatics. A solid amount of candy like sugars and the 10% really comes out as well.

Taste- Opens on the palate with a good amount of thicker citrus flavors. The orange, grapefruit flavors dominate and then move into a bit of grassy flavors. As the flavors warm a little bit some creamy sugars come out with a bit of caramel.

Mouth- Solid medium body with a nice medium carbonation level to it. A bit thick on the palate but was still really nice IMO. The residual flavors are those of deeper citrus and thicker caramel malts. Drank again like the Serendipity like a bit of cough syrup, just orange and caramel flavored.

Drink- A pretty good barleywine with a lot of flavors that blended well and were fairly citrus forward. I have liked the few Boulder beers I have had and then this was no different. The booze wasn’t that over bearing. Would like an aged bottle to try.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 19:02:11 | More by FosterJM

JuicesFlowing

Kansas

3.74/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a balloon glass.

The beer is a ruby amber. A cream head recedes to big bubbles. Soapy lacing.

Aroma is oaky, sweet and malty with hints of toffee.

Tastes sweet with honey and toffee up front, then a woody body, faint hops.

Mouthfeel is sticky.

Overall, not bad for 10% ABV.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 21:57:42 | More by JuicesFlowing

kaseydad

California

3.88/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

First time seeing this locally so had to purchase and consume. 2013 Vintage. And I did not get a wax top! Boo!

Pours a very clear tan/light burgandy pour with a big off-white colored foamy head. Teeny bit of lacing. Definitely a unique pour. Wasn't expecting the see-through appearance. Kinda cool though.

The smell is candied sugar, rubber, plums and moderate booze. Nothing overly complex here. Could be a little early in the bottle process.

Gots some hops in this BW. Decent amount of hops in the taste and also booze comes through immediately. Really get some alcohol soaked fruits as well. Big burn sensation on the swallow. Definitely a tummy warmer during these cold days. Pretty flavorful. And smooth too....if that makes any sense.

Mouthfeel is big and full. Chewy and almost heavy. For a clear liquid, this packs some punch.

Overall I dug this. Based on the reviews I wasn't sure how this would be going in, but I enjoyed my session. It's big and bold and different. Will look to purchase again and set the bird down for a year or so. The 10% is evident but enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 01:07:22 | More by kaseydad

woosterbill

Connecticut

3.38/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

2006 bomber, the last, oldest, and best of a 6-year vertical. Thanks Chris!

A: Clear copper body, 1/2" fine tan head. Solid.

S: Old, sweet, and fruity. Basement, cherry, toffee, and sherry. Pleasant oxidation.

T: Less impressive here, with simple caramel malt and soem apple. Ok.

M: Creamy medium body. Good.

O: Mediocre barleywine, even at its best. The fresher vintages ranged from forgettable to moderately gross; this one at least had enough age to be a bit more complex.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 02:41:07 | More by woosterbill

Flightoficarus

Washington

3.3/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

A - Pours a murky chestnut brown, with a single finger tan head. Head retention is about average, lacing is creamy.

S - Smell is of faint pine, bready caramel malts, and spices.

T - Taste is of bready caramel and toffee malts, spices, and finishes with balancing piney hops. The basic idea here is good, but for some reason, the flavor is strangely lacking in flavor and complexity for a barleywine.

M - Medium body and milder carbonation. Slick and smooth. This stuff is strangely drinkable for a barleywine too. The 10% is well hidden.

O - Overall, this beer is like an odd blend of trying to be big and flavorful/strong, but somewhat drinkable at the same time. At the end of the day, it's just not packing the punch I've come to expect from the style. It certainly isn't bad, but there are plenty of other, better options in this style.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 09:27:24 | More by Flightoficarus

Holland

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: brown color, clear, small head with a thin layer of foam that covers most of the top.

S: aging hops, heavy malt

T: Lot of fruit flavor and some sweet malt. some alcohol.

M: thick body with medium carbonation.

O: pretty standard American barleywine, but not as hoppy in taste as I wanted to balance the sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 00:57:35 | More by Holland

Rizalini

Nevada

3.73/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Opened a 2012 bomber bottle, and poured into my Stone goblet...

A - Pours a crystal clear garnet/ruby color, with about a finger of light tan head. Lots of lacing grips the side of the glass as the head falls.

S - Smells of candied fruits. Cherries, dates, figs and caramel malts.

T/M - The smell transfers to taste, but is kinda muddled by an underlying sweetness. I get notes of the fruits, along with a somewhat sweet bubblegum flavor. Medium mouthfeel, good carbonation.

O - Not a bad barleywine. The 10% is not that noticable at all, which is kinda scary. Easily drinkable, but could probably benifit from some aging. I would probably buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 07:14:22 | More by Rizalini