Arquebus - Cambridge Brewing Company

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BA SCORE
94
exceptional
-
67 Ratings

rAvg: 4.29
pDev: 10.72%
Reviews: 34
Hads: 33

Ratings Help

Brewed by:
Cambridge Brewing Company

Massachusetts, United States

Style | ABV
English Barleywine | 10.75% ABV

Availability: Summer. on-tap (32), cask (1), bottle (1).

Notes:
Described by CBC as a Summer Barleywine. "Arquebus" refers to a heavy portable matchlock gun invented during the 15th century, and forerunner of the rifle.

View: Beers (112) | Reviews (189) | Events (0)

Reviews

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Reviews by Hojaminbag:

Hojaminbag

Colorado

4.85/5 rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I had this one on-tap at the brewery for the CBC barleywine fest. This review is of the 2006 vintage, batch NO.1. It was just too damn good not to review.

A hazy dark orangish color with no head to it. Not a lot of life in the body.

The first sniff really surprised me. Lots of fruity sweetness with a good tart edge to it. Green apples are in there for sure. Also a nice floral aroma in there. I said "this smells amazing" from the first whiff.

This stuff tastes as good as it smells, which is impressive. Pretty sweet up front with fruits like apricot and a touch of honey. Not a cloying or powerful sweetness, just a mild, light fruit sweetness that I find to be refreshing. Then flowery notes that are more herbal than hoppy come through. I don't really notice any hop presence in here at all actually. A touch of woody oak is in there too, preceding a tart finish. The finish tastes like tart green apple, and is a nice touch of flavor, complexity and balance. An absolutely great tasting beer.

A pretty thin mouthfeel closer to a champagne than what I think of as a barleywine. Not highly carbonated though, rather low.

I would have stayed and drank this all night if I had the money (I also wanted to try some other of the Barleywine offerings). This one is balanced, interesting, and tasty. No alcohol is noticeable at all. I would guess that it was around 6-7% ABV and not 10.75. Overall, this is a phenominal beer. Everytime I go to a CBC event I find something that blows my mind and this is one of them. Probably the best English barleywine I have ever had.

Serving type: on-tap

01-30-2009 16:34:34 | More by Hojaminbag

More User Reviews:

Kelp

New Hampshire

4.5/5 rDev +4.9%

04-29-2013 06:12:45 | More by Kelp

ctrevino

Indiana

3.5/5 rDev -18.4%

02-02-2013 22:41:22 | More by ctrevino

AlexFields

Tennessee

4.25/5 rDev -0.9%

01-20-2013 16:15:36 | More by AlexFields

aorloski

Massachusetts

4.25/5 rDev -0.9%

01-10-2013 23:31:30 | More by aorloski

rowingbrewer

Massachusetts

4.25/5 rDev -0.9%

01-08-2013 18:52:32 | More by rowingbrewer

KalH

Maine

4.5/5 rDev +4.9%

10-26-2012 10:48:50 | More by KalH

cestlavie

Yukon (Canada)

4.75/5 rDev +10.7%

09-30-2012 22:38:24 | More by cestlavie

BeerBucks

New York

4.25/5 rDev -0.9%

09-22-2012 20:02:47 | More by BeerBucks

brez8791

Pennsylvania

3/5 rDev -30.1%

09-10-2012 20:02:21 | More by brez8791

axeman9182

New Jersey

3.83/5 rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Served in a small teardrop shaped glass at Cambridge Brewing Company.

Arquebus pours a mildly clear orange, with almost a finger of white foam. There's no real lacing or head retention to speak of. The nose has a very strong mint presence along with a little bit each of honey and white wine. The flavor brings a bit of caramel to join a honey note that's more intense than I might have anticipated from the nose. The mint comes in mid palate, and while it's still fairly noticeable, it's not as overbearing as in the aroma. There's a subtly fruity white wine finish. The body is shocking, and very impressive in its lightness for a 14%ABV beer. The beer menu advertised the beer as being served still, but it seemed very lightly carbonated to me. Either way the end result is a mouthfeel that lends itself to the beer being way too drinkable for 14%. Cambridge makes some of the best barleywines around, but I have to say this didn't quite live up to my memory of prior vintages. Still, a very nice brew.

Serving type: on-tap

09-10-2012 03:55:44 | More by axeman9182

t0rin0

California

3.5/5 rDev -18.4%

09-09-2012 21:57:09 | More by t0rin0

BobCobb

Illinois

4/5 rDev -6.8%

09-08-2012 03:58:28 | More by BobCobb

DelicateDelirium

Massachusetts

4/5 rDev -6.8%

09-04-2012 21:57:31 | More by DelicateDelirium

mdfb79

New York

4.15/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From 08/18/12 notes. Had this one on tap at the brewpub up in MA. Menu said it was actually 14% ABV; maybe the earlier batches were 10.75%. They serve it as a 6 oz. pour which was the perfect amount of this one.

a - Pours a somewhat clear amber-orange color with a tiny bit of white head and low carbonation evident.

s - Smells of white wine, oak, citrus, grapes, vanilla, and some fruity malts. Tons of white wine here; very nice.

t - Tastes of white wine, vanilla, honey, smooth oak, fruity malts, green grapes, earthy notes, light citrus. More vanilla and some honey here, so SUPER smooth. Little better than the nose.

m - Medium body and no real carbonation. Body is super smooth and easy to drink thanks to the honey and vanilla.

o - Overall a really good beer. A sipper for sure, and I can see the comparisons some people have made to Utopias, as it is definitely a "have only a few ounces of" dessert beer. If you're a white wine fan you should definitely seek it out, and I'd certainly have it again if I saw it on tap.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2012 20:19:43 | More by mdfb79