Anniversary Barley Wine Ale - Uinta Brewing Company

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

14th Anniversary Release, Bottled December 2007; Sampled July 2008
A vigorous pour into my New Belgium globe glass produces an almost three-finger thick, amber tinged, lightly browned, dark tan colored head. The beer is a very dark amber / brown color that shows a brilliantly clear, striking cranberry color when held up to the light. The aroma is sticky with hop notes of candied citrus, lychee, candied pine needles, some harder pine sap notes and a solid herbal backdrop. The dominant hop aromatics are supported by a sticky malt base that is quite caramelized, has some rich toasty notes and ample biscuit aromatics. The aroma is quite nice and I am definitely enjoying the sticky hop notes. While hop focused, this is not nearly as hop dominated as a Bigfoot of this age is, there is quite a bit more malt character here.

Spicy hop flavors mix with ample toasty malt notes. Seems a touch more malt focused than the aroma, but it is still leans more to the hop side of the spectrum at this point; this should get quite malty as it ages out. Lots of bitterness from the get go, towards the finish this even gets a little astringent in its bitterness with green, almost tannic, hop influences. Not quite as rich as one would expect from a beer of 10% abv; it has a medium thickness to it with a soft creamy viscousness; actually the sharp hop bitterness really cuts through the body quite a bit. In the end, somehow, this manages to seem a bit thin. This does have a nice malt character to it though; lots of toasty, almost brown malt flavors, dark bread notes and some caramelized berry flavors.

I really like the aroma of this beer and I think that it will age quite gracefully, but it is just too harshly bitter to be really enjoyable right now. Give this at least two years and this should be tasting quite nice (thankfully I was sent two bottles of this). This is definitely a beer to lay down, in fact I would guess the Brewer brewed this with that intent; so hold on to those Fourteens for a bit.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2008 04:43:08 | More by Gueuzedude

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.38/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Acquired via trade from Wasatch, so a big “Thank you” goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a US tumbler pint glass. Thirteenth Anniversary Barley Wine with bottled on date of 01/03/07 printed on the label.

A: The beer is a light reddish brown color with a thin off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is mostly of hops, almost to the degree of an IPA along with brown sugar, caramelized malt and some dark fruit.

T: The taste has a good complexity to it. It starts out with a decent hops bite and then some sweetness comes in with flavors of brown sugar & dark fruits. The malt character is on the thin side for the style, but it’s not a bad thing. There’s an alcoholic sting that comes in, but it’s not as strong as it could be given the fact that the beer isn’t as heavy as most beers with ABV pushing double figures. The after-taste is slightly hoppy and a little sweet.

M: Smooth and very crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, slightly sticky finish.

D: Very tasty, not very filling, strong kick, very good representation of style, when I first started drinking it, the beer seemed like a sipper, but as I continued to drink it, I found myself drinking it quicker and quicker, which is pretty dangerous for a beer with such a high ABV. Overall, I thought it was a very good beer and enjoyed it a lot.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2007 03:33:22 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Drank on 4-17-09. This brew poured out as a brown color with some light orange highlights. The head didn't really stick around too long here. The smell of the beer has is typical barley and malt aromas and possibly some subtle fig on the nose. The taste of the beer has a light sweetness to it. The mouthfeel was medium. Overall I wasn't getting too much from this that made it so special. It's a decent barley wine at best in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2011 02:22:59 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

2.93/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

XIII vintage. This bottle is courtesy of Ddarden. Bottled on 11/09/06

Pours walnut with 2 fingers of rocky sand colored head. Great head retention & good lacing

S: Breadyness & fruittyness (raisins & dates)

T: Breadyness, plums & booze up front. Dryness, hop tea, baker's chocolate & alcohol burn follow as this warms. Coarse piney hops, ddates, dryness & a persistent alcohol burn

MF: Medium bodied. oily, with low carbonation.

This 10.4 abv barley wine drinks like it, not exactly going down like water. Too much alcohol burn, had potential. My 2nd beer from utah, I won't give up on them yet. Maybe lay this down 18 months & try again if your sitting on some...

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2007 03:52:51 | More by russpowell

Halcyondays

California

3.58/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle, bottled 3/22/11, Anniversary XVII,

A: Pours a deep mahogany with a long-lasting off-white head, good head retention, spotty lace.

S: Dominated by pine, cedar, a bit one-dimensional.

T: The flavour brings the malt out to play, strong dark bread, with a lot of hops. Pine dominated again with white grapefruit. Good flavour, but could mellow out a bit.

M: Full-bodied, smooth, never cloying which is a plus in a barleywine.

O: This isn't even a month old, super super young, it needs time to coalesce. Buy now, drink later.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 08:27:09 | More by Halcyondays

Gavage

New Jersey

3.08/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: pours a cloudy brown color with a 1/4" head that breaks down quickly. No lace develops.

Smell: malt sweetness is soft and all you can detect.

Taste: malt sweetness, prunes, some earthy qualities, some citrus tones, and a decent bitterness make up a rather dull barleywine. Alcohol is warming.

Mouthfeel: medium-heavy in body. Smooth throughout. Long aftertaste as alcohol and malt sweetness dominate.

Drinkability: so-so at best. There are better American versions on the market.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2010 19:47:08 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

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

13th Anniversary edition:

Pours dark mahogany with a thick, off-white foamy head that slowly descends.

The smell is of prunes, dates, and figs with sweet caramel. Slightly vinuous.

The taste is of dark fruits as listed in aroma and caramel. Very malty. As it progresses, some earthy hops offset some of the sweetness. Peppery alcohol is certainly present, but never overwhelms.

Thins a bit, but holds on. Alcohol kicks in in the aftertaste and lingers.

Well, it sure is a sipper. As it warmed to room temperature, it became a bit tough, but I put it back in the fridge for a just a bit, and that worked. Bottom line - a nice "sipping" brew.

My thanks go out to bitterbill for including this one! Thanks Bill!

Thanks to Wasatch for sending me the 14th Anniversary. I bumped up the scores half a notch for mouthfeel and drinkability because body seemed richer and alcohol was very restrained.

Complex maltiness of toffee/caramel turning towards chocolate with a nice hoppy, fruity backing. Good stuff - Thanks John!

Thanks again to Wasatch for sending me the XV Anniversary. As I remembered the XIV - a very nice Barleywine. Not quite as fruity, a bit more herbal. Thanks, John!

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2007 14:10:36 | More by jwc215

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A 12 oz bottle of the Thirteen Anniversary (XIII) courtesy of Wasatch.

A: The barleywine is a dark ruby red color, intensely dark and resembling mahogany. A small white band around the edge of the glass is all that remains from a finger of tan-white foam.

S: Lots of malts and, surprisingly, still a strong hop profile (I've had the beer for about a year). The thick grains has molasses and ripe fruits driving it.

T: Thick grainy malts drive this beer. Green ripe fruits and brown sugar create a semi-sweet taste that retains a strong bite. Hops are still intense, bitter even through all of the malts. The year plus in the cellar has taken some of the edge of the barleywine, settled down the hoppiness and rounded out the malts. The barleywine is not transcendant but it was a good drink nonetheless.

M: The barleywine is big, strong on flavor without blinding me with its strength. The result is an accessible barleywine with has the punch.

D: At just under 10%, this is no pounder. One bottle is not quite enough but it is all I've got. If you have some extras, lay a few down as they do nicely with a few years under their belt.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2008 23:31:25 | More by akorsak

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I do believe this makes it state #32 for me.

Brewed on 8/29/08. 15th anniversary edition.

Pours a clear but very dark brown that let's quite a bit of a ruby hue show. Airy alcohol nose with faint malts. Flavor delivers a slight touch of alcohol on a slight fruity malty base. Smooth overall but the alcohol bites a bit. Feel is a bit slick on liquid and the carbonation is low. Easy to drink, but not displaying any great complexities at this time.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2008 20:45:04 | More by RblWthACoz

barleywinefiend

Washington

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

Poured a deep reddish amber with good carbonation and a tannish head. Nose is caramel, brown sugar, hop bitterness. Taste is caramel upfront with some sugar and hop bitterness coming on at the end. Malt body is good but good have bee a bit more. ABV is well hidden. Tasty for sure. Good bwine.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2009 04:17:02 | More by barleywinefiend

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

XVI version: Pours deep brown amber, like dirty copper. Modest but thick light beige head. Leaves a continuous ring of lace after every sip.

From a distance, I smelled perfume. As I brought my nose closer, brown sugar and sweet malt came through. Up close, solid floral hop aroma. Great balance.

Could be a strong brown ale; could be a high-hopped barley wine; could even be a sweet porter. It has elements of all three. Again, superb balance with a multitude of flavors coming through--none of them dictating the flavor. Crystal malt up front, mild alcohol warmth, biting hop aftertaste. Heavy, almost buttery body with plenty of carbonation.

A superb beer that is worth seeking out. A complete surprise when compared to the other Uinta offerings.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2009 01:35:59 | More by smcolw

Wasatch

Utah

4.33/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

XVII 2010 Vintage
Bottled on 11/23/10

Poured into a chalice a very nice clean/clear dark grape color, nice carbonation, very nice little thick/creamy off-white head, which leaves some nice sticky lacing behind, and a big oil slick in the middle of the glass. The nose is malty, with some hop notes, some spices, and caramel. The taste is sweet and malty with a nice hop/caramel bite in the finish. Medium body, warms the body nicely, a nice sipper. Very drinkable, again this brew is delicioius, a very nice barleywine.

Revisted: XII 2005 Vintage
Bottled 2005
Enjoyed 22 Nov 10

Pours a very nice dark brown color, nice carbonation, with a little fizzy off-white head, which leaves a very big oil slick. The nose is malty, with some hops still there, slight spiceyness, and caramel. The taste is sweet, malty, with some hop notes, some spice, and caramel. Medium body. Very Drinkable, WOW! with 5 years on this bottle it still is very nice.

Revisted: XV 2008 Vintage
Bottled on 05/16/08
Enjoyed 30 Jul 10

Pours a nice dark brown color, nice carbonation, Not much of a head on this one, which only leaves some nice oil slicks behind. Scents of malts, hops, some spices, and caramel. The taste is sweet and malty with some hop notes. Medium body, this one is kinda on the watery side. Drinkable, but not as tasty as other aged one's. I'm a bit disappointed.

Revisted: XIV 2007 Vintage
Bottled 12/12/07
Enjoyed 24 Jul 10

Pours a very nice dark brownish/grapy color, nice carbonation, with a nice little fizzy/creamy off-white head, with minimal sticky lacy left behind. The nose is malty, with some hops still there, grapy notes, slight spiceyness, and caramel. The taste is sweet, malty, with some hop notes, some spice, nice grape note, and caramel. Medium body. Very Drinkable, WOW! with about 2.5 years on this bottle it still is very nice.

Revisted: XIII 2006 Vintage
Bottled 11/09/06
Enjoyed 1 May 10

Pours a very nice dark brown color, nice carbonation, with a little fizzy off-white head, which leaves a very big oil slick. The nose is malty, with some hops still there, slight spiceyness, and caramel. The taste is sweet, malty, with some hop notes, some spice, and caramel. Medium body. Very Drinkable, WOW! with about 3.5 years on this bottle it still is very nice, definitely not as hot when fresh.

XVI 2009 Vintage
Bottled on 02/20/09

Pours a very nice dark brown color, nice carbonation, very nice little thick/creamy off-white head, which leaves some nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, with some nice hop notes, some spices, and caramel. The taste is sweet and malty with a nice hop/caramel bite in the finish. Medium body, warms the body nicely, a sipper for sure. Very drinkable, again this brew is delicioius, a very nice barleywine. I believe to date, this has got to be the best one I've had fresh, well with not a year or more of cellaring.

XV 2008 Vintage
Bottled on 05/16/08

Pours a nice dark brown color, nice carbonation, Very nice little fizzy white head, which leaves some nice sticky lacing behind. Scents of malts, hops, some spices, and caramel. The taste is sweet and malty with a nice hop/caramel bite in the finish. Medium body, warms the body nicely. Very drinkable, again this brew is delicioius, a very nice barleywine.

XIV 2007 Vintage
Bottled on 07/10/07

Pours a nice dark brown color, nice carbonation, Very nice one-finger plus creamy/foamy off-white head, which leaves some very nice sticky lacing behind. Scents of malts, hops, some spices, and caramel. The taste is sweet and malty with a nice hop/caramel bite in the finish. Medium body. Very drinkable, putting a year on this one made it very tasty and highly recommended.

XIII 2006 Vintage
Bottled on 11/09/06

Pours a nice dark brown color, nice carbonation, head disappears quickly, not much lacing afterwards. Scents of malts, hops, some spices, and caramel. The taste is sweet and malty with a nice hop/caramel bite in the finish. Medium body. Very drinkable.

XII 2005 Vintage

Pours a nice dark brown color, nice carbonation, head disappears quickly, not much lacing afterwards. Scents of malts, hops, some spices, and caramel. The taste is sweet and malty with a nice hop/caramel bite in the finish. Medium body. Very drinkable.

XI 2004 Vintage

Pours a nice dark brown color, nice carbonation, head disappears quickly, not much lacing afterwards. Scents of malts, hops, some spices, and caramel. The taste is sweet and malty with a nice hop/caramel bite in the finish. Medium body. Very drinkable, this is a pretty decent barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2006 22:07:47 | More by Wasatch

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.65/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a one finger light brown head that fades quickly to a thin layer leaving some lace. Cloudy amber color. Light carbonation and medium bodied. Caramel nose. Flavor is sweet but balanced, hops hit right at finish with hints of the high ABV. Lingering bitter after taste. $1.95 for 12th anniversary, 12oz bottle from Utah DABC Salt Lake City, UT.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2007 22:47:38 | More by jdhilt

Billolick

New York

4.33/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is their XV (Fifteenth) Anniversary edition at 10.4% ABV bottled on "8/29/08", so this little number (12 ounceer) has been in the bottle for a total of about 3 weeks! Yikes, FRESH barley wine, not sure how I should feel about that...anyway lightly cooled and into a tulip glass, this one pours a rich, glowing dark, dark shade of honey amber, clear, equally thick and rich dark tan head, that leaves plenty of coating and scattered lace. Nose of gobs of malt, bready sweetness and resiny hops in the rear. First impression of this fresh and young brew is "wow" big and bold, smooth on the tongue, goes down easy. Big smooth malts, nicely balanced by more resinous hops on the back of the mouth. This one is drinking great right now and I would assume it will only improve with some time in the bottle. My first try of any of the Uinta line (how does one pronounce that anyway?) which have just made on shore in the NYC area.I'm impressed, well worth a try now or in a few months on one of those cold winter nights.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2008 13:55:06 | More by Billolick

mdfb79

New York

3.78/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into my Cigar City snifter. Picked this up at Stateline a week or two ago. Bottled on 06/17/11.

a - Pours a very dark mahogany brown color with a slight reddish tint, one inch of off white head, and moderate carbonation evident. No head retention or lacing on the glass.

s - Smells of caramel malts, sweet dark fruits, molasses, brown sugar, toffee, toasted malts, and bready malts. Alcohol really isn't there which surprised me. Very nice caramel and toffee and pretty sweet; very nice nose.

t - Tastes of caramel malts, alcohol, sweet dark fruits, toffee, sugar, molasses, and toasted malts. The caramel and sweet fruits are still there which is nice, but the alcohol is much more prominent than it was in the nose. A slight step down.

m - Full bodied barleywine and low to moderate carbonation. Smooth; little less alcohol in the taste and this would be pretty easy to drink.

o - Overall this is a good, strong barleywine. The nose is really nice, the taste is just pretty strong alcohol-wise. I think if I had another bottle of this I'd sit on it for 6-12 months and try it again, as I feel it could get even better. Would have it again.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 23:53:12 | More by mdfb79

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.78/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottled 11/4/11 so nice and fresh

light fizzy head fades very quickly, over auburn molasses ruby colored beer with surprisingly clear ruby light coming through the dark beer.

nose is nice, loaded with caramel, toffee, light molasses and brown sugar, hints of cocoa, dark fruits like brandy soaked raisins, fig, lots of soft brown malts and semi sweet malty aromas with a hint of booze, then light earthy hops way in the background. A light brandy like fruity booze also present.

Taste comes semi sweet, complex barleywine. Earthy hops make their presence known right away, little salty earthy spicy hops bring a decent bitterness that grows. the hops and bitterness actually start to dominate. Aside from that soft brown malts, caramel, toffee, again dark fruits hint of fig juice and raisin, candy apple, light molasses and sweet brown sugar. Light sweetness and hint of warming booze. The flavors would be nice of the crazy astringent his didn't dominate this like a crazy triple ipa. Maybe some aging will help this. Finish is bitter and astringent, some sweet malts remain but mostly dry, and a bit sticky, and long lingering earthy salty spicy hops.

Mouth is a bit heavier bodied, decent carb, bit of warming booze.

Overall mixed, the nose is great, and the flavors would be great of they weren't drowned out by the crazy bitter astringent hops.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 03:53:21 | More by jlindros

ppoitras

Massachusetts

3.28/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle obtained via trade with kmpitz2. Thanks for the opportunity... "XI" Eleventh Anniversary Barleywine, bottled in 2004.

Poured into a Rapscallion glass, formed a 1/2" of tan head over the clear bright chestnut brew. Head is long-lasting, and the lacing is great for the style. Aroma is strongly of piney hops, with a sweet undercurrent. Taste starts with sweet malts and pine, goes grainy/gritty in the middle, and closes with a bitter, sour aftertaste. Certainly not what the appearance and nose were leading me towards. Mouthfeel and drinkability are not that great for the above taste issues. Maybe age would help this one, time will tell.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2005 01:27:32 | More by ppoitras

Zorro

California

3.08/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

TENTH ANNIVERSARY BARLEY WINE Bottled 2003 - 10% Alcohol.

Pours a clear dark brown brew with red color when viewed through light.

Smell is sweet and malty with an oily hop scent and a grainy background.

Taste is sweet and fairly bitter. This is lacking in secondary flavors, bland for the style.

Mouthfeel is good.

Drinkable but not that great a barleywine. Needs more complexity to be a great brew. For the money Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale is a far better beer of this type.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2004 02:45:52 | More by Zorro

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle into a snifter.

Pours a DEEP clear amber that appears almost black at times until you hold it up to the light. A thin layer of tan head sits on top, retaining around the edges and leaving a solid cascade of spotty lacing when swirled. The aroma is big with oats and grains, as well as some sticky smelling notes of caramel and maple syrup. Deep citrus tang also emerges, as does spice, floral character, and some hoppy resinous notes. Nice Barleywine aroma.

The taste once again is led by that big malt backbone. Burnt grains, chocolate and caramel malts, maybe even a little bit of dark fruit in there. Luckily, there is some equally big hop character here, with sticky, resinous bitterness evening all of that chewy sweetness out. The mouthfeel is full bodied and beefy feeling, with a lower carbonation that really makes those big malts comes out. Alcohol is very nicely hid for the size. I'm getting some gentle warmth but that's about it. Nice.

Good American Barleywine here with some nice robust character and extremely good drinkibility. A solid warm up on a chiller February evening. I dug it.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2009 02:23:08 | More by Kegatron

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.28/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I can't say how much this beer overcame my low expectations. Poured almost looking like a red ale. Aroma was pungent. Lots of comparisons to Bigfoot already.

Taste, extremely smooth for its alcohol level, hopping, not Bigfoot level, but high. Nothing was over the top, but perfectly balanced, no overt sweetness that can sometimes ruin a barleywine.

Great mouthfeel, its enjoyable, not uber bitter, maintains perfect balance throughout, great price for this beer, and very drinkable, especially for the style and ABV.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2010 23:58:23 | More by Beerandraiderfan

lacqueredmouse

Australia

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

XVII vintage, purchased from K&L Wine Merchants in Redwood City, CA.

Pours a lovely thick and deep red-brown colour, brilliantly clear, and so heavy as to form the most minute, tiny carbonation. Head is riddled with large bubbled from an enthusiastic form, but is mainly formed of a fine yellow film across the top. Looks great.

Nose is sweet and heavy, but really pleasantly laced with a big hoppy presence, giving it some green, crushed vegetation characters, and the pleasant aroma of citrus. This is all mingled with big sweet characters of broken butter biscuits, caramel and unfermented, grainy wort. Indeed, it's like the two types of characters are sitting at either end of a see-saw, in perfect balance. Gorgeous.

Taste is similar, with again that big, almost buttery sweetness forming a solid base on which some fresh hoppiness can dance. Across all of this is a rather potent bitterness, which cuts across the palate like a big red, bloody streak. I understand it—perhaps because this is meant to sit and last for many years—but right now it's a glaring injury on the palate. Feel is smooth and fluid and chewy, apart from the sharp bitterness, which almost has a kinaesthetic component to it.

Obviously, this is worth cellaring. That would cut down the raw bitterness a bit, which is just about the only unpleasant character here. Even still, it's an impressive, flavoursome and well-integrated barleywine. I'd love to try this vintage again in a couple of years.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2011 02:48:17 | More by lacqueredmouse

DoubleJ

California

4.03/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

How's this for a shocker, a double digit ABV from a Utah brewery? Just as much of a shocker was seeing this in Orange County. The seventeenth edition is the one that I possess. On to the beer:

Translucent dark scarlet in color with bright red hues at some edges. Head on top forms an inch thick, then drops to a creamy thin sheet. Little bits of lace stick to the glass. A pleasant nose with the right amount of power. The aromas of burnt sugar, toasted, pineapple, tree sap, and tea-like hops send a smile to my face as I anticipate the first sip.

The melange of tea, resin, caramel, and toasted sugar ride around as the beer enters the mouth. After entering, the beer gets sweeter. A little pineapple enters the room, as do splashes of alcohol. Carbonation is on the lighter side with a gentle buzz, and the beer has a somewhat heavy, somewhat syrupy, somewhat sticky feel. If you haven't figured it out by looking at the granted score, it means I like it a lot.

"The perfect ale to celebrate any occasion." Which should I celebrate it to? I can think of several events going on in my life that I could raise my glass to. Just thought of it; how about ending two sentences in this paragraph with a preposition?

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2011 07:22:40 | More by DoubleJ

glid02

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle purchased from Green's on Buford in Atlanta.

Pours a dark ruby-brown color with a rocky 1.5-finger tan head. The head slowly dissipates into a patchy layer on top leaving thick lacing.

Smells of deep caramel malts and booze-soaked red cherries with hints of milk chocolate.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Rich caramel malt flavors up front are joined quickly by boozy red cherries. Midway through the sip a hint of brown sugar and butterscotch enter into the profile before fading away before a mildly bitter ending. A sugary sweetness lingers after the sip.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with moderate carbonation.

Drinkability is good. I finished the bottle with no problem and could have another.

Overall I thought the nose and flavors were cleaner while the beer was on the colder side, which in my experience is a rarity for a big barleywine. I say try it while it's cold (~50 deg F) but even if it's warmer it's worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2009 04:47:21 | More by glid02

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

4.55/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

(Vintage XIV - 14th Anniversary) Purchased from the BSF bar, GBBF 2008; bottled on 14/01/2008, served cool in Gulden Draak's tulip-shaped bulb sniffer.

A: pours a super dark brown hue, closely to black in this glass, coming with a very quiet carbonation and a thick layer of tight and creamy tan froth with superb retention.
S: richly jammy and flowery hoppy at the same time, bursting with longan-fruits, raisins, oily dark malts (sweet nut-flavoured chocolates at times, plus some gristy-nutty brown malts), dark honey, plus hints of melted dark sugar or treacle on the malty side, while the lively aroma of flowery hops serves to lift up the body from "behind" (esp. following a swirl), resulting in a dense but not cloying, nicely balanced aroma overall for a super strong ale. Alc. is very restrained, by the way.
T: at first the lubricating swallow yields lots of sweet coffee, light smokiness as of Chinese black prunes plus lightly-burned walnuts, and rich dark-fruity, jammy malt flavour (longan-fruits, black dates and black cherries all spring to mind). Quickly an undercurrent of sour dark fruits and oily flowery hops develops, before the whole palate gets immersed in a blissful, velvety, bitter-sweet nectar, naturally a great joint effort by both top quality malts and hops, with superior craftsmanship... particularly obvious is the lingering aroma of gristy brown malts and slightly tannic tea-ish bitterness. Chewy and dry in the finish, while not a single trace of alc. is detected (for my palate anyway) - unbelievable!
M&D: this barley wine is even more outstanding than Sierra Nevada "Bigfoot" tasted two days ago, thanks to its more balanced profile b/w a dark(-er) malt composition and (equally beautiful) hops, as well as a finesse texture on top of a really attenuated body for 10.4%abv. - seriously I still can't feel the impact of alc. even way past the last drop! Granted, this delicious barley wine is pronounced on hops, as the term "American Barley Wine" should guarantee, but an overall, supreme balance is the key to keep me in awe. If I see this ale - a different vintage of course - again at the BSF bar this year, I'll try to secure 2 bottles!

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2009 20:57:47 | More by wl0307

beerthulhu

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured a dark and hazy apple coloring with supporting orange hues with a quickly dissipating fizzy head.

S: a darken but sweet caramel with an apple fruitiness and dark molassess. Noticeable alcohol fusels were present but in a very pleasant and perfumy nature. Some fresh dark ripe fruit (spicy rum raisin) complimentst and completes this fine aroma.

T: The flavor was dark, dry caramel and molasses with some spicy alcohol fusels first greeting the tongue. Some dark fruit and a dry whiskey barrel woodiness soon follows. The bitterness was dry, and earthy combined with a dry alcohol fade that rounded things out. The abv of 10.0% was noticeable at times, but never overbearing, being dry and warm with a beautiful lingering fade.

M: full bodied, smooth and eloquent on the tongue. Hardly a trace of carbonation was to be found while it left a sligthy malty residue coating behind along with a dry alcohol laced presence.

D: Nice drinkability overall per style. Big and worthy of an special anniversary labeling. A nice warm slow sipper that progressively gets better as you go along.Worthy of a recommend and very smooth and easy to drink despite its high abv nature.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2008 00:24:28 | More by beerthulhu