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Torbata
Almond '22
- From:
- Almond '22
- Italy
- Style:
- English Barleywine
Ranked #186 - ABV:
- 8.7%
- Score:
- 77
Ranked #27,169 - Avg:
- 3.18 | pDev: 28.93%
- Reviews:
- 15
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- May 01, 2023
- Added:
- Nov 08, 2007
- Wants:
- 2
- Gots:
- 2
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado
3.68/5 rDev +15.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.68/5 rDev +15.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
really super weird beer, but what a treat to get to drink on a few from these guys! so rare to come around in my experience, wherever i look, less and less italian specialty stuff in the states these days it seems, a shame. this is way cool, a strange and one of a kind take on barleywine. its brewed with honey and orange zest, is low alcohol for the style i suppose, and is truly weird overall. i love the sexy little genie bottles they use, seems like about enough of this one, even shared two ways. a light brown color to this with plenty of light coming in, no real viscosity at all, a shorter head, and lots of bubbles. it smells really odd, definitely some smoked malt to me in it, almost a peated vibe, intense in that way, notes of almond, chestnut, and hazelnut, amaretto, iodine and medical funkiness, red wine and wine yeast more generally, sweet from the honey, toffee, long boiled i reckon, minerals too, leather and tobacco, this is complex but fully bizarre, i wonder if slightly infected. the flavor is all of this, but the peat and smoke and iodine intensity up front is striking, and this is a little astringent on the back end too, especially as it warms, bandaid burps. the orange adds unique bitterness but also a lightly oily zesty vibe, some life in an otherwise malt stew. the ferment is curious, not exactly english to me, or totally stressed now, but it makes this memorable. earthy and very nutty to me too, not as sweet as a lot of these, nor as heavy, hard to even really call it barleywine. the carbonation is real excited, and it makes this lighter still. being negative it has new pavement, burnt plastic, and chlorine aspects to it, but i like the strangeness, thats why i am always such an eager buyer of the italian stuff, and frankly if this was awesome normal barleywine it would be less cool than a not amazing strange ale. fun and different, this brewery is quite exciting to me, hope to see more coming into the states!
May 01, 2023Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina
3.81/5 rDev +19.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.81/5 rDev +19.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
330 ml bottle into snifter, no bottle dating. Pours fairly hazy dark ruby red color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky cream colored head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big wood/peat smoke, caramel, honey, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, raisin, plum, fig, orange zest, leather, tobacco, brine, herbal, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Nice aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/bready/smoked malts, fruity yeast, honey, orange zest, and light earthy hop notes; with great strength. Taste of big wood/peat smoke, caramel, honey, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, raisin, plum, fig, orange zest, leather, tobacco, brine, herbal, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Very mild herbal/grassy hop bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of wood/peat smoke, caramel, honey, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, raisin, plum, fig, orange zest, leather, tobacco, brine, herbal, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/smoked malts, fruity yeast, honey, orange zest, and light earthy hop flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness balance, and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky/bready, and lightly sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Minimal warming alcohol for 8%. Overall this is a very good English barleywine. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready/smoked malts, fruity yeast, honey, orange zest, and light earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mildly bitter/drying finish. This definitely caught me off guard, they could have at least mentioned it was smoked on the label! Tasted like a scotch barrel aged barleywine. Nicely balanced between all flavors, nothing too overwhelming. A very enjoyable and unique offering. I liked it more as I finished the glass.
Mar 31, 2018Reviewed by AWSBeerDude from Massachusetts
1.31/5 rDev -58.8%
look: 2 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.25
1.31/5 rDev -58.8%
look: 2 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.25
This is a truly terrible beer, and I think the other reviews here reflect this as well.
Murky brown in color, with notes of band-aid, smoke and plastic leaping from the bottle. Thin and watery on the palate with flavors of industrial solvent (or so a friend says), more plastic and assorted medicinal flavors. Finishes with a bit of a burn (8.7%) and the worst case of heartburn I've had in years.
My colleagues and I keep a bottle or 3 of this stuff around to use as a punishment.
Oct 25, 2014Murky brown in color, with notes of band-aid, smoke and plastic leaping from the bottle. Thin and watery on the palate with flavors of industrial solvent (or so a friend says), more plastic and assorted medicinal flavors. Finishes with a bit of a burn (8.7%) and the worst case of heartburn I've had in years.
My colleagues and I keep a bottle or 3 of this stuff around to use as a punishment.
Reviewed by Knapp85 from Pennsylvania
3.18/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75
3.18/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75
This poured out as a clear brown color with a thin white head on top. The retention is minimal and doesn't leave much lacing on the glass. The smell of the beer is smokey... Not really the best aroma in my opinion. It's smokey and kind of medicinal. The taste of the beer is also a bit smoked and only becomes more drinkable as it warms. There isn't much of a Barley Wine-like taste at all. The mouthfeel of the beer is thin, moderately carbonated but just too watery for me. Overall it was nice to try but I wouldn't pay for it again by any means.
Jan 22, 2013Reviewed by rarbring from Sweden
3.53/5 rDev +11%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.53/5 rDev +11%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Very clouded and murky, a brown brew with hint of orange, a warm off-white uneven head, good lacing and good curtains.
Smelling of egg yolk, sugar and nuts.
Starting sweet, brown bread, syrup, raisins, sherry, Marzipan and apple peel.
Medium carbonation, smooth and thick, a big body and a slightly dry finish.
A sweet barley wine, young, as most I get the feeling I should have waited a few years.
Jul 20, 2012Smelling of egg yolk, sugar and nuts.
Starting sweet, brown bread, syrup, raisins, sherry, Marzipan and apple peel.
Medium carbonation, smooth and thick, a big body and a slightly dry finish.
A sweet barley wine, young, as most I get the feeling I should have waited a few years.
Reviewed by Hellrob from Italy
3.14/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
3.14/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
strange, too strange. peated malty, leather and wood...a bit drinkable.
strange, too strange. peated malty, leather and wood...a bit drinkable.
strange, too strange. peated malty, leather and wood...a bit drinkable.
strange, too strange. peated malty, leather and wood...a bit drinkable.
Feb 28, 2012strange, too strange. peated malty, leather and wood...a bit drinkable.
strange, too strange. peated malty, leather and wood...a bit drinkable.
strange, too strange. peated malty, leather and wood...a bit drinkable.
Reviewed by brokensail from California
1.94/5 rDev -39%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5
1.94/5 rDev -39%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5
Thanks, Craig...
The beer pours amber in color with a white head. A weird smokey aroma to go with lightly tart citrus notes. A bit of plastic, some light honey notes, maybe a bit of sweetness, too. The flavor is intensely smokey. There is definitely some bleach, maybe some burnt plastic and peat. This is just not good.
Dec 29, 2011The beer pours amber in color with a white head. A weird smokey aroma to go with lightly tart citrus notes. A bit of plastic, some light honey notes, maybe a bit of sweetness, too. The flavor is intensely smokey. There is definitely some bleach, maybe some burnt plastic and peat. This is just not good.
Torbata from Almond '22
Beer rating:
77 out of
100 with
28 ratings
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