Wolfe's Trap Ale
Alewerks Brewing Company

Wolfe's Trap AleWolfe's Trap Ale
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From:
Alewerks Brewing Company
 
Virginia, United States
Style:
American Strong Ale
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
84
Avg:
3.67 | pDev: 10.35%
Reviews:
19
Ratings:
22
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Feb 02, 2015
Added:
Jun 08, 2007
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by FenwaySquid:
Photo of FenwaySquid
Reviewed by FenwaySquid from Florida

3.97/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Presentation: 22 oz. bomber bottle, the label has this as 1310 of 2007, whatever that means, poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy reddish brown color, completely opaque. The head formed small and faded almost immediately into some lacing.

Aroma: Caramel, dark fruits, raw sugar.

Taste: Very sweet. Caramel up front, giving way to some fruit flavors in the middle, black cherries come to mind. The finish is sweet caramel and sugar, turning bitter as it lingers.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied, very smooth with some alcohol warming. The carbonation balanced well.

Overall: Not for anyone with weak taste buds, that's for sure. Still, fairly complex and quite tasty. If you like barley wines or strong ales I'd recommend this one.
Aug 14, 2008
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3 by jrob21 from North Carolina

Feb 02, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by avisong from Virginia

Apr 06, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by jfcaa193 from Canada (QC)

Feb 21, 2012
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

3.42/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle 0030 out of 2007

Appearance: Pours a burnt caramel color with a thin tan film; very leggy, leaving lots of dots behind

Smell: Caramel galore, with stone fruit underneath

Taste: Caramel, up front, with a developing herbacious bitterness that becomes overpowering by mid-palate; the bitterness dominates after the swallow, leaving a harsh aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low to moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Way too much bitterness, leaving the beer one dimensional and rather hard to enjoy

Thanks, tubdog13, for the opportunity
Dec 24, 2010
Photo of ClockworkOrange
Reviewed by ClockworkOrange from Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Bottle number 1714 of 2007. Poured into a shaker glass. The ale appears a murky crimson brown color with about an inch of ecru colored foam. Nose and flavors consist of figs, raisins, very sweet smelling, but rather bitter tasting, some sweet dark cherry notes, figs. Medium bodied and bit overly carbonated. Glad I had the chance to try it, but I'm in no hurry to have it again.
Dec 07, 2009
Photo of kindacold
Reviewed by kindacold from Virginia

3.94/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I think I had bottle 1513 of 2007.

When pouring, strong smell of alcohol and hops. Attractive, dark coloring with tan head which dissipates quickly.

First sip is exactly what you expect after smelling the beer. Great hops combined with a great amount of hops and a strong alcohol flavor left me wanting another bottle when I was finished. Looks like I'll be taking a trip up to Williamsburg to see if they have any left.

I think this brew would have been even better if I had aged it a bit longer.
Sep 10, 2009
Photo of JayQue
Reviewed by JayQue from Virginia

3.87/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
22 oz bottle number 1349 of 2007. Tastes like a combination of a barleywine and a very mild Imperial Stout. Pours a dark mahogany color with a small tan head that fades fairly fast. Some lacing.

Aroma is pretty good, dark fruit and sweet rich malts and caramel.

Tastes good as well. Some alcohol, sugar and caramel malts with rich dark fruit flavor, a little musty funkiness and some very mild bitterness at the end.

Mouthfeel is rich. Drinkability is ok. There is a lot going on with this beer- not necessarily one you would want to drink a lot of at one session.

As a slow sipper, it is pretty good though.
Oct 18, 2008
Photo of hurleymanvw
Reviewed by hurleymanvw from Georgia

3.65/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured from 22 oz bottle 1585 of 2007.

A - Dark Copper color with thin off white head. Head stayed with the beer for quite some time.

S - Nice roasted malt, caramel, toffee aroma

T - Roasted malt, caramel, toffee, with a nice warm hop/alcohol finish.

M - Full bodied with good carbonation.

D - Overall a good experience. The nice hop finish mixed with the roasted malt and caramel flavors made for an interesting combination.
Sep 24, 2008
Photo of bkilpatr
Reviewed by bkilpatr from Oregon

3.29/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a Chimay glass. 09/22/08. Bottle 1150 of 2007.

Pours a deep mahogany brown color with a thin finger of tan head. The head quickly dropped to a very thin layer. Aroma is strong with caramel malt, toffee, brown sugar, molasses, and a bit of alcohol.

Taste follows the aroma. Strong with caramel, toffee, molasses, dark fruits (raisin, fig, date). Very malty with a biscuit-like sweetness. The label says they used 30 pounds of hops, but I can't taste any hops at all. I don't know what it tasted like fresh but it seems to be only about a year old. The result is a rather unbalanced flavor heavy in sweet malt and lacking in bitterness and hops.

Feel is slightly under-carbonated with a medium-full body. Pretty smooth but also kinda heavy. Drinkability is a bit low due to the unbalance of the flavor.

Overall, decent but not that great. The hops (after a year) are nowhere to be found, leaving an unbalanced beer. Try it if you like sweet and malty strong ales/barleywines.
Sep 23, 2008
Photo of BeerSox
Reviewed by BeerSox from Virginia

3.63/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
22oz bomber into snifter. 2007.

Dark red, very cloudy, with a thin light tan head that settles to a thin rim.

Sharp hops that have slightly mellowed on top of a dark fruity and sugary base from the malts.

The hops are again faded a little, with a bit of sugary malts in the base. Full bodied with decent but low carbonation. The finish is the lingering malts.

This one has mellowed a bit but I'm not sure how great it would be fresh.
Jul 05, 2008
Photo of phisig137
Reviewed by phisig137 from Virginia

3.68/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle number 475 out of 2007

A- Pours a chill hazed rich mahogany color, with a two finger head. Retention is just decent, but leave a beautiful thick cap of foam on top, along with some intricate lacing.

S- Smells just like a great barleywine / old ale should. Thick, rich, slightly sweet malt, a touch of cognac like alcohol, deep fruit, and a touch of hops. Smells much older than it is. Great aroma, aside from a touch of diacetyl in the back.

F- Not quite as good as the nose, but still pretty solid. For being only one year old, it seems to be falling apart, or just slightly past its prime. Good malt complexity, with some interesting burnt sugar flavors, along the lines of the leather and tobacco found in North Coast's Old Stock. Not nearly as intense or complex, but reminiscent of that beer. Alcohol prevalent towards the smooth finish.

M- Creamy and thick.

D- Quite good, although the ETOH begins to warm after the first half glass.

Overall, quite a surprising beer. In general, I'd call this a solid barleywine, and I'd sure as hell pick up a few more for the low price. Vastly superior to the beer that Williamsburg AleWerks sells in 6 packs. Seems like the Alewerks is very similar to Legend here in Richmond.... You can tell from their special release and seasonal beers that the brewers are great and know what they're doing, but for some reason they still sell poor quality stuff to the masses. I guess we all have to pay the bills... Well worth picking up though.
Apr 06, 2008
Photo of jwc215
Reviewed by jwc215 from Arizona

3.27/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Thanks to jcwattsrugger for bringing a bottle back for me from Virginia.

Limited edition - bottle 155 of 2007, poured into a snifter:

Pours dark, a bit murky, caramel-colored with a thin off-white head that becomes a slowly vanishing patch. Some dotted lacing sticks to glass.

The smell is of caramel and dough with a hint of lemon and pine. A whiff of alcohol lets you know that this is going to be a potent one.

The taste is of sweet caramel and alcohol. A bit doughy/yeasty. Just a nod of bitterness in the dary finish. Some barleywine character, though it does fit in with Am. Strong Ale, as indicated here.

It is medium-bodied with low carbonation (giving it an almost watery character at the start). Gains heft and syrupy/stickiness as it progresses.

A slow-sipper of course, though with a fair amount of creamy smoothness. I would have thought I would have liked it more, considering the hop profile (Amarillo and Cascade), but the hops are overridden by the maltiness, which isn't very complex. All-in-all, not bad, but things didn't come together to reach its potential, IMO.
Mar 30, 2008
Photo of asabreed
Reviewed by asabreed from New York

3.85/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
#1481 of 2007, into a snifter.

Appearance: An extremely hazy dark amber and almost opaque, with little head retention. Gorgeous color, but not a lot going on otherwise.

Smell: Heady hop-rind grapefruit hops with some toffee, caramel, and semi vanilla sweetness from the malt.

Taste: Toffee, caramel malt, grapefruit rind from the hops, with a long finish, but not much else as far as nuance goes. Huge and probably a bit too green. Meant for cellaring? I suppose, but I'm not sure how I feel about it being this wild in its green state. The finish, however, is long with husk and roasted malt flavors and bitter citrus rind: in other words, it's heavy on the scale. I can take it, and it's nice, but I wish it went a lot further than it does.

Mouthfeel: A thick bodied brew with creaminess as far as carbonation goes, as it should be, thankfully.

Drinkability: This beer seems to huge to me right now that I'm thinking cellaring would be a good idea. There's so much going on there's an assault on the palate, which isn't bad, but just a bit overwhelming. Don't pick this up on a whim, as this is a beer that will kick your ass if you're not ready. If you can afford a few, which wouldn't be too surprising, save one. I may, if I can find another, and see what happens.
Feb 23, 2008
Photo of dedrinker
Reviewed by dedrinker from Kansas

2.77/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Dark brown/ mahogany with no head. Aroma of stewed dark fruit and sweet dark malts. Hints of tawny port also in the nose. Flavor is fruit and malt forward - a logical follow up to the aroma - as well as some yeasty character. A little fat and clumsy to use some wine terms, and a bit cloying. Full body, finishes first malty sweet then followed by some hop bitterness. I can't really do this type of stuff well. Tastes like the malts were in the boil way too long.
Feb 23, 2008
Photo of Gavage
Reviewed by Gavage from Nevada

3.78/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Bottle labelled #894 of 2007.

Appearance: hazy reddish bronze color with a short 1/2" head that lasts a bit. Decent lacing develops during the session.

Smell: toffee and hop bitterness are easily detectable and pleasant on the nose.

Taste: big toasted malt base with toffee, plums, some soft earthiness, bits of yeast, and a load of hop bitterness. Alcohol is warming. This one provides some tastebud overload.

Mouthfeel: medium-heavy in body. Lightly crisp at the start, smoother and mildly dry at the finish. Aftertaste is long as the flavor stick to the tongue.

Drinkability: nice flavor, but one bottle is more than enough in a session. Interesting beer.
Jan 18, 2008
Photo of weeare138
Reviewed by weeare138 from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks to egajdzis for this... Bottle # 0868.
Appears a dark, hazy majogany with a light tan head that slowly fades into a silky cap. Spotty streaks of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of vanilla, caramel, toffee, raisins, and a touch of citrus.
Taste is of the same aromas with a rich caramel, and cocoa flavor pulling through.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, slightly boozy, with fruity raisins clinging to the palate before a slightly bitter swallow.
Oct 30, 2007
Photo of CharlieMopps
Reviewed by CharlieMopps from Virginia

4.32/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
#1607 out of 2007

A: Pour yields a fairly substantial off-white head with good lacing and retention. The beer itself is a deep brown with a heavy burgundy accent that is impervious to light, yet still seems to glow almost, oddly enough.

S: Notes of toffee and caramel, nice old ale spicing, with a mostly sweet malt nose. Smells great from a deep breath through the nostrils.

T: That sweet malt base rides underneath a wave of bitter hoppiness, much more than expected from the aroma, actually. Hints of spice are overwashed by the hop profile that crescendos toward the finish, leaving a light hop trail aftertaste.

M: Carbonation is actually a lot more subdued than expected as well. There is a bit of a flat yet silky taste to this beer that works rather well, much like a mellowed old ale, but with a fresher mouthfeel.

D: A pretty drinkable brew, I'd say. The sweet and spicy combination work well together, the mouthfeel is ample, and the aromas are great. Bitterness from the hops is not too over the top, and smooths out a little bit as the beer warms.
Oct 27, 2007
Photo of Minkybut
Reviewed by Minkybut from Virginia

3.78/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
I poured this beer to my tumbler at fifty degrees. The beer had a great mahogany head that decayed rather quickly. The beer was a dark rich color. Triple coffee and chocolate taste hits you hard at first drink. There is a tiny bitteerness that is about right to offset the other taste. Was a strong tasting beer to me and I guess high alcolole though it is not listed on BA. It is very much akin to a stout or porter. I liked and would buy again.
Oct 15, 2007
Photo of goodbyeohio
Reviewed by goodbyeohio from Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
so i spied this in the store. i read about as far as guinnessfan quotes in his review opening.. "30 lbs of cascade & amarillos.." then my brain shut off and the bottle was in my basket. that tidbit swirled around my brain until tonight when i popped it. i just assumed this was a double ipa. imagine my surprise when i took the first sip of this english-style barleywine. is 30 lbs alot? cause if so, this beer is the most balanced hop assault i've seen in some time.

pours a dark reddish brown like freshly stained wood. head lingers in a ring formation for some time, lacing is thin and solid. aroma of rich brown sugar and fig puree, throw some port wine on top of that slurry and you're starting to get the right idea about how this beer smells. warmth brings out some candied orange peels, undoubtedly the marriage of citric hops and copious amounts of malt.

great mouthfeel, initial berry explosion. wood-aged strawberry essence quickly gives way to a bittering blanket from the extreme hop additions. this beer is bitter, but the bitterness serves to balance the sweetness almost perfectly. a bit of chalky heat lingers on the palate, but not enough to qualify as 'off'.. just a nice dryness on the tongue that reminds you what went into this beer. stomach warmth is a real factor, as is the stickiness on my lips. under no circumstances am i forgetting that this is a barleywine. whoever said this tastes like an old ale is off their rocker.

oh, and for the tickers who care, i have bottle #915 out of 2007.

recommended, seek out. if you are a BW head, this is a must-sample for 07.
Oct 15, 2007
Wolfe's Trap Ale from Alewerks Brewing Company
Beer rating: 84 out of 100 with 22 ratings