Grand Illumination - Williamsburg AleWerks

Mattyb79

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

01-16-2013 01:34:16 | More by Mattyb79

Texasfan549

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

05-04-2013 01:02:22 | More by Texasfan549

kjkinsey

Texas

4/5  rDev +1.5%

05-04-2013 01:01:43 | More by kjkinsey

spycow

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1.5%

05-01-2013 03:32:01 | More by spycow

Etan

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1.5%

04-28-2013 04:30:31 | More by Etan

Noyt

Quebec (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

04-14-2013 01:19:08 | More by Noyt

hoppymcgee

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

04-12-2013 03:10:48 | More by hoppymcgee

campfirebrew

New York

4/5  rDev +1.5%

04-04-2013 17:40:20 | More by campfirebrew

teromous

Virginia

4.05/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2108 - 2012

A: Dark brown body with hues of red peeping through. It is dark but noticeably transparent. The head is slightly off-white, starts big, then recedes to a small cap. Leaves some lacing. It is a very beautiful looking barleywine.

S: It has a spiced rum scent to it, some plum, some brown sugar, and some alcohol.

T: Very malty and robust. Loads of caramel sweetness, along with some woody flavors. There's a high presence of roasted barley. Hop character brings out bitterness, but not a whole lot when it comes to flavor.

M: It has a very full and thick mouthfeel. It is very dexterous and robust. The bitterness is more towards the back of the palate.

O: Overall it was a good barleywine. I would have personally liked more hop character, but the bitterness was there. It had a good strong bitterness, but the malt really seemed to be the star of the show here. Lots of caramel sweetness at first, followed up by bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 17:53:15 | More by teromous

flyersfan900

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +14.2%

03-17-2013 20:05:58 | More by flyersfan900

Eriktheipaman

Virginia

4/5  rDev +1.5%

02-24-2013 16:35:20 | More by Eriktheipaman

rjacobs6

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1.5%

02-19-2013 04:28:58 | More by rjacobs6

alpinebryant

Connecticut

3.86/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

2011 Bottle, nicely aged from a trade, thanks!

A: Pours a very cloudy dark copper color with sticky lacing and a large head that settles in a few minutes to just the edges and a white dusting on the top.

S: Aroma of plum, sweet malt and a light hop profile. This is a very light aroma beer and it smells almost more like a tripel, which smells great, just not what I was expecting. Caramel and toffee.

T: Tons of caramel and long roast caramelized sugars, sweet cotton candy and earthy notes. There is a slight herbal taste along with some tannins that are minor. More than anything this is what I would call a 'chewy' barleywine. Earthy fall leaf flavor and a bit of burnt sugars in here. There was plenty of bittering here, Cascade like hop flavors that I can pick up and dirt.

M: Chewy and a medium to high level of carbonation. Quite good here I think.

O: Overall, its a decent barleywine. Almost a blending of styles here belgian tripel or double in flavor with American Hops. Rock candy and cane sugar like flavors give a little spike on my tongue along with spiking the abv.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 18:59:51 | More by alpinebryant

ckollias

Maryland

3.81/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Enjoyed this bomber bottle of a Belgian tulip glass.

A: Pours an amber off-white head that slowly dissipates leaving a decent trail and ends in a wispy lace.

S: Sweet extremely malty and barley-wine esk aroma.

T: Very sweet and complex flavors. High alcohol burn masked by the sweetness.

M: Heavy body and medium carbonation.

O: Really good barely-wine – nice sipping beer at 10% abv.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 20:04:39 | More by ckollias

siege06nd

Virginia

3.96/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

A. Pours a deep gilded copper, like the last vestiges of fall. Thick and creamy khaki head that erupts to two fingers and settles to a half finger. Excellent retention. Lacing is also top tier: tight, uniform and coating.

S. Classic American Barleywine notes of caramel, raisin, dates, and a resinous blast of hops. Very well-rounded nose.

T. Follows the nose but with more pronounced hops and less residual sugar. Caramel and dark fruit flavors quickly yield to bitter, zesty hops. Herbal and slightly medicinal, age would definitely help this. Right now it is a bit of a hop bomb, with the malt qualities lagging. Still, it is solid.

M. A bit overcarbed which masks a lot of the flavor. Also the hops are a bit overriding and unbalanced. Not to say that it is bad, just some weak spots in an otherwise really good beer.

O. The craftsmanship shows here. It is an above average barleywine, one of the better ones out there. Age will help this a lot, as fresh the carbonation and hops are a little overbearing. That said, it is reasonably balanced and hits the right notes. It is much better than it has to be. I recommend it.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 17:27:18 | More by siege06nd

brandoman63

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

01-30-2013 05:00:01 | More by brandoman63

mojiboo02

Illinois

4/5  rDev +1.5%

01-22-2013 18:41:25 | More by mojiboo02

bobertkuekn

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

01-16-2013 19:10:39 | More by bobertkuekn

axman

Virginia

4.08/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Opened 2007 bottle number 0294 and poured it into my Mad Elf snifter for New Year's . . . wasn't exactly sure how long to hold onto it before opening. Very rich mouthfeel, almost sticky. Tastes of caramel, dates, and dried figs (one glass went very nicely with the duck I roasted today.) Beautiful mahogany color with a thick, lingering tan head that laces the glass nicely.

Most barleywines I've tried are too alcohol-forward for me, but I think the aging on this one tamed it nicely--I liked it quite a bit. I also have bottles from 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013, but am not sure I want to wait for them all to reach five years of age.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 00:34:18 | More by axman

GFish

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

12-23-2012 21:42:38 | More by GFish

buckyp

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

12-21-2012 02:02:13 | More by buckyp

zackcamp

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

12-17-2012 06:00:48 | More by zackcamp

TribeBeerDrinker

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

12-07-2012 21:30:04 | More by TribeBeerDrinker

THECPJ

Delaware

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

12-05-2012 03:34:59 | More by THECPJ

PaBeerLover

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1.5%

12-03-2012 00:29:56 | More by PaBeerLover