Young's Old Nick Barley Wine Ale - Young & Co Brewery PLC

tayner

Arizona

4.22/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

16.9 oz bottle courtesy of Aaron, leftmindedrighty, via the ??? BIF. 2006 bottle with best before 30 MAR 07 on the back label.

Pours a dark raisin color with brown edges. Head is an off white color and seemingly very sticky. nice lacing

Smell is very sweet, like candied fruit, figs, and raisins.

Taste is as sweet as it smells for sure. Lots and lots of dark fruits, raisins, figs, plums. Very sweet. I dont know if it had more hops in it when it was fresh, but there is very little hop presence in it now. Any hint of the 7.2% abv is all but gone now, making it quite dangerous.

Mouthfeel is surprisingly smooth and creamy for such a sweet beverage. From the smell I almost expected to taste granules of sugar in it, but it is off the scale smooth and creamy. very nice.

Drinkability is good. I am having this alone, but I do think it would be paired better with food. I think something rich that could stand up to the sweetness of this beer would help alot, like a sharp, robust cheese. I think you could replace a dinner wine with this and your guests would be happy, and buzzin lol

Thanks for the opportunity Aaron. this one definitely stood the test of aging. two years is very good on this one.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2008 19:28:32 | More by tayner

Hopheadjeffery

Illinois

3/5  rDev -24.1%

12-22-2012 14:32:59 | More by Hopheadjeffery

kobeer

Texas

4/5  rDev +1.3%

07-22-2012 18:50:35 | More by kobeer

tbeer40

New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%

06-03-2012 18:10:42 | More by tbeer40

macrosmatic

Florida

4/5  rDev +1.3%

04-10-2012 06:10:51 | More by macrosmatic

RoryOMoore

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +1.3%

02-27-2012 06:43:12 | More by RoryOMoore

pperez38

California

3.5/5  rDev -11.4%

01-31-2012 10:27:54 | More by pperez38

6demonbag

Missouri

3/5  rDev -24.1%

01-29-2012 02:53:34 | More by 6demonbag

Blueribbon666

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%

01-08-2012 14:22:56 | More by Blueribbon666

KimenTshom

California

3.5/5  rDev -11.4%

01-01-2012 01:58:20 | More by KimenTshom

cdwil

Texas

4/5  rDev +1.3%

12-29-2011 14:15:59 | More by cdwil

Beertracker

Oklahoma

5/5  rDev +26.6%

12-19-2011 04:15:14 | More by Beertracker

deapokid

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%

12-03-2011 18:43:02 | More by deapokid

magictrokini

California

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Dark mahogany with a thick foamy tan head. Cherries, malts, and nuts are int he aroma. The flavor is sweet up front with the malts and sugar, then it slowly moves into a bitter finish. Lighter mouthfeel than most barleywines, and without the hop/resin base. Very nice brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2008 19:35:05 | More by magictrokini

CrellMoset

Virginia

4.1/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from Green's, Ponce location, Atlanta, GA. Haven't seen this one anywhere in quite some while. Poured into a tulip.

Appearance: Pours a turgid dirty brown, fairly thick, with a sticky, tan, one-finger head of slightly below average retention. The lacing is nice, though: fairly delicate-looking sheets remain in place after the head has faded, and fingers reach upwards towards the rim of the glass.

Aroma: Roasted and toasted malts (though more towards the lighter end of the caramelized spectrum) and a panoply of fruity notes - cherries, lots of pears, apple skins, raisins - comprise the bulk of the nose here.

Taste: Solid and rather subtle. Lots of bready malt notes, caramel, toffee - there's a definite buttery undertone here - and a healthy dose of fruity overtones as well, both light and dark. Fruits run the gamut from buttery pears to figs. Darker malt notes emerge as it warms - faint, sweet cocoa and lightly roasted coffee. Reminds me of buttered, toasted bread in places - grilled cheese without the cheese. There's also a slight leafy hop twang and an even more slight kiss of hop bitterness, though they're both practically an afterthought.

Mouthfeel: Fairly thick, though with a decent amount of carbonation that creates a slightly creamy film in the mouth. That sounds less appealing than it really is, now that I think about it.

Drinkability: For a barleywine, this one's incredibly quaffable - it's smooth, flavorful, balanced, decently complex, and low in alcohol (for the style). This one went very well with post-Thanksgiving Saturday football ... but it'd also pair very well with any number of other snacks and or situations. A good one from Young's, and an enjoyable brew. I hear it may have been recently retired (dunno how accurate this is), so pick it up if you see it.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2008 18:16:56 | More by CrellMoset

hopsleeroy

North Carolina

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

Found this bottle at a gas station while filling up. Nice find at a random place.

A-very dark but not black, deep garnet color, very cloudy, 1 inch head that faded quickly, but laced while I drank it.
S-Smell reminiscent of sweet sherry with more dark fruits. Kind of reminds me of fruit cake with rum
T-Very malt forward as this is 2-3 years old the hops have faded. Quite sweet but not cloying, dark fruit flavors with alot of raisins and figs, booze booze flavor is ther.
M-Not too bad but would have thought it would have been a little creamier and smoother after so long. Good carbo after so long.
D-This is a definate sipper and it tastes sweeter the more I drink it.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2008 04:23:48 | More by hopsleeroy

kinger

Ohio

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Not overly experienced with barleywines so I am rating this purely on the beer itself. At first I was a somewhat discouraged since I was expecting a completely different brew. Pours a rich ruby transparent red with a fluffy marsh mellow head that ultimately settles. This beer is gorgeous in the glass. Abundant aroma is given off consisting of malts, malts, and some more malts. The scent is sweet and malty with a candy-chocolate aspect. The overall aroma reminded me of burning incense, truly wonderful. This beer is exceptionally smooth and very creamy. The mouthfeel is what I would expect from a well crafted porter or stout so I was happily surprised at the smoothness of this one. Great flavor that simply compliments the aroma. Sweet, tons of malt, chocolately and candy all wrapped up in one awesome beer. It's a mild barleywine, definitely English, and absolutely a remarkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2008 19:24:22 | More by kinger

jDoubleU

New York

4.8/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured into oversized wine glass. Rich one finger head appeared then quickly dissipated to leave slight lacing. Dark brown and dark ruby red toward the surface.

Esters immediately wafted its way into my nostrils. Reminds me of what I get from dubbels. Candy sugars?

Heilige Scheisse! I taste fruitcakes and a hint of caramel in the finish. A nice long finish. Tastes like I just ate a piece of cake. Very little hop character. But there is a slight bitterness that goes beyond the caramel finish.

Man. This one's got some character and complexity! Into my 10th sip and I'm getting more of a dry finish. I'm starting to notice the 7.2 on my tongue. Getting some peppery phenols.

Not a voluminous mouthfeel. But I'm getting a medium to full mouthfeel. Dextrins?

This is a barleywine that I can easiley drink but have an engaging time with. It's rich complexity is reminiscent of a quad. Thus far, I haven't had a pleasant experience with American barleywines. This is my first English. I'm looking forward to try more of this style.

A very rewarding drink.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2008 02:48:48 | More by jDoubleU

Contagion

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

When poured into the glass there was a dark brownish red color. Not so dark that light couldn't pass through it, but dark enough so you couldn't see through the glass. It wasn't cloudy, just dark. There was a good tan head on it that left a thick lacing on the side of the glass that lasts. There is still a hint of the lacing after 15 minutes.

There is a good toasted malt aroma to it with a touch of caramel and a hint of fruit. It's very enticing and welcoming to the nose. Upon the first sip I could taste a malt and nutty flavor with some hops, a touch of toffee and a very mild fruit flavor. This is not a fruit flavored beer; the fruitiness of it is more of an accent that enhances the other flavors. The aftertaste is mild and refreshing, just hint of bitterness that makes you want to take another sip.

It has a smooth medium to full bodied texture to it. It's pleasant with a slight tingle to the tongue. Very velvety that passes the mouth and throat easily. This is another beer I could see myself sitting around with friends and enjoying a good conversation.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2008 01:11:58 | More by Contagion

Offa

California

5/5  rDev +26.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is one of my all-time favourite beers and for me beer dosn't get any better than this overall.

It is beautiful, a faintly murky, dark red-brown with a big, creamy, permanent light tan head that leaves nice lacing.

The aroma is rich fruit, bread, caramel, over a lightly alcoholic body.

The taste is similar with stewed, caramelized fruit, caramel, toast, and nuts. It has a stroing sweetness balanced with a light spicey bitterness and toastiness. It is rich, beautifully balanced, with the flavours blending nicely, giving lots of flavour and well-roundedness but maintaining immense drinkability. The feel is smooth and a little oily but not too heavy.

In the end, it has the rich flavours of a barleywine yet is exceedingly smooth and easy to drink. It also is not too alcoholic in taste, which I find sometimes to be a problem.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2008 22:47:50 | More by Offa

nasty15108

New York

4.38/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber into a smal brandy snifter.

A - Deep dark brown with amber hues. Thick tan head and good lacing throughout.

S - Nutty, with hints of butterscotch and raisins.

T - I got a slightly sweet buttery raisin taste up front finished off by a hoppy alcoholic bite.

MF&D - Smooth, creamy and warming. As the bottle suggests a great substitute for a port. Although not a session beer, I highly recommend Old Nick with a good cigar or a nice plate of cheese and crackers.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2008 18:43:57 | More by nasty15108

khiasmus

South Carolina

3.08/5  rDev -22%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Slightly cloudy dark amber that pours with a finger and a half of head that drops to a soapy layer in moments.
A bit of grainy malt in the nose, but overwhelmed by an almost hot-pepper spiciness, along with clove, nutmeg, and black pepper.
The flavor is much the same, with a thin and quite sweet malt backbone being supported by a bit of spice, though not as spicy as the nose. The finish has a bit more of that spice, and the sweet/spicy are really the only elements of this beer.
The mouthfeel department is a bit thin and watery, with low carbonation and a hint of warming in the finish.
I did not find this to be a very drinkable beer, and it certainly felt a bit thin, even for an English barleywine. What I missed the most, though, was any element of complexity: it seemed to be simply a two-dimensional beer: sweet and spice. Worth a try, but lacking a bit IMO.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2008 03:29:52 | More by khiasmus

Pencible

Virginia

4.38/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Compared to the Rogue barleywine, this poured even darker brown, with very little head. It had a thick barley scent, and the flavor was a sweet mix of barley and malt. There was a slight hops bitterness in the aftertaste, but it didn't build too much over time. This tasted much like a good brown ale and was very easy to drink, especially considering its alcohol content (7.2%).

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2008 20:55:43 | More by Pencible

Wasatch

Utah

3.9/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Best Before: 17 Aug 07

Pours a nice dark brown/amber color, some carbonation, nice one-finger creamy off-white head, a nice touch of sticky lacing follows. The nose is malty, tones of dark fruit, and some caramel. The taste is slightly sweet, lots of malts, a touch of dark fruits, and caramel. Medium body. Drinkable, this is a tasty English Barleywine, recommended.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2008 00:46:57 | More by Wasatch

SammyDavisJrJrJr

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Trying this one with Oregonzola and Dubliner cheese samples. We'll see, into the snifter...

A - Nice head for the style, dark amber body.

S - Nice caramel and dark fruits in the aroma. Prune and angel food cake seems to come to mind.
Balanced, and refined, what I expect from a English Barleywine.

T - Again with the prunes. Lots of dark fruits, along with vanilla seem to dominate the entry and mid palate. The hops are piney and balenced. Slight grape like tartness, along with residual hops and dry cracker flavors. Decent compexity and great balence shown by this beer.

M - Decent body, not huge, but decent, that leaves a slight cotton quality in the mouth.

D - Not the biggest beer, even by English Barleywine standards. Nice balance of flavors, however. Still feel like it doesn't qualify as a classic... Paired very nicely with the Oregonzola, as well as some Valdeon I had in the house.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2008 03:54:30 | More by SammyDavisJrJrJr