Domination Ale - Horseheads Brewing Inc.

hardcor33

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -9.9%

09-16-2012 01:40:39 | More by hardcor33

ipas-for-life

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -9.9%

05-14-2013 22:29:41 | More by ipas-for-life

sliverX

New York

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

04-28-2013 19:19:04 | More by sliverX

ThePorterSorter

New York

3.75/5  rDev -9.9%

04-28-2013 19:12:32 | More by ThePorterSorter

metalgdog

New York

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

04-28-2013 13:46:18 | More by metalgdog

dogfishandi

New York

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

04-28-2013 01:22:46 | More by dogfishandi

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had at a recent bottle share.

Poured a reddish brown color with a thin ringlet of bubbles around the perimeter; not much to speak of in the way of retention and lacing, but not much was expected. Lots of malty sweetness in the nose, some notes of barrel and booze. Again, a good malty sweetness in the taste, toffee, brown sugar, bourbon-soaked oak, complimented by some herbal hops, and a grainy earthiness mid-palate that leads me to believe there could be some rye in this brew. Heavy-medium body, and a good drinker overall. Doesn't really stand up to the big boys of the style perhaps, but in and of itself, it's still a nice brew overall.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 10:22:33 | More by Rifugium

kawilliams81

Illinois

4.29/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a 12 oz glass.

A- pours a dark copper, near brown with a half finger tan head. Minimal lacing.

S- maple, toffee, big dark fruits, bourbon, and vanilla

T- lots of dark fruits, brown sugar, bourbon, and vanilla.

M- medium body and carbonation. Crazy sneaky at 12%. I thought it was closer to 8-9%. Very smooth and mellow.

O- very solid beer. A little more dark fruit forward than most barleywines, but mouthfeel is just insane!

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 03:22:35 | More by kawilliams81

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This poured out as a deep brown color with a thin cream colored head on top. The retention and lacing were very thin, not much to look at on this one. The smell of the beer is sweet with lots of big malts and subtle notes of oak in the mix as well. Some boozy ethanol fills the nose give this beer what should be a very warming effect. The taste of the beer has a very nice rich caramel flavor with the oak adding some additional depth to it. The mouthfeel is gently carbonated and has a smooth texture to it. Overall it's a big brew, and quite a tasty one also. I enjoyed this beer and would probably drink it again if I came across it.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 15:02:25 | More by Knapp85

DovaliHops

California

4.38/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thank you WagonCircler for this awesome extra! Never heard of this brewery before. Pours a nice ruby reddish brown color with a small off-white head that diminishes quickly. Scent is packed with lovely bourbon whiskey aromas. Dark fruits and caramel malt. Inviting coconut and vanilla aromas with a good amount of oak barrel. A hint of booze as well. This nose is spectacular! Taste is just like the nose. Initially, I get some piney, citrus flavors...a bit of hoppiness. The palate is quickly taken over by sweet bourbon...a bit warming. Delicious notes of figs, prunes, raisins, and a bit of orange peel. Nice coconut, oak, and vanilla. Somewhat leathery. A bit boozy. Finishes with more pine and citrus hops. Mouthfeel is full-bodied...not to syrupy...not too thin. Drinkability is high, but only if you appreciate barrel-aged American barleywines. The hops and pine of this one may throw people off, but I REALLY enjoyed this beer!

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 07:29:57 | More by DovaliHops

SteelersX

New York

4.25/5  rDev +2.2%

03-07-2013 17:52:53 | More by SteelersX

buzze40

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%

03-02-2013 02:43:41 | More by buzze40

dwoolley1

New York

4.5/5  rDev +8.2%

02-25-2013 14:56:23 | More by dwoolley1

leschkie

California

3.75/5  rDev -9.9%

01-31-2013 21:43:36 | More by leschkie

nh2032

New York

4/5  rDev -3.8%

10-14-2012 01:02:23 | More by nh2032

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a chestnut red color with a creamy, thick toffee colored lacing and mild carbonation.

S - Candied figs, prunes, vanilla, bourbon, roasted toffee caramel, and cherries.

T - Really matches the nose in every way. Even and balanced throughout the entire sip. Candied figs, prunes, oak, vanilla, toffee caramel, and a nice blend of cherries, slightly spicy, and there's also a significant amount of alcohol warming initially. The oak woodiness and bitter pine finish is bold and with some age should mellow nicely to really add to a nice, rounded flavor.

M - Thick, full, and heavy body but not syrupy. The alcohol effervescence, oak, and bitterness prevent it from being too cloyingly sweet. Cherries, oak, toffee, and light bourbon linger and make the mouth water at the tip of the tongue while the back is dry.

O - This is a well done barley but could use some more time to mature. I definitely need some of this for cellaring, nicely done.

Serving type: on-tap

08-28-2012 02:53:15 | More by jzeilinger

asabreed

New York

4.38/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a Bomber a few weeks ago at the brewery / store. Fifth Anniversary from Horseheads (as the gentleman behind the counter told us). Purchased for around $10.

Bomber from the fridge, in there for a day, sitting on the counter for about ten minutes before the pour into a Brooklyn tulip glass.

Appearance: A deep red color -- a good sense of bubbles, carbonation, and lacing, going from subtle sheets to pale-white droplets clinging to the middle to the bottom of the bulb part of the glass.

Smell: Both expected and nuanced. A huge fruit component is there, especially dark cherries, backed by some darker malts, along with the caramel, vanilla, and oak going along with the bourbon. More and more I'm starting to think that barley wine might be the style that's best for bourbon barrels these days, as the overt fruit component -- as compared, usually, to the char and sometimes-overbearing bitterness of the RIS style -- goes really well with all the bourbon and barrel characteristics, and here it's no different. So it ends up being a kind of melange of caramel-soaked, ripe fruit soaking in bourbon, and after about a day sitting on the counter, you take off the covering, whatever that may be.

Taste: Initially, what I liked a lot was the good balance between the malt, hops, and bourbon. I don't think this is an easy thing to get right, especially for something so young in the bottle. I'm not sure how they decided that five months was a good idea, but it definitely was, regarding the bourbon-aging. It works well and becomes pretty spicy when meshed with the hop bitterness, but still along you have the dark cherries and strawberries, and even a jammy component underneath that, with some chocolate and mild char coming through also. Spiraled and gyroscopic, it's much more complex than I'd expected, from mildly cold, temperature-wise, to room temperature. Finishes with some earthiness, and the lingering triad of bourbon, hop bitterness, and fruit and spice.

Mouthfeel: Surely a heavy-bodied beer, but even in the glass you can see the concentration of the bubbles and carbonation, from the lacing to what it does when it collapses into the body after a few swirls. It remains creamy and effervescent enough to work well with the nuance of flavors, without anything become unbalanced in the least, all the way until the end.

Drinkability: Comment length at max... get one if you can. Very impressed.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 04:35:01 | More by asabreed