Old Herb Barleywine - Southampton Publick House

RandomBattle

New York

5/5  rDev +22%

11-15-2011 11:20:32 | More by RandomBattle

t0rin0

California

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%

02-01-2013 05:03:40 | More by t0rin0

spycow

Illinois

4/5  rDev -2.4%

01-12-2013 01:07:32 | More by spycow

joefuzz

New York

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2011 vintage

Pours a deep orange with a 1 finger white head

The smell is still pretty hoppy for some reason picking up on a little bit of peach and some sweet crumb cake like notes

Taste is slightly faded hops with a very sweet butterscotch and brown sugar flavor...no sign of the abv

Mouthfeel is on the heavy side and although the pour brings on a decent sized head it seems to have a slightly lower carbonation.

Overall very good beer...it has changed quite a bit since I had the last one right after they released.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2012 02:16:44 | More by joefuzz

Pete27lax

New York

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

07-27-2012 06:22:24 | More by Pete27lax

mikereaser

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - Pours a murky light brown with a small 1 inch foam that fades to a frothy top to the beer. Just a little bit of lacing on the glass
S - Very malty, grainy, toffee aroma. Hints of a minty herbal smell as well.
T - The taste is alot of caramel malts, some plum along with some oxidation. Almost a wet cardboard taste along with a bit of a minty and hebal quality.
M/D - medium to thick body with a nice carbonation. The drinkability is a bit rough on this one, it has an interesting flavor but might not be one that I could drink more than a glass full of. Definitely a sipper but interesting to try something new to me.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 03:09:39 | More by mikereaser

imperialking

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

05-11-2012 02:13:15 | More by imperialking

Exiled

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%

05-10-2012 03:31:18 | More by Exiled

Khazadum

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

04-07-2012 06:13:04 | More by Khazadum

chrispoint

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -14.6%

02-19-2012 20:40:49 | More by chrispoint

FeDUBBELFIST

Pennsylvania

3.1/5  rDev -24.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

No ABV listed

12oz bottle to snifter. $10.00 for the bottle picked up at the 2010 release of Southampton IRS. Hand numbered bottle #214 of 500. Sampled nine months later on 10/15/11.

A: Filled within a centimeter of the bottles rim, Old Herb pours with 1 finger of foamy khaki head which slowly fades to a creamy film and collar. The body is auburn brown in color and completely opaque. Retention is great, lacing is minimal.

S: Heavy malts of caramel, toffee and grain - all moderately toasted. Hop character is herbal/minty menthol and rather muted. Yeast strain is neutral except at higher temperatures when some plasticky phenols become apparent.

T: More English than American (at least at this point). Rendered caramel and light toffee are most prominent while a plum and grape-like fruitiness adds nuance. Mild notes of cardboard and construction paper suggest a little oxidation. Long lasting flavor. Lightly sweet, lightly bitter.

M: Fantastic. Thick and chewy. Full body with the perfect amount of carbonation. The texture is a little more alcoholic than I care for but for an 11% beer, it isn't out of line.

O: This beer changes considerably throughout the glass. The flavor evolves while the nose devolves. All of it is marginal as the highs and lows still hover around average.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2012 12:42:19 | More by FeDUBBELFIST

joefc

Oregon

4/5  rDev -2.4%

01-24-2012 04:40:08 | More by joefc

acurtis

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -2.4%

01-18-2012 18:32:54 | More by acurtis

htrae2014

New York

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

01-11-2012 15:47:54 | More by htrae2014

whartontallboy

New York

3/5  rDev -26.8%

01-04-2012 13:43:31 | More by whartontallboy

rab53

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

12-09-2011 03:51:57 | More by rab53

djrn2

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%

12-04-2011 19:56:10 | More by djrn2

Crundy

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Bottle # 115

Appearance: hazy deep amber reddish color, minimal head with spotty lacing

Smell: Sweet caramel malt upfront, bready. red fruit aromas, perhaps pomegranate, feint alcohol smell at the end

taste: sweet candy, caramel or toffee, malt, quite sweet flavor, very feint bitterness on the finish. alcohol flavor was present but not overwhelming. It gets more boozy as it warms up.

Feel: Very smooth and creamy and sticky on the finish. Medium bodied. Almost no bitterness at all. Well carbonated.

Overall: Very drinkable beer for the ABV. Its very sweet, a little too sweet for me but I wouldn't turn it down if it was offered. Good beer

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 05:19:06 | More by Crundy

Chriscrundwell12

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into a snifter glass.

Bottle 2011: No. 115/500

A- Pours a cloudy mahogany red color, brown hues, one finger tan head that dissipates to a nice tan ring around the glass, well carbonated, splotchy bubbly lacing, good amount of sediment as well.
S- The aroma is really sweet, juicy sweet fruits come out as well, pomegranate?, cherries, slight raisins, caramel, sweet malt, breadiness, nutty notes, a lot going on in the aroma, the abv comes out on the finish but not too overpowering.
T- Interesting, really sweet, sweet malt, bready notes, candy, brown sugar, caramel, toffee, slight cherries and raisins, but the sweet malt takes over this beer. A little warming as it goes down.
M- Medium mouth feel, creamy, smooth drinking, sticky finish, decent amount of carbonation.
O- This was an enjoyable beer, nothing mind blowing but solid, easy drinkability especially for how high the abv 11%, glad to try it once.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 05:17:39 | More by Chriscrundwell12

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a transparent amber color with a slightly brownish white head. The nose has lots of green apples, notes of apple skin with a light tartness. Hints of mint and a light malt sugar aroma. The taste is of green apples and apple skins, rather tart and sour. Sugary sweet caramel, light hint of spice and mint, rather well integrated. Medium body and assertive carbonation, lively on the palate. Great complexity and very interesting with the apple/tart notes. Should age well.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 15:14:19 | More by cpetrone84

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.3/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

brown, though you can see some light through it, no head and a nice lace top it off. Smell is hopped for sure, but with a subtle sugary undertone, and a hint of alcohol too. Taste is not very strong at all. There is the natural piney hoppness you would expect from a barley wine, but not too strong, there is also a sugary, nuttiness about it as well. The alcohol is there, and that keeps this a sipper. It is actually nicely carbonated, and not harsh going down, has the warm feeling on the way. Overall this was a good brew

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 03:31:35 | More by mikesgroove

sideshowe

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -2.4%

11-16-2011 14:12:04 | More by sideshowe

HopStoopid120

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +22%

11-15-2011 19:22:23 | More by HopStoopid120

JAHMUR

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%

11-15-2011 03:27:46 | More by JAHMUR

gory4d

New York

3.95/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle #126 - thanks, Steve.

Pours dark cloudy orange with a high white head; not much lacing. Smell is peach cobbler, toffee, fudge, herbal flowers. Taste is heavy on the toffee, with tangy herbal notes and a heavily bitter finish - a little unbalanced here. It's very thick, not much carbonation. A nice barleywine, probably would benefit from a few years' aging.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2011 03:59:48 | More by gory4d