Quakerbridge Barley Wine - Half Acre Beer Company

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a tulip glass.

Gotta love the surprise bottle finds sometimes, right? This one pours a clear garnet-ruby topped by a finger of glowing off-white foam. The nose comprises grapefruit zest (both yellow and ruby red), light leek, and caramel. I'm assuming there's some Citra in this, based on that bit of leek. The taste holds notes of caramel, straight ruby red grapefruit rind, light leek, and a very light twinge of vinyl. The body is a straight medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, an alright barleywine, but one that left VDubb and myself somewhat wanting. For me, the leek and vinyl aspects detract significantly from what would, I believe, have been a merely pretty good b-wine.

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2012 06:22:22 | More by TMoney2591

MasterSki

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottle shared with Lizz before going to Kiss Kiss Cabaret. Served in a taster pint glass.

A - Slightly tan foam settles to a thick cap and specks of lace. Transparent amber body.

S - Caramel malts, burnt sugars, big mix of citrus and piney hops, perhaps a hint of alcohol. Very good balance of malt and hops and a good example of this style.

T - The taste is similarly a solid mix of toffee and caramel sweetness, zesty citrus and earthy hops, and mild bitterness in the finish. Alcohol is better-hidden and again this displays good balance.

M - Smooth, medium body, a bit toasty in texture, with some residual hop oils and resins that linger. Chewy, with a bit of warming alcohol, particularly as it warms.

D - Other than a slight booziness, this is a very good American barleywine. I enjoyed this quite a bit more than Marty Stouffer and may need to pick up another bottle to try a few months down the road. I liked this almost as much as Santa Vs. Unicorn.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 19:00:50 | More by MasterSki

emerge077

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bright and saturated reddish amber orange. Sturdy cap of off white foam leaves behind a few irregular arcs of lacing. Retention is good, head lasts for awhile initially. Later the foam recedes to a veil that eventually parts across the surface.

Big cantaloupe and melon at first, becoming sweet, later woody and spicy like sandalwood. Alcohol is well hidden in the aroma.

Earthy and sweet, dry and bitter, alternating modes equally large in the hop & malt departments. A bit bitter and biting with the higher abv, earthy and vegetal middle, a flash of light fruity sultana sweetness at the very beginning. Hops and booze really dry it out in the bitter chalky finish, oily and resiny in the middle. Overall a good one to share while fresh to pick up on the fresh hop aromas and flavor, but will likely age nicely.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2012 04:05:46 | More by emerge077

rhoadsrage

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

(Served in a snifter)
A- This beer pours a slightly dense clear garnet body with a sticky beige head of creamy that leaves spots of foam on the glass with each sip. There is a slow carbonation working its way to the surface.

S- The full green hops aroma has some woody and slightly mint hints to it.

T- The bright but dank green hops have a cream flavor to follow and a lemon tartness to the hops that grow in the finish. There is some pale malt that is slightly dry in the finish that blend into some more bright hops that linger. There is some caramel malt sweetness that grows in the background as the beer opens.

M- The medium-light mouthfeel has a creamy texture in the finish and no alcohol heat noticed.

O- This beer has a light body and big bright hops that were very fresh and a nice malt support that grew as it opened. I wouldn’t describe this as a barleywine as it doesn’t really have the luscious malt that I enjoy, but this beer was delicious whatever label you want to stamp on it.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 17:14:09 | More by rhoadsrage

GbVDave

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bomber into two pint glasses. Thanks to HeatherAnn for the assist!

A: Pours a rich, deep golden hue. A slightly off white level of foam camps out on top for quite a while, leaving a sticky & lacey mess all down the inside of the glasses. Clarity is on the clean side while carbonation was a bit lazy.

S: Big bright aromas of juicy tropical hops that blend very nicely with the assertive yet tame backbone of malt.

T: Continuing with the groundwork laid down by the smell, the taste is all big tropical hops and subdued malt. Didn't notice any intrusion of alcohol flavors.

M: Bitterness due to the hops, not the prodigious alcohol content. Mildly slick sweetness is kept in check by the astringent hoppiness. Long lasting oily hop finish.

O: This was a killer Barleywine. Seems more "American" in nature than Marty Stouffers. Excellent.

Edit 12/16/12:

I've had the chance to try this from the bottle on release day, a 5oz pour at the Half Acre Tap Room, and an oz or two at the HA store. The draft versions and the fresh bottle all had big tropical fruit aromas and flavors. I had another bottle that sat in my beer fridge for about 3 weeks since release day. I popped that one the other night and was suprised by how the hops had faded. They are most certainly still there but the malt has kicked them to the curb, so to speak. This is a slightly different animal now....

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 20:17:35 | More by GbVDave

Florida9

Illinois

4.11/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle shared with myself before smoking a twenty rock.

A: Dark reddish-amber in color. Forms a small light tan head that reduces down to a patchy surface coating. Leaves some minimal lacing.

S: Lots of caramel malts. Brown sugar, pine, and alcohol.

T: Starts off with more caramel. Moderate sweetness. Candied citrus rind, some pine, with just a touch of oily pine resin. A bit dirty and alcoholic on the finish.

M: Medium bodied, lower carbonation, mild-to-moderate bitterness. A bit hot, but certainly acceptable for the style.

O: This was a nice American BW offering up a nice balance between sweet malts, hoppy bitterness, and alcoholic heat, with none of those qualities attempting to play favorite.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 02:55:46 | More by Florida9

Treebs

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 oz. bottle served in a Half Acre tulip.

A: Pours a dark ruby color with a yellowish head forming on the pour. It recedes to a thick ring that leaves some splotchy lace down the glass.

S: Piney and grapefruity on the nose at first whiff. There is a sweet underlying malt body that really gives it a nice transition from the hops. A little caramel. Some earthiness as well. Perhaps a touch of onion.

T: More malty than the nose suggest. Slight roasted notes, but mainly some sweet caramel and a little burnt sugar bitterness. Some grassy hops, pine and some mild grapefruit as well. A little boozy sweetness on the finish.

M: Medium bodied with a medium carbonation. Even though it's a little boozy on the finish it doesn't detract from the overall drinkability of this beer. Drinks very well for a 10% barleywine - esque beer.

O: I think this isn't quite an American Barleywine, more of a malt DIPA a la Devil Dancer. This however drinks much better than Devil Dancer and has much more nuanced flavors. The hops compliment the sweet malts well and I'd like to see what some age would do to this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 00:57:27 | More by Treebs

kawilliams81

Illinois

3.8/5  rDev -5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a Half Acre snifter.

A- pours a dark amber with a 2 finger light tan head. Big trails and walls of lacing remain on the glass.

S- sweet toffee, brown sugar, citrus, spices, and pine.

T- sweet amber malts, caramel, big citrus rind bitterness and spices.

M- medium body and carbonation. Creamy with a dry finish.

O- ok Barleywine. Has some sweetness to balance the bitter citrus.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 03:26:48 | More by kawilliams81

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

From: Half Acre brewery, Chicago, IL
Date: None on bottle, purchased January 2013
Glass: Tulip

A generally well-balanced American barleywine, Quakerbridge features strong grapefruit and pine hop influences alongside rich malt flavors. While the ensemble is certainly not disappointing, I didn't think the beer was anything that warranted being revisited.

Pours a 1cm tall head of beige foam, made up of small and medium-sized bubbles. Retention is somewhat above average, the head lasting for slightly over one minute as it descends to a thick ring around the glass with a small island of foam atop the body. Lacing is present, but not particularly noteworthy, a few dots and lines scattered haphazardly across the inside of the glass. The body is a dark copper brown color, with light bringing out caramel color tones to the beer. Carbonation is visble, though fairly sparse and non-aggressive.

Aroma of fairly strong hops, grapefruit with pine, probably Cascade and others, with an equally noticeable background of caramel malt.

Front of palate finds rich caramel malts with subdued hop influence, which brings grapefruit and vague citrus flavors. Mid palate is of rich, sweet caramel malt with strong jolts of grapefruit and pine from the hops. Back of palate features rich caramel malts, citrus, grapefruit, and pine hops with mild ethanol. Aftertaste of rich caramel malt, with strong lingering bitterness and hints of ethanol.

Beer is medium-heavy to heavy in weight, with carbonation of medium intensity. This results in slightly foamy, but primarily smooth and liquid mouthfeel. Closes fairly dry, with little residual stickines across the palate. Ethanol heat on the back of the throat and nostrils, increasingly obvious as the temperature of the beer increases.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 10:15:31 | More by falloutsnow

Etan

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle, recently put on the shelves.

A: Pours a dark ruby with a nice off-white head. The head sticks around and leaves some nice lacing.

S: Lots of tropical fruit aromas from the hops. I'm getting mango, pineapple, some cakey sugar and caramel.

T: Robust piney bitterness gives way to baked apples, burnt caramel, herbal and a bit leafy, spicy alcohol, some brown sugar, a little vanilla, more bitterness.

M: Thick with moderate carbonation, slightly creamy feel.

O: Definitely a good and hoppy barleywine. This beer will definitely become sweeter as time goes on (you can already feel the heft of the maltiness underneath the hop profile).

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2012 22:17:05 | More by Etan

jegross2

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Reviewing the Quakerbridge from Half Acre Brewing Company out of Chicago, Illinois.
Score: 90

Bottle is from the 11/19/2012 release. Served in a Half Acre snifter and enjoyed on 01/04/12.

Appearance: Pours a bourbon color with a thin layer of off-white head that settles to a ring around the glass. Average lacing, but above average retention. 4/5

Smell: Piney hops, dirt, mango, peaches and caramel malt. Tropical citrus and a mild "earthiness" too. The nose screams IPA/Barleywine hybrid. 4/5

Taste: Much maltier than the nose led on, but still decently hoppy. Lots of "dirty" and "earthy" caramel malt flavor throughout with overlays of forest-y hops. Faint onion. 4/5

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus bodied, modest carbonation. Malty-sweet with a good hoppy kick. 4.5/5

Overall: Super solid "Behemoth" wannabe of an American Barleywine that is about on par in quality with New Glarus' Barleywine (when fresh) from last year. This is an excellent effort from Half Acre, but I still prefer both Double Crooked Tree and Behemoth.

Recommendation: Fans of hoppy, IPA-esque barleywines should give this one a whirl.

Pairings: Thai food.

Cost: $11.99 for a 22 oz (bomber) bottle.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 07:29:04 | More by jegross2

chanokokoro

Illinois

4/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a Half Acre Beer Company branded gold rimmed snifter (their "holiday" snifter)

Pours a dark amber with copper highlights capped with a one and a half finger off-white head. Average retention, little to no lacing. Caramel and toffee on the nose, pineapple, tropical fruit, and piney undertones. Opens with pineapple, hints of mango, joined by caramel malt, appleskin, and biting grapefruit rind bitterness. Spicy alcohol throughout. Full body, moderate to low carbonation. Smooth and lightly syrupy. A very solid American barleywine that was a joy to drink on this late December evening.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 04:57:30 | More by chanokokoro

overnightstorms

Illinois

4.11/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter

A- clear amber red. Decent head quickly dissipates. Beautiful uniform fine lacing. 

S- hoppy, pine forest, alcoholic, sea breeze

T- Interesting blend of a classic alcoholic barely wine flavor with hoppy dry pine aspects. The hops make it very drinkable but not savory. Not a sweet barley wine. 

F- crisp for a barley wine. Less heavy. Fairly dry. 

O- A very hoppy barley wine. Definitely fun to drink, although not quite true to the style (not sure I mind). Doesn't have that slow sipping quality that many barley wines have. All in all, drinks like a double IPA, yet maintains those alcoholic winey aspects. Fun and confusing duality.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 06:11:25 | More by overnightstorms