Imperial Barley Wine Style Ale
Mendocino Brewing Company

Imperial Barley Wine Style AleImperial Barley Wine Style Ale
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From:
Mendocino Brewing Company
 
United States
Style:
American Barleywine
ABV:
11%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.67 | pDev: 13.08%
Reviews:
95
Ratings:
217
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 10, 2018
Added:
May 29, 2010
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  24
No description / notes.
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Ratings by TheSixthRing:
Photo of TheSixthRing
Reviewed by TheSixthRing from California

2.73/5  rDev -25.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Appearance - Pours a hazy ,dark amber with a 2 finger white head. Average retention. Leaves behind small, spotty lacing.

Smell - Sweet, boozy and a berry fruit aroma.

Taste - Follows the nose. Sweet berry notes, raspberry and blackberry. A hint of grassy bitterness. Heat creeps in near the finish, leaving in it's wake a dry, astringent resonance. Becomes cloyingly sweet, sip after sip.

Mouthfeel - Full-bodied and syrupy. Has a moderate, somewhat bubbly carbonation. Finishes dry from the alcohol heat.

Overall - This is, at very best, an average barleywine. Little complexity, met by a lot of boozy character. Greatly unbalanced, and the unforgiving berry sweetness is matched only by the forwardness of the alcohol. I probably could have finished it, but I found myself not wanting to, so it went down the drain. Would not buy again.
Nov 16, 2012
More User Ratings:
Photo of vikinggary28
Reviewed by vikinggary28 from California

3.68/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Poured from 12 oz bottle into a glass mug. Deep red colour with a beige thick head. Smells of syrup and malts. I'm not a big fan of Barley Wines but this one tastes on the mild side compared to others I've had. Toasty caramel and decent mouthfeel. Not bad at all. Prost!
Apr 10, 2018
 
Rated: 3.74 by Lucnifter from California

Oct 17, 2017
 
Rated: 2.81 by Skabiski from Maryland

Sep 09, 2017
 
Rated: 3.5 by brittanylicious from Indiana

Aug 05, 2017
 
Rated: 3.5 by heysuz from Indiana

Aug 05, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by sisterofba from Maryland

Jul 23, 2017
 
Rated: 3.5 by SonictheBeerhog from New York

Apr 09, 2017
Photo of GlennWB
Rated by GlennWB from West Virginia

4.07/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
B&D 01-2017
Jan 08, 2017
 
Rated: 3.58 by WastingFreetime from Wisconsin

Aug 24, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by TheBeerdedCharmer from Pennsylvania

Jun 19, 2016
Photo of stakem
Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12oz bottle pulled from the cellar that is at least 5 years old at the time of this review. Poured into a tulip appears clear mahogany color with yellowish tan khaki cap 3 fingers strong that fades leaving a full wall of lace.

It smells of burnt sugars - caramel and toffee primarily with a slight mineral edge in the back. This tastes toasty and sweet with grain like caramel, toffee and solvent booze with some minerals like the aroma suggests. A little bit of wet dog character to the finish (i know, thats a weird descriptor but I had to write it since thats exactly what it reminds me of.)

This is medium in body with modest carbonation. An interesting brew that isnt really showing its age. Not sure if I aged this long enough to hit the sweet spot in its potential, regardless not bad.
Feb 03, 2016
 
Rated: 3.97 by Avatar113 from California

Nov 25, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by BigRizz62 from Maryland

Sep 01, 2015
 
Rated: 3.65 by Knapp85 from Pennsylvania

Aug 05, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by Nordbier from Georgia

Jul 09, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by Westyn from Texas

Jun 30, 2015
 
Rated: 4.14 by zotzot from Vermont

Jun 09, 2015
 
Rated: 4.03 by LeeTurner from North Carolina

May 05, 2015
 
Rated: 3.74 by xJMFCx from West Virginia

Apr 25, 2015
Imperial Barley Wine Style Ale from Mendocino Brewing Company
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 217 ratings