Imperial Barley Wine Style Ale - Mendocino Brewing Company

grumpygerman

Alabama

3.75/5  rDev +3%

09-11-2012 12:23:48 | More by grumpygerman

nick_asian

Nevada

4/5  rDev +9.9%

05-19-2013 07:06:19 | More by nick_asian

BrausBeforeHaus

Virginia

3.78/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Overall a fine brew.
Picked this 4-pack up for $8.99 at Total Wine. Good deal to say the least.
Appearance can be intimidating, a dark amber with smells that evoke more complex type of drink than you expect for the price.
Taste is satisfying, with your typical English barley wine assortment of dark fruits and malts.
Mouthfeel is complex but not overly heavy. Good finish with a bit of alcohol burn to remind you that you aren't in the kiddie pool anymore.
Overall a good complex barley wine which is both satisfying and drinkable, especially at the price.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 04:41:05 | More by BrausBeforeHaus

SFNC

North Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

04-10-2013 22:28:31 | More by SFNC

cliff1066

Virginia

4/5  rDev +9.9%

02-22-2013 03:33:34 | More by cliff1066

59rockabilly

Kansas

3.25/5  rDev -10.7%

02-17-2013 17:35:45 | More by 59rockabilly

jspaner

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

02-16-2013 01:02:41 | More by jspaner

CFHMagnet

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Pour was a little heavier than average. Got just a bit of head that dissipated in seconds. This left a thin ring around the top of a muted, murky brown body. No lacing is noted.

Smell is of dark fruits and roasted malts. A hint of brown sugar shows up and permeates the whole nose after it warms a bit.

Dark fruit and roasted malt starts off the flavor. Searching for more finds hints of caramel and vanilla. Slightly bitter aftertaste.
EDIT: After this beer warms a bit, dark grape flavors are lightly hinted at the end.

The carbonation is just about right, not too heavy on this. Feel is medium bodied. The back of the tongue is lightly coated.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2013 21:15:45 | More by CFHMagnet

andysk

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +3%

02-04-2013 03:55:45 | More by andysk

muchloveforhops3

Oregon

4/5  rDev +9.9%

01-29-2013 08:29:49 | More by muchloveforhops3

kbuzz

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -17.6%

01-27-2013 21:14:29 | More by kbuzz

AndrewMichael

Virginia

4/5  rDev +9.9%

01-17-2013 00:42:25 | More by AndrewMichael

streetcommander

Virginia

4/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured in lager glass. Beer temp is 56F.

Pours a dark mahogany with tan head. Laces and maintains a foam slick throught the session. Very nice.

Smells of malts, caramel and a hint of spice. Hops are present as well, pine in nature.

On the draw, immediately hit with a lurid bitterness and crisp viscosity, not at all slimy or syrupy. Carbonation is on point, not overly carbonated.

Flavor is full bodied. Malts, brown sugar, caramelized roast drippings, and yes booze. Very well balanced, not at all harsh. Very well done. Very smooth and drinkable at 11abv. One could easily drink 4 or 5.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 22:16:08 | More by streetcommander

buckyp

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

12-21-2012 02:00:33 | More by buckyp

InfernoBoss

California

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

12-16-2012 09:20:46 | More by InfernoBoss

zeff80

Missouri

3.88/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a clear, rich copper color with a one-finger, khaki colored head of short-lived foam. It left little to no lacing.

S - It smelled of sweet maltiness, booziness and floral notes.

T - It was very boozy and sweet. Lots of malt, toffee and caramel.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A medium to full bodied ale with a dry finish.

O - This is a pretty nice barleywine. Strong and very full flavored.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 15:14:58 | More by zeff80

acevenom

Louisiana

3.93/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a goblet. Pours deep toffee brown with a thin off-white head that doesn't last for long. Some light can pass through the beer and I notice some visible tiny bubbles. The aroma is of toffee, malts, dark fruits, and plenty of booziness. The taste follows the nose. There's some grainy maltiness with some hop bitterness in the back end. I get some of the toffee, dark fruits, and plenty of booze. The body is medium to full with moderate carbonation. There's a dry finish. This is a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 23:51:27 | More by acevenom

TheSixthRing

California

2.7/5  rDev -25.8%
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.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 03:04:08 | More by TheSixthRing

irongator

Kansas

4/5  rDev +9.9%

10-20-2012 11:41:29 | More by irongator

RochefortChris

South Carolina

3.15/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Not as good as I thought it would be and I can’t really tell it’s "imperial". Aroma is a bit week for such a strong beer. Mouth feel is nice and chewy as a barley wine should be. Definitely noticeable alcohol presence but with no burn in the throat. Not a bad beer, typical barley wine but one I probably won’t have again.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 19:01:18 | More by RochefortChris

danjw

4/5  rDev +9.9%

10-01-2012 03:34:10 | More by danjw

JAHMUR

Connecticut

3/5  rDev -17.6%

09-29-2012 18:22:59 | More by JAHMUR

Brenden

Ohio

3.45/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The color is a thick, ruddy medium-dark brown, something of a heavy bronze. A tight medium-brown head develops and displays pretty good retention, fading off to a foam that leaves spotty lacing as the beer drops.
Something is lost in the heavy alcoholic presence of this beer. There's not much nuance in the aroma, and a lot seems to be lost as heavy fusel notes and even something akin to rubbing alcohol sit strongly in the front. That said, it isn't terrible; it doesn't go so far as to remind me of paint thinner or terpentine as some heavily alcoholic macros end up going with. The malts base is still there, and I can still get most of the notes I find in the flavor.
What I get in the flavor is a sturdy backbone of darker malts, a big dark fruits sweetness, some caramel, a sugary sweetness (residual sugars?) strong all the way through and, riding alongside the whole way, that big boozy presence. It comes together a bit better in the flavor here. Hops lie underneath the malts, offering a bit of citrus and, to a lesser extent, grassiness.
The body is on the bigger side of medium, not as thinned out for all the alcohol as it could be; in fact, it's almost a little "chewy," so to speak. There's a gentle crispness and a light carbonation throughout.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 16:11:28 | More by Brenden

Hellpop65

Kansas

2.25/5  rDev -38.2%

09-23-2012 23:08:18 | More by Hellpop65

Texasfan549

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%

09-21-2012 01:45:26 | More by Texasfan549