Liberation No. 1 - Straight To Ale

kencarman

Tennessee

4.46/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

This is truly an English Barlewine with more focus on the malt: a nice roast, great caramelization and a great malt sweetness. The abv, above 9, is evident but not demanding. Low hops: to be expected with this style. NOT American BW in that sense, for sure. It is a bit high on the abv side for the usual English, but all that's going on here makes that not problematic.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 01:35:49 | More by kencarman

oberon

North Carolina

4.01/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured into an over sized wine glass a deep mahogany with a thin light tannish colored head atop.Aromas are deeply fruity with cherries and raisin notes standing out over top of brown sugar and sweet alcohol,a hint of leather is there as well.A nice full chewey feel to the beer makes it nice a rich and enhances the big malty flavors.Cakey flavors with alcohol dipped fruit coming out nicely,some brown sugar notes lend more sweetness but it's not overly sweet.This is English to the hilt flavor wise with the hops being minimal,a sipper but a very good one at that.

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2013 21:10:03 | More by oberon

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Liberation Barley-wine Straight to Ale, Blue Pants, Yellowhammer. 9% ALC. VOL. English-style Barleywine Ale. A Series of 4 Limited Edition Beers. No. 1. Straight to Ale Brewing, Huntsville, Alabama.

Appearance: dark brown body, small, slimmed dark cocoa-tan head.

Aroma: malt-forward, but rather subdued. Some fruity notes down there. This nose is keeping it close to the vest.

Taste: Bigness, sweetness, malt and dark fruit. Just a hint of hops, and then along comes the booze. It's creeping up there, knocking on the door. Meanwhile, we're getting earthy tones, nutty notes, waves of caramel and cocoa. Not too big, not outsized in the least, and that's what's had me stroking my whiskers.

This doesn't fit the formula of barley-wines as I expect them, or desire them. But, what's wrong with that? It's it's own thing, more refined, and mellow.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 01:48:08 | More by feloniousmonk

sommersb

Tennessee

3.85/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Tasted On: 01-25-2013
Freshness: Not indicated
Packaging: 22 oz. brown bottle, pry-cap
Glassware: Signature glass
Purchased: Single from Midtown, Nashville

A: Pours a dark brown (near black) beer, with some red on the edges when held to light. Head retention is fair, with a decent amount of lace on the glass. Seems a bit dark for a barleywine...

S: First aromas are of malts (with caramel and molasses) and dark breads. Also has some smells of earthy hops and dark, overripe fruits.

T: Very flavorful, the beer is malty and sweet with some boozy presence. Bitterness is low and there's a woody/oak component as well.

M: Full-bodied feel, showing medium amounts of carbonation. Finishes with caramel malts and earthy hops. Balance is clearly toward the malty end of the spectrum.

O: I think this was a very good beer overall, although I think it would benefit from some additional hop bitterness. It's very cool to see the growth of craft beer in my hometown of Huntsville and I'd love to try the other Liberation brews from Yellowhammer and Blue Pants.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 04:17:28 | More by sommersb

richj1970

Alabama

3.94/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from 22 oz bomber into Founder's tulip glass.

A: Pitch black with one finger head and didn't last very long at all. Some minimal lacing.

S: Some sweet malts, but a bit faint.

T: Roasted malts mixed with dark fruity flavors. Almost a toffee or similar note in background.

M: Full bodied and coats the tongue nicely. Alcohol is hidden well, and gentle carbonation.

O: Good beer. Goes down nicely, and very enjoyable. Nice to see the local breweries with a solid product.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 01:12:05 | More by richj1970

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a tulip)
A- This beer pours a dense brown glowing garnet brown at the base. There is at thin film of tan head that fades to a thick ring after a bit. There is a slow microcarbonation that glides up the side of the glass.

S- The clean aroma has notes of dry woody brown malt with a blend of softer malt character.

T- The nougat malt flavor is soft with a hint of dry toffee and some slight sweet notes in the finish. There is a nice cream flavor that comes through as the beer opens. The deep roasted black malt bitter note in the finish mixes with a pine wood hop hint and a faint hint of smoke at some points. There is a nice lemon hop tartness that grows in the aftertaste but stays light.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with no alcohol heat and a nice gentle fizz in the finish.

O- This is a nice beer with good flavor but it is very soft and almost hidden. It is very drinkable and the alcohol is buried but a bit more sweetness or malt richness would really help. I thing this would be very tasty on cask if the English yeast character came through. Thanks for coldchill for this beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2013 14:08:02 | More by rhoadsrage