Small Batch Series No. 3: English Style Barleywine - Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling

Cvescalante

Texas

1.5/5  rDev -58.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

This one was definitely infected. I have high hopes for Ranger Creek. The potential for their barrel aging program seems to be incredible for them, and I hope to see them do well in the future... But as for this beer, it went straight down the drain.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 20:39:23 | More by Cvescalante

videofrog

Texas

2.65/5  rDev -26.4%
look: 2.75 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 2.75

Poured a 12oz waxed bottle into a Duvel tulip. Handwritten bottle date of 10-9-12. Stored at 50 degrees in my wine fridge since Christmas. Rumors of infection for Small Batches 3 & 4. Let's see if I tempted fate by sitting on this for six months.

A: Dark, cloudy orange with a towering off-white 4-finger head. Head takes a long time to settle as it finally settles into a thin rim leaving sticky lacing lines down the glass.

S: Sour and sour. Uh-oh. Brett funk and barrel come through as it warms up. Not much else.

T: Vinous sour note is up front. Earthy/spicy hops muted, but there. Oak and funk in the dry finish. Slight alcohol bitterness that warms as you sip.

M: Thick with the carb a little high for an English Barleywine.

O: Was hoping for the best, but it looks like I ended up with an infected bottle. Too bad, because I think an uninfected bottle would more than likely be a hell of a beer. Totally missed the malt complexities due to infection. I missed SB 1 and had SB 2 on draught multiple times. I still have Small Batches 4 & 5 awaiting.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 22:26:32 | More by videofrog

UCLABrewN84

California

4.01/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to womencantsail for sharing this one at GRG1313’s tasting.

Bottled 10/8/12.

Pours a murky orange with a foamy orange-tan head that settles to a thick cap on top of the beer. Foamy streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is sour and tart with fruit, acidic, and woody aromas. Taste is much the same with a Brett-like flavor on the finish. There is a medium amount of woody bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer that is funky and tasty.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 01:21:40 | More by UCLABrewN84

cnbrown313

Illinois

4.36/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a cork and cage bottle into a snifter.

A - Pours dark orange / amber in color with a small off white head that fades and leaves very nice lacing.

S - I was expecting the typical malty notes of an English barleywine, but that's not what you pick up on the nose at all. Funky, sour, barrel aged notes followed by a little bit of sweetness.

T - Wow! Strong sour / lacto taste up front followed by a sweet finish. You get some really nice barrel aged characteristics in there too from the oak as well as some barnyard funk. The ABV is almost completely hidden too. I had to go back and make sure this was really a 10% ABV beer.

M - The mouthfeel is very light and crisp for a barleywine with vine champagne-like carbonation.

O - I absolutely loved this beer, but it was nothing like what I was expecting. If you don't like sour / funky beers and you are looking for a traditional barleywine, this is not for you. I would really like to see what this beer tastes like after aging for a bit too.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 21:21:12 | More by cnbrown313

champ103

Texas

2.98/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Just about every bottle I have had from Ranger Creek has been off in some way. If not outright infection, always something else. Lets see how this goes.

A: At first crack of the cap this is a small gusher. Not very encouraging. Foamy white head pours out. After a minute the head recedes to a small ring. Light lace is left. The color is incredibly murky and unpleasant orange/reddish.
S: Man, there is a lot going on here. I am not sure if I like it though. At first a huge acidic/sour fruit aroma. Sour apple, peach even. Light toasted malt and toffee. Peppermint and sweet hard candy. A lot going on here that I can't pick out, and does not mesh well for me.
T: Follows the nose. Just so much going on, it overwhelms the senses. A sour and acidic bite up front. Mostly apple skins. Very sweet, hard candy like flavors. Buttery malt peaks through after this warms. Nothing is really bad, just all over the place.
M/D: A medium body and carbonation. Though a bit thin for my tastes. The alcohol is noticeable, though not a big deal. Overall, I am not really enjoying the bottle.

I can't say there is anything "wrong" with this. I can't tell if there is an infection or this the way it is suppose to be. Though like everything else from Ranger Creek this is not as advertised. At worst, infection. At best, just a messy messy beer that has no structure.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 22:28:01 | More by champ103

inlimbo77

Delaware

4.23/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

375ml, Bottled 10/10/12
HF wine glass

A: Pours a deep reddish orange color. Very cloudy. Lots of carbonation. Big two fingers of fluffy white head. Leaves some sticky lacing. Alcohol feet.

S: Smells pretty pleasant. Some slight fruity aromas first. Pulling those English hops. Digging in, get some vanilla/oak character. Some yeasty notes.

T: On the tip of the tongue, you get a bite of bitterness. Fruity flavor. Middle of the mouth you get some of that oak character. Some buttery vanilla flavors. Maybe a slight infection, but it plays well with the other flavors. Dry finish. Booze hidden nicely.

M: Big medium leading to full, with the malts. Easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 14:24:35 | More by inlimbo77

gtermi

Texas

4.38/5  rDev +21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a little bit of a darker golden body with a decent head that slowly fades away and leaves a little bit of lacing on the glass.

S: I am getting a decent amount of sweet malt, alcohol and a little bit of tartness.

T: Wow, this doesn't seem like a Barleywine at all... It's very sour and and almost has a wild ale type flavor. I actually prefer this over your typical barleywine.

M: There is a little bit of crispness on the back of the throat and as it goes down. It does go down with ease.

O: I dont know if this is infected, but dear god I do love the sourness that this beer delivers. I grabbed a few other bottles to see if they become more sour with age.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2013 07:09:12 | More by gtermi

whoneeds8

Texas

4.2/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a tulip glass hazy burnt orange. Great froathy white head. I haven't ever seen a head like this on a Barleywine. Minimal lacing. Scent is strong of oak wood with some orange zest and other earthy tones. The sweetness that I'd expect from a barleywine isn't really there. There's some wild yeast taste to this, like others have mentioned. But in no means does it hurt this beer. It actually is rather nice. There's some toffee and leather flavors as well like a aged barleywine would have. I'd like to get some of the sweet candy malts out of this, but the fact that it's not there also don't hurt the flavor. The mouthfeel is a little thin for the style.

It's a strange barleywine, but it's also a damn good one IMO.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 04:42:37 | More by whoneeds8

roblowther

Texas

3.35/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a tulip glass. I just came off #2. REALLY hoping for an upswing here...It pours very cloudy reddish brown with a very sticky, frothy tan head. This beer looks like its not going down without a fight. Smells of caramel, wood, and citrus. It has just a hint of hops and its making me thirsty. Like those pretzels. Taste is not as sweet as you'd expect. Lots of wood, leather. Not sweet at all, really. Interesting. There is a hint of citrus and flowers up front and then its all men's clothing store from there on in. Mouthfeel is chewy and nicely carbonated, more than I'd expect from the style but I like it. Definitely my favorite of the series. Interesting, but again I can't escape the feeling that they're just trying too hard.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2012 01:46:27 | More by roblowther

starkmarvelo

Texas

3.85/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Ranger Creek Small Batch #3

A- Pour a hazy reddish brown with a huge 3-4 finger off white chunky head. Looks great.

S- interestingly enough, this smells like a sour beer. Getting a lot of sour funk, barnyard, and fruit.

T- so, not sour at all. No funk. A slight touch of red fruit up front followed by good amounts of toffee and caramel. The finish is very biscuity and has a big buttered popcorn flavor. It's not off putting, but still not expected.

M- this is a full, creamy, buttery beer with a good amount of carbonation. Sticky and coats the tongue well.

O- not a bad beer. This is my least favorite of the three Small Batches. The buttery flavor is slightly out of place. The smell doesn't match the flavor in the least. I did notice that the warmer the beer gets, the more fruit flavors come out and the buttered popcorn fades away a bit. It's a very malty Barleywine. Good for cold weather.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2012 01:09:57 | More by starkmarvelo

DRyan

Texas

4.43/5  rDev +23.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottled 10/8/12
Poured in RC Tulip

A: Hazy, ruddy orange with a frothy white head that pops up quickly. It recedes somewhat quickly and laces nicely.
S: Actually smells more like a sour than anything else; pungent wild barrel aromas with some maltiness and some citrus.
T: Its much more inline with a wild ale than what I expected from a Barleywine. Upfront is a little barnyard funk with some malty sweetness, followed by a hit of alcohol (but not in an unpleasant way), and finishing out with a little bitter punch on the end. Very complex. There are fruits (raisins and maybe lemons), toffee, vanilla, a little oak, and a ton of other flavors intermixed. Very complex.
M: Smooth and velvety, the carbonation is there but reserved. Very smooth.
D: For a 10% beer that runs at about $6 a 375ml, this beer drink too easily. Just in this tasting I’ve downed at least a 1/3rd of the bottle and I want it back so I can drink it again. I am really looking forward to seeing how this one will further develop over the years – I am definitely getting at least 3 more to age for multiple years.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 02:20:13 | More by DRyan