Behemoth Blonde Barleywine - Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

bamadog

Kentucky

4.7/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer was the shiz-bom-diggity out of the growler, so I figured it's time to crack a bottle and see if it compares. Review is from notes taken on 7/21/2012 (Happy Birthday to me!), poured from the bottle (2010 green wax) to a snifter.

Appearance: Pour is a dark, coppery/caramel color; starts with a short 1/2 finger, light tan creamy head that fades quickly to nothing but a thin and swirly skim on the surface with a thicker, uneven ring; body is pretty murky, can't see too far into it, but there is plenty of tiny streams of quick carbonation near the sides;

Smell: Despite sitting in the bottle for a couple of years, the hops are still very present - grapefruit and orange peel up front, and perhaps a little bit of sticky pine behind it; as a big barleywine, the malts have big and sweet presence as well -- bit of a butterscotch/caramel aspect, that when blended with the citric hoppiness, I'm reminded of a piece of creamy orange candy. Big and robust, makes me excited to get this beer in my mouth.

Taste: God damn that is one excellent beer. Just like the nose -- huge flavors bombard the palate; plenty of those big bitter hops of the citric and slightly piny nature, and when they blend with those huge malts it is indeed like chewing on a piece of caramel with a piece of orange blended into it; alcohol is present and provides a big of a fusel taste in the back, but the other flavors mellow it out. Freaking fantastic.

Mouthfeel: Thick, chewy and sticky; a big sticky coating is left on the roof of the mouth; gums, teeth and belly are left quite warm and tingly from the booziness.

Overall: Just as good as I remember it, not much difference from the age, still excellent. I would be happy if I could get this beer on a regular basis. Three Floyd's has lost a little bit of fandom from me since I went to DL Day, and their distribution lacks even where they distribute to (sometimes I wonder if they make more than Robert The Bruce), but this is enough to bring me back to their side of the fence. Definitely a sipper, but hell, I'll sip it all night.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 01:22:27 | More by bamadog

DefenCorps

Oregon

3.55/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle, 2008 vintage that I picked up at the brewery at DLD 08.

A beautiful copper colored pour with a dense, beige head that falls off to a disk leaving nice lacing, this is a particularly gorgeous barleywine. The nose is quite nice. Mildly hoppy with citrus and pine notes present and a big caramel malt backbone. Some mint and alcohol are noticeable too. Red delicious apple is noticeable as well. Quite nice!

The palate, however, falls rather flat. Heavy on the crystal malt, this is astringent without (thankfully!) too much sweetness. While the astringency does fade as the beer warms up and has time to breathe, it is initially rather unpleasant. This beer is pretty big and sweet. The hops have faded gracefully, leaving some mild pine bitterness and some citrus fruitiness. The mid-palate has plenty of fruit, with red delicious apples, a little grape, Alcohol does appear on the finish, mildly warming. Full in body, this is soft and lush on the palate. The finish has crystal malt and a mild bitterness. Decent stuff. The alcohol is rather well-hidden IMO. However, there just isn't enough malt complexity to keep this interesting on the palate, nor is it worthy of time in a cellar IMO.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 01:46:33 | More by DefenCorps

wvsabbath

West Virginia

4.38/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Serving Type - 22oz red capped 2012 version.

Appearance - Tanish caramel brown, nice 1 inch foamy head and decent lacing.

Smell - Lots of fruity hops, caramel, pineapple, lemon, grapefruit, some molasses.

Taste - Very hoppy at first sip, loads of piney, grapefruity hops mixed in with some caramel malts,added molasses and spices. Alcohol shows up at the finish.

Mouthfeel - Big, strong beer, hops coat the tounge, along with caramel and spices. The palate gets more hops and some sugars. Aftertaste is hoppy, sweet and carmael.

Overall - God, this really is closer to a ipa then any barleywine ive ever had. Makes me wish i had a bottle or two to age to see waht this becomes in a couple years. Really tasty, loads of flavor and not overly sweet. Price tag was a bit much so if i ever get the chance, ill grab one bottle and cellar it. Worth a drink for sure.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 03:46:48 | More by wvsabbath

Jeffo

Netherlands

3.25/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Another cool beer from Irishgurl4. Cheers for the trade mate!

From a bomber into a snifter.
Vintage: 2012
Red Wax

APPEARANCE: Pours a 1+ finger, medium looking, off-white head with good retention. Color is a perfectly clear burnt orange with medium levels of carbonation evident. Head slowly fades to a good foam cap and clings to the sides of the glass. A slight wisp remains until the end and leaves some nice dots of lacing down the glass.

SMELL: Lots of citrus and piney hops on the nose. Grapefruit is there as well, but mostly piney and grass aromas. A touch of caramel, but very little malt to speak of on this one.

TASTE: A touch of caramel and a hint of piney hops initially, but the beginning is a little lack luster. Flavor really picks up after the swallow, with citrus and lots of piney hop bitterness. Bold and lingering aftertaste of citrus and piney bitter hops, and just a touch of caramel malt sweetness that tries but fails to provide balance. This is flavorful and enjoyable, but it's just a DIPA really.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. A little lighter on the palate than hoped, and only semi-creamy as well. Goes down fine and finishes slightly sticky on the palate.

OVERALL: An enjoyable beer, but there's not much barleywine about it really. It is too hop forward and lacks a big enough malt base to put it in this style classification. Perhaps a couple years of age will do this one some good, but fresh, it's simply another hop bomb of a DIPA. This makes scoring it a tough task, as it was a really nice beer, but was also mislabled. Anyways, this is a beer I'd gladly drink in mass quantities, but not if I'm in the mood for a barleywine. Thanks for the cool beer Irishgurl4. Despite the score, I really enjoyed this one.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2012 18:57:37 | More by Jeffo

Etan

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Vintage 2008 (purple wax). 22oz bottle into a tulip.

A: Pours a beautiful grapefruit red with a nice tuft of off-white foam. Nice lacing.

S: Sweet old citric hop, fruity spice, cherry, apple, molasses, mild yeast, caramel.

T: Moderately citric with a bit of bitterness. Slightly boozy caramel malt, cinnamon bread, hop leaf, cider, cherry. Warming, bready, and sweet in the finish.

M: Crisp carbonation, almost thick-bodied.

O: Even after 4 years the hops are still going strong, although the age has smoothed things out, getting rid of most of the bitterness to let the sweetness come out. Good, but I wouldn't go out of my way to age it.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2012 17:25:35 | More by Etan

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

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

Bomber poured into a snifter
2012 (about 5 months old)

A- Pours a hazy dark orange. A 1 finger off white head with little retention. Big alcohol legs. A lightly colored but classic looking barley wine.

S- BIG fruity smells in this one. Pineapple, mango, apricots, lemon, lime, grapefruit. There is a tiny bit of alcohol. A sugary malt backbone. A strong and strange underlying earthy quality that I cant quite put words on but this is good smelling stuff.

T- A lot of the fruits come through in this one but with the big sugary taste the fruit flavors come in "candied" and its quite magnificent. Malt flavors are somewhat earthy and very sugary, with some slight tones of caramel and bread. Alcohol is here but its not overwhelming.

M- This is a big and thick beer which has a really great feel. It is also flavor packed. A bit of alcohol warming. High carbonation. Bitter aftertaste.

O- Awesome barleywine, A big feel and a big flavor. Another winner from 3F.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2012 02:11:12 | More by TwelveOunces

cosmicevan

New York

3.98/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

surprised to see no review of this one on the books as i've enjoyed it a bunch of times. none-the-less...green wax 2010 bottle, thank you to CruisaC for sending this in a hats off to barleywine BIF many moons ago. enjoyed from the FFF teku glass.

a - brew poured an opaque transparent only to shadows when held to the light mahogany brown. the hard pour yielded a few fingers of head that left chunky lacing all over the top of the glass as it foamed away. quite attractive. the core of the beer was darker than the sides.

s - smell is pretty spot on as well. deep rich caramel and toffee. great malt backbone. whatever hops this beer once had have certainly faded toward the backbone, but i don't mind...smells great.

t - whatever hoppiness seems to have faded in the nose showed themselves in some bittering on the first sip. the star of the show is the toffee malts.

m - a bit heavy on the bitterness and has some syrup in the finish. the heat is pretty well hidden, but feels like a barleywine. medium bodied if not on the lighter side for a barley.

o - this is a nice barleywine, kind of like a bigfoot lite to me. as a fan of barleywines, i've always dug it. the 2 years on this one doesn't seem to have harmed it, but i remember enjoying it more fresh. none-the-less a worthy barleywine from a worthy brewery.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2012 00:58:28 | More by cosmicevan

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Draft offering I assume the most recent vintage served in a half pint glass. The brew appears a copper color hazed with golden coloration around the edges. A finger of creamy tan head appears across the top and lasts with an off-white tinge.

The smell is hoppy with notes of fruity rinds and herbs. Some solvent alcohol makes itself known under the hop character aling with a little bit of mineral aspect. Some pine quality is noticed and lasts into the back of the nostrils long after a whiff of the brew is taken.

The taste is strong and hoppy with oily feel reminescent of the most brutal DIPA offerings. It is bitter and rindy with a toasty grain backing and strong solvent alcohol feel. It is pitty with fruity alcohol and zesty quakity of fresh hops. Quite a warming feel all the way down.

This is a medium boded brew with a modest level of carbonation. It is a bold sipper of a brew but overall is pretty well put together for an american style barleywine. Fans of brutal DIPAs will find love in this offering. Worth a try for sure.

Serving type: on-tap

05-31-2012 18:47:45 | More by stakem

siege06nd

Virginia

3.98/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is the 2011 Ohio version (yellow wax)...

A. Medium copper color with a finger of off-white head. Head settles to a quarter finger ring but has good retention. Pretty good lacing as well. This is a very good looking beer.

S. Sweet, ripe cherries, overripe apple, some fig and plum, faint caramel, and some bitter, spicy hops.

T. Ripe fruit, toasted malt, pine resin and some citrus. Pretty good amount of booze as well. Fruit and caramel flavors are very pronounced. Clean hop-bitterness on the finish and a fairly boozy aftertaste.

M. A little boozy and unbalanced on the finish. Full bodied and moderately carbonated.

O. A solid barleywine, but needs some age to cool off the booze factor a bit. Definitely hop forward, with a lot of spicy, bitter characteristics. It's tempered, however, with the traditional ripe fruit and caramel notes. Pretty good stuff here.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 22:27:36 | More by siege06nd

scottfrie

California

4.23/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2008 Purple wax side-by-side with a 2011 White wax. Thanks for both bottles, HosP!

2008:
A: Pours a deep copper with a thin fuzzy tan head. Good collar, not much lace.
S: I get super sweet notes of grape juice, fruit juices, and tropical punch. The nose on this is crazy sweet like young unfermented wort.
T: Grape juce, sugar, tobacco, a hint of oxidization, wood, and syrupy malts. Hops are all resin and oil at this point. Very rich tasting with a slightly bitter finish.
M: Greasy mouthfeel, slick and very syrupy, low soft fuzzy carbonation, medium body.
O: I actually thought this was a tad too old. It was just too sweet for me to want to age it this long.

2011:
A: Same as `08 but with a larger head.
S: The nose is not as sweet as the `08 and I definitely get more hops. Doesn’t smell as syrupy, no oxidization.
T: Not as sweet either, more leather, seems more bitter, and I get a hint of milk chocolate as well.
M: The mouth is similar but not as sweet or as syrupy.
O: I think one year isn’t enough but four years is too much. I’m going to drink my other bottle with two or three years of age on it.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2012 00:36:07 | More by scottfrie

dcloeren

Texas

4.15/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Blue Wax circa 2009... big thanks to my brother for sharing this bottle with me.

Pours a crisp burnt orange with barely a finger of cream colored head. The head was dominated by the weight of the beer and did not last very long at all.

Pine hops dominate the nose (even in 2012...) sweet caramelized malt, cherries, brown sugar, molasses and more hops make up this nose. Very enticing...

The taste follows the nose. Great sappy pine hops dominate my palate with a very sugary sweet follow through.

Medium in body with just the right amount of carbonation (medium high) to make this a sticky as hell barley wine. Drying and sweet pine hop finish...

Overall, this was a great american barley wine. A little different per FFF's usual antics, definitely a little over hyped but still very good.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 01:42:11 | More by dcloeren

KajII

North Carolina

4.23/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

[Best served in a Snifter]

The pour was a cloudy medium honey copper with a large (2-3 finger) white rocky head that diminished slowly down to a large puddle and collar of foam which allowed for some excellent sheets of lacing.

The aroma was of a caramel malt, pine hops and a moldy yeast with notes of caramel, citrus (grapefruit), dark fruit (cherries) and a slight alcohol tinge.

The taste was sweetly bitter with hints of caramel and dark fruit early on and then progressed into a more pronounced bitterness and mildly acidic with a strong hoppy citrus note and a decent alcohol finish. The flavor hung around for a very long time with a nice hoppy alcohol warming sensation left behind.

Mouthfeel was just below medium in body with an extremely dry texture and a medium carbonation.

Overall an exquisitely well balanced Barleywine with a nice fruity alcohol presence and a big dose of hops...

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 14:50:24 | More by KajII

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks Larry Roush!

Pour is amber, and very tanslucent at that. Initial pour produced a darker than usual off white head.

This thing smells like pine. All pine hops Pine needles, pine cones, and bitter hops. Malt backbone is there, but this thing might be the hoppiest barleywine Ive smelt.

Initially I got loads of pine hops, but it finishes creamy and smooth. Buttercreams and toffee come to mind. The malt bill might be the smoothest beer Ive ever had. Its still a very bitter barleywine at heart. Pine needles and alpha acids from the hops. The only knock I have is the booze. Its comes up cloylingly and becomes warming.

The bitter mouthfeel switches to creaminess and then back to heavy on the hops. The creaminess really coats the mouth, and it feels buttery. Maybe its diacetyl, but it fits.

The best way I can put it: a creamier fresh Bogfoot.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2012 01:06:14 | More by VncentLIFE

StoneTSR

Colorado

4.03/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

APPEARANCE: Pours somewhere between a deep copper and mahogany. The head is a full inch thick and sticks around for a while. Maybe three or four minutes before finally settling. The lacing is decent, but not outstanding.

SMELL: Fairly strong and quite bready. It is not as sweet smelling as I remember it from last year, but some pine, orange and lemon lurk just beneath the bread.

TASTE: Caramel and toffee lead the way with the bread from the nose right behind. The finish is more piney and resinous, very DIPA-like towards the end. A tiny pinch of roasted malt balances out the sweetness and ties everything together.

MOUTHFEEL: Big mouthfeel with medium carbonation and a slight pucker towards the back end. Some bitterness also sneaks in with the finish. It is not only complex in flavor and aroma, but mouthfeel as well.

OVERALL: This is a great Barleywine, but I do have to say I enjoyed the 2011 a bit more (and I did consume it back then as well). This year's offering seemed more boozy and hoppy, neither of which is a bad thing, but I just remember last year's batch going down very, very easy. I know I'll buy this again, but at $18.99 a bomber, it is tough to justify more than a bottle or two.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 22:40:43 | More by StoneTSR

cmadd

Ontario (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2012 red wax

L: Clear red amber sticky spotty lacing with minimal head.

S: Characteristic 3F hopping with some Amarillo, some small back ground sweet nutty malt. Sweet tropical fruits, alcohol. Really nice.

T: Starts with light sweetness and fruity hop flavours, but goes rather quickly to a rough hop bitterness. The finish is hop bitterness with some lingering sweetness/sugar bitterness. Alcohol comes through slightly. I was definitely expecting more hops here.

M: Minimal carbonation, body is pleasantly creamy for a barleywine.

O: It's pretty straightforward American Barleywine (on the sweet side); more or less what I'd expect, but I usually look to 3F to defy expectations, so in that sense a little disappointing. Still, very glad I got to try it.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 18:53:28 | More by cmadd

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle poured into tulip - 2008 vintage, thanks to crushedvol

Pours a slightly hazed brilliant copper red color. Some hues of auburn and gold shine through with decent clarity. Thin beige head slowly fades out into some wispy film and spotted lacing.

There's still a notion of hops in here, surrounded by some citric peel and orange. Bready and malty with some sweet caramel and syrup. Hint of fruit on the back end with a warming alcohol sensation.

Slightly bitter up front with some lingering pine touches. Hints of grapefruit and citrus with a faint fruit sweetness. A touch of cherry before the burly backbone comes through with bread crust and caramel. Slightly sweet, but still balanced with the alcohol warmth towards the finish.

Fuller body, decent carbonation, sticky and lingering on the tongue. Time has done this beer really well - I was surprised to still get a little kick from the hops which worked really well with the rest of the profile. I definitely want more of this.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 20:23:11 | More by xnicknj

Vonerichs

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy red-orage with a huge head that has yellow tint.

It has a tutti-frutti bubble gum scent with sweet caramel. There's a strong herbal and citrus hop presence.

Being the fresh 2012 vintage, I expected much more hops coming from 3F. However, the strong sweet malt presence was a pleasant surprise. That's not to say the hops aren't there because it's still a very hoppy barleywine. They just don't dominate. Citrus and fruity, and again with the bubble gum.

Mouthfeel is soft and sticky, cut with mild carbonation.

It's a top notch barleywine. It's on the hoppy side, but still well balanced.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 03:10:49 | More by Vonerichs

UCLABrewN84

California

4.4/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Skuter for sharing this one with me!

2010 vintage.

Pours a murky honey orange with a tan head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus fruit, citrus zest, brown sugar, and alcohol. Taste is the same with a nice citrus zest flavor. There is a mild bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a very good barleywine with some nice citrusy aromas and flavors.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 02:57:22 | More by UCLABrewN84

cvm4

Mississippi

4.2/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bomber poured into a snifter

A - Pours copper/amber in color and slightly hazy. Has a nice off white head.

S - Orange, grapefruit & pine on the nose. The hops are very present on the nose.

T - Sweet caramel & orange peel at first. The hops shine through a bit on the finish with a lovely lingering citrus taste.

M - Low to slightly medium carbonation. Medium bodied and pleasant on the palette.

O - Per the side of the bottle: "it's not normal." What a great barleywine! There could be a blurring of the lines between an American barleywine & a DIPA. It's not overly complex but, there's not a whole lot of things taking away from this beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 00:26:36 | More by cvm4

Holland

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: deep orange to brown, fairly clear for its gravity, and decent head that dissipates to give a fine lacing and edging.

S: very hoppy, some bitterness, and malty.

T: very malty all the way through and good hop character with bitterness and citrus and pine. No roasted malts, very little alcohol flavor. Great subtle fruity flavor too.

M: great thickness and smoothness even with the medium carbonation and excellent bitterness. It provides a balance not seen in double IPAs.

O: the light malt base made it more of a bitter, slightly dark IPA. Great beer, and I'd love to keep one for a few years to see what happens.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2012 00:28:44 | More by Holland

TheTot

Indiana

4.18/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a pint glass
2011 release

One thing I will say right off the bat that will not effect the grade of this beer but just something to point out. I wish that FFF would have used their normal wax on this beer as this thinner wax flakes and made it very likely that it will get into the beer itself. Having said that, here is the review.

Pours a nice dark amber color with an off white head that has some large bubbles to it as well as the small ones. Takes a few minutes for the head to disappear which is about right. In the smell I get the normal hop characteristics of all FFF beers, which makes for an amazing smell, odd to get in a barley wine but this is FFF after all. After the hops I get a deep and profound sweetness throughout. The smell is up there as one of the most pleasant smelling beers out there. Taste wise this beer is very complex. At first you get a very nice smoothness to it, then you get a hit from the hops like a pale ale, and then it finishes with the sweet alcohol ending like most barley wines have. The sweetness and smoothness fade away to leave the hops that everyone knows and loves about FFF beers to linger on the palate for a while. The mouthfeel is very nice and leaves a residue on the inside of the mouth after consuming. Overall this is probably my favorite barley wine I have had and was intending to age this but was told to drink it sooner rather than later as it loses some of the hop characteristic. I would recommend this beer and next time I will pick up 2 and age one.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 05:57:39 | More by TheTot

chanokokoro

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a snifter

A: Pours a golden amber with a one and a half finger white head which slowly dissipates. Beautiful lacing

S: Fruity aroma of grapefruit, light citrus, combined with a bit of toffee.

T: Pleasing citrus up front transitioning into a creamy caramel maltiness finishing in light biting citrus hops with slight undertones of pine. Just the right hints of sweetness.

M: Very creamy, silky, pleasantly sticky at the perfect times, and finishes extremely smooth.

O: This is a wonderful brew, above average in every respect. It is so drinkable and dangerous at 10.5% abv. You'll definitely want more than one...

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 07:23:38 | More by chanokokoro

mulder1010

Australia

4.03/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber poured into a tulip
Thanks to Forgetfu for the bottle
Thanks to Mr Kennedy for opening this up
2009 vintage blue wax

A-- Poured a light, clear orange brown color. Looks quite thin for a barleywine. Really nice two finger light brown head. Great body to the head before finally falling to film. Good retention to this as well.

S-- Toffee, orange, grapefruit, pine, and bread. Can tell in smell that the hops have fallen off and the malt is taking over. Alcohol is very well hidden in the nose.

T-- Orange, toffee and bread. Slightly sweet taste and really the last bit that the hops have any impact as still get citrus here and there in the taste.

M-- Slick and sweet. Very full bodied but not coying in the least. Well hidden ABV in the feel as well. Very, very solid. Get slight notes of strawberry with the orange. Lower medium carbonation.

O-- Has to be a hop bomb fresh. Get remnants of the hops but it adds a lot to the beer at this point in time. Scary easy to drink as could drink a bomber of this very quickly.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 12:49:41 | More by mulder1010

tut2528

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into snifter. Pours deep mahogany with about a fingers worth of head formation that dissipates rather quickly

S: huge fruits (predominately citrus and grapefruit) that is complemented by a huge floral hops. Alcohol is present and makes its self more noticeable as it warms.

T: orange peel is very evident and well balanced with caramel malt, and of course more hops. It also has a slight creamy finish that helps tone down the alcohol. As it warms, grapefruit really starts to shine through in the taste.

Overall this beer is very smooth and well balanced, but not all that complex in my opinion. Price is rather steep but I'm glad at least tried it out.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 22:41:31 | More by tut2528

beerbiatchMD

Maine

4.35/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bottle into a wine glass.  2012 Vintage. THANKS rfraga for the bottle.

A: orange brown, opaque, one finger of cream colored head, great retention and lacing.

S: pretty strong earthy hops up front. Behind this is a hint of caramel malt, but predominant smell is hops: pine, floral cannabis.

T: pretty hoppy with a nice background of sweet malt.  Individual flavors include  pine, bitter cut grass, caramel.  Pretty complex but hops predominate, which isn't what I'd expect from a barleywine.

M: Smooth, a bit dry.  Not really any alcohol heat.

O: very good, quite hoppy, certainly a well done beer and highly recommendable.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2012 12:06:07 | More by beerbiatchMD