Hog Heaven Barley Wine - Avery Brewing Company

PicoPapa

Connecticut

3.83/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle. Pours a murky brown with a thin head. Minimal lacing. Aroma is boozey and hoppy. Sweet. Taste is more hops than I expected. Slight warming alcohol flavor but not a real boozey Barleywine. Heavy beer that is certainly a sipper. Overall a hoppy barleywine that is more like Bigfoot than say Olde School. I enjoyed sipping this one and will probably grab one again.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2010 02:11:16 | More by PicoPapa

srw

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +0.8%

06-15-2013 17:44:45 | More by srw

Eaglefan344

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%

06-14-2013 14:56:55 | More by Eaglefan344

BrewmanCapote

Illinois

4/5  rDev +0.8%

06-14-2013 02:39:02 | More by BrewmanCapote

hopsolutely

Ontario (Canada)

3.84/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Not certain how long this has been cellared - at least a couple of years - but the barley wine character has definitely been maintained. Boozier flavours than I would choose, but appropriate for the style.

Bottle pours a beautiful golden amber colour, albeit with limited head or carbonation. Malt-forward aroma includes definite barrel tannins. Hops have faded in the body despite the decently bitter finish, albeit not as dry as I'd expected with the 104 IBU listing on the bottle. Caramelized malt start transitions to caramelized tropical fruit and that nice bitterness, with a good malt backbone and the alcohol burn in the finish.

Barley wine is not my favourite style, but believe this to be a good example.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2013 01:56:27 | More by hopsolutely

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.94/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark orange color, off white head. Leaves plenty of lace down the glass. Aroma of sweet malts, light fruits, citrus, earth, wood. In the flavor, lofty sweetness balanced by a dry earthy bitterness. Too substantially malty to be considered a big double IPA, which is what I first was thinking, It fits the bill of American Barleywine. Full bodied, syrupy feel. Alcohol is present in the taste and feel. Drinkable, though it manages to be rather bitter and quite sweet at the same time, not perfectly balanced. Overall definitely a good hopped up Barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2013 00:20:01 | More by Stinkypuss

superfriend

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

06-11-2013 19:39:26 | More by superfriend

Matthewpakula

Illinois

4/5  rDev +0.8%

06-11-2013 18:57:03 | More by Matthewpakula

jarrgal

North Dakota

4/5  rDev +0.8%

06-10-2013 12:08:07 | More by jarrgal

timontheroad

Colorado

4.25/5  rDev +7.1%

06-09-2013 03:43:39 | More by timontheroad

metter98

New York

3.96/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is hazy reddish brown in color. It poured with a finger and a half high beige head that died down, leaving a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface and a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Sweet aromas of caramel malts arepresentbin the nose along with notes of pine resin hops.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and also has some notes of toffee.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a little sticky on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. A bit of warming from the alcohol is also noticeable.
O: This barleywine isn't too difficult to drink given its strength and that the alcohol doesn't stand out in the taste.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 22:10:40 | More by metter98

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.86/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A: Pours a lightly hazy golden amber in color with some light amounts of visible carbonation and some orange + copper highlights. The beer has a finger tall foamy light beige head that slowly reduces to a medium sized patch of very thin film and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Upfront there are moderate amounts of sweetness likely from candi or brown sugar and the malts. There is a light to moderate aroma of pine hops.

T: Upfront there are moderate to strong flavors of caramel malts with some light toffee and more moderate brown + candi sugar sweetness. Moderate flavors of pine hops which contribute a light to moderate amount of bitterness which fades relatively quickly.

M: Medium to full bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly creamy. Light amounts of alcohol warming and dryness in the finish.

O: Kind of feels somewhere between a very malty DIPA and an American Barleywine - more hoppy flavors than expected for a barleywine and a little too malty for a DIPA. Interesting and complex but maybe not one that I would run out to get again.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 22:10:39 | More by dbrauneis

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -11.8%

06-08-2013 15:01:10 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

megamass

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +0.8%

06-07-2013 04:56:04 | More by megamass

bilhelm

Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%

06-06-2013 20:26:42 | More by bilhelm

KDE

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%

06-03-2013 13:44:46 | More by KDE

maxwelldeux

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

06-03-2013 01:22:33 | More by maxwelldeux

Kuaff

Alaska

4.56/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured at cellar temperature from a bomber into my trusty old snifter.

Hog Heaven's got a frothy, one-finger head (with pretty good retention) and kind of a hazy mahogany body. Looks like a barleywine, all right.

It smells like dank, grassy hops, caramel malts, lemon, and orange. Also a subtle hint of prunes. A fantastic, complex aroma.

The taste delivers lots of what's in the aroma. There's a little bit of the caramel-like sweetness when it first hits my tongue, but then the "zing" of intense, bitter hops and lemon takes over. 104 IBUs. I believe it. I taste it. I love it. Outstanding bitterness permeates a single sip, from beginning to end. It's kind of like a real malty DIPA. Such substantial hops here... it's one of those beers that makes my mouth water between each sip. Succulent.

It's got kinda lazy carbonation and a thick body. I'm diggin' it.

This has to be one of the hoppiest barleywines out there. It goes beyond the bitter hops limit of the average barleywine, and beyond pleasant. This beer is ultra-pleasant.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2013 23:52:46 | More by Kuaff

bushbeer75

Michigan

3.96/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

poured from a 1pt. 6 oz. brown bottle into a snifter

Avery Hog Heaven Barleywine Style Ale poured a hazy dark auburn color that formed a nice [3/4 finger] bubbly khaki head that had good staying power while producing nice lacing. The nose was first hit with dry hops and a lot of them - citrus, grapefruit dominates with very little malt detected. The taste, like the nose is dominated by bitter hops that are of pine and grapefruit with a [very] slight caramel malt sweetness in the background. Mouthfeel is to the full and smooth side, a little oily with alcohol lightly tingling the tongue and a lingering hop bitterness.

I purchased Hog Heaven in March 2011 making it an estimated 2-years old. I am surprised at how much hops are still present in the nose and flavor.

I should mention that I am not a big hophead so this lowered the drinkability for me. However, if you are a hop lover, then you will love Hog Heaven - especially if you drink it fresh.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2013 16:37:34 | More by bushbeer75

jl28r1

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

06-02-2013 03:01:48 | More by jl28r1

lonewolfcry

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%

06-02-2013 01:47:15 | More by lonewolfcry

DenverBigRed

Colorado

4/5  rDev +0.8%

05-31-2013 23:15:35 | More by DenverBigRed

Geno206

Washington

3.25/5  rDev -18.1%

05-31-2013 04:35:58 | More by Geno206

SHODriver

California

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

bottle dated 12?53

A: pours a deep reddish brown with a quarter inch of dense tan head that fades to a collar around the edge of the snifter
S: smells of caramel, toffee pine and citrus
T: caramel up front with some piney and earthy hops, slight citrus rind and a bit of toffee toward the back end. decent sweetness throughout and the hops aren't over the top. swallow brings some oily earthy and piney hops with a sweet citrus finish
M: full in the mouth with soft and slightly prickly carbonation, finish is oily hops but a little drying
O: A very solid American Barleywine from Avery. good hop flavor and a good bit of malt backbone to balance. could have used another 6-12 months imo but still very good

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2013 03:26:53 | More by SHODriver

CCutch

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +0.8%

05-29-2013 17:18:01 | More by CCutch