Hog Heaven Barley Wine - Avery Brewing Company

AmitC

Indiana

4.51/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22 oz bomber.

Color is deep amber with ruby hues. Over three fingers thick off white colored head with excellent retention power. Awesome lacing on the sides. Very beautiful looking. Calm. Translucent.

Aroma is just beyond awesome. Strong hop flavors. Pine and resin hop character. Heavy malts. A lot of warmth and some alcohol is apparent. Strength is strong and powerful. Fills the nose with overwhelming intensity.

Taste is brilliant as well. Very good amount of bitterness provided by intense hops. Malt does a balancing act and provides the old ale flavor. Earthy and ground hop character. Piney and resiny feel is present in abundance as well. Finish is bitter. Bitterness is strong. One of the most bitter Barleywines or any ale for that matter, I have had.

Mouth feel is medium to full bodied. Oily character but with a much fuller body due to heavy malt content. Nice texture. Strong and powerful. A bit astringent.

One hell of a beer. This is a gem. Find it and drink it. You will love it if you like DIPAs, barleywines or hop forward beers.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 15:01:06 | More by AmitC

stcules

Italy

3.93/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Muddy brown appearance, with an average beige foam.
In the smell a good maltiness, and biscuit, with american hop notes, citric, and a good amount of candy orange.
A good citric hop, perceptible bitterness, but not too intense.
Biscuity malt, hop, again candy orange in the taste. Then hop, with a resinous touch.
The bitterness is here, but very well balanced by the malt sweetness. Some ripe apricot note.
Hoppy aftertaste, resinous and piney, long, but still balanced and plesant.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 19:08:46 | More by stcules

MNishCT77

District of Columbia

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz. bottle purchased in the greater Washington D.C. area in Fall-Winter 2012-3, likely 2012 vintage but no birth date, poured into a 3Fs Teku long-stemmed glass, drank 3/29/13 over ~one-two hours (big time sipper!).

A: 4.5 - beautiful mahogany brown coloration, minimal clarity with hop haze, white-tan frothy two finger head lingered the entire session and regenerated with each swirl, huge alcohol legs

S: 3.75 - pine, resiny, grapefruit mixed with big time booze, bready, toffee and tobacco flavors become more substantial as it warms; I'd be curious to see just how big the hop aroma can be with a fresh bottle but my bottle was dominated by booze!

T: 3.5 - heavy bitterness on the anterior tongue with grapefruit and pineapple flavors that don't really impress me; once it settles into the taste buds, however, it's the alcohol that hits, sticks and lingers; again, some caramel and toffee flavors are detectable too but are mostly overwhelmed by the booze

M: 4 - big body, chewy, high carbonation for style --> a definite sipper from a snifer around a fireplace with a good book

O: 4 - above-average American barleywine that set the temper for the American example for style with Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot; Bigfoot is definitely a better beer up-front and probably ages better too; unfortunately, Hog Heaven is one of those beers that would have been considered world class 10-15 years ago but has been pushed to the back of the bus by better American examples like Firestone Walker's Scucaba or 3Fs's Behemoth; I wouldn't buy this one again unless superfresh for the big hop presence

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 03:48:03 | More by MNishCT77

cjoc83

Pennsylvania

4.04/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bomber purchased from Wegmans for $6.99. Pours a slightly hazy, deep copper color with a little over a fingers worth of beige head that has decent retention. Wisps of lace.

A lot of caramel in the nose, complimented by an earthy, floral hop note. Slight booze, slight toffee.

Definitely unlike any barleywine I've had before, and that's not a bad thing. Lots of sweet caramel malt with a really unique, almost sweet floral hop profile that meshes really well with the abundance of caramel and toffee. Not a lot of complexity, but damn tasty.

Full bodied with soft carbonation. Slightly slick. Some definite warmth going down from the alcohol, at times it feels a little too hot. A great sipping BW though.

Overall, I'm super hyped that my Wegmans finally started carrying Avery bombers. This is a really delicious dry-hopped barleywine, and at $6.99, it's a helluva deal. A little hot and not the most complex brew out there, but I'll definitely be picking up some more of this.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 01:27:13 | More by cjoc83

mscudder

Georgia

3.71/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Served in a snifter.

A - Crisp, deep garnet hue with a sizable ivory head. Nice retention with average lacing.

S - Hops, light sweetness from malts and some vanilla. Quite mild.

T - Lots of hops for a barleywine. Some caramel sweetness. Bitterness is big, accenting the beer nicely.

M - Moderate+ carbonation atop a medium body. A bit thin for what I prefer in this style.

O - Light boozy warmth is paired with some simple characteristics. Not in love with this one, but not bad if you are looking for a different way to appease a hop head.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 04:08:57 | More by mscudder

hackmann

Michigan

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

Appearance: dusty caramel body with a light beige head that leaves some sheets of lacing on the glass. The lacing clings to the glass though-out the whole bottle.

Aroma: aromatic hops with a nice floral touch and light red grapefruit; sweet caramel malt; lightly toasted grains; overall very nice bouquet

Flavors: sweet red grapefruit with a hint of orange and a touch of floral hops, nice earthy yeast, lightly toasted grains, faint caramel, marble bread – wheat and rye,

Mouthfeel: light carbonation, light rye spice and toasted grains linger on the palate, somewhat sweet with the dry hops adding a good balance, smooth feel, the alcohol was not a big factor – maybe adding some spice but, it was not boozy. Full-medium

To the Point: a very tasty Dry-Hopped Barleywine-Style Ale if that is what you want to call it. This is easy to drink – I need to slow up

This Ale would be nice to pair with a nice earthy style cigar, which I did on the second half of the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 21:46:27 | More by hackmann

chugalug06

Colorado

4.34/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2013

Frothy, foamy, white-ish head, brew is crisp brown with nice clarity. Lacing is near spot on.

Tons of dark, roasty, fruit. Coconut, grapefruit, banana, pine...

Not a sugar bomb. Very nice, smooth, roasted almonds, well blended, thoughtful, Vanilla, pine, nutty, caramel. A bit on the thin side, but well (light) carbonated with elegant sweetness and near to no harsh bite. Yet, nice smooth bitterness.

Highly recommended, plus this one ages with the best of them... Try it if you got it! Hop Heaven...

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 02:02:16 | More by chugalug06

dsmcva00

Alaska

3.63/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours red into my snifter. Mediocre head quickly thins to lacing. Smell of hops and earth, average carbonation. Yeasty taste overpowers the hops but the thick mouthfeel belies the subtle maltiness. Honey and caramel round out the taste sensations because the alcohol is quite hidden. At 104 IBUs (according to the label), I expected much more hop forwardness but the hops are very balanced against the malt and yeast, which lingers on the back of the tongue/roof of the mouth.

Overall I was quite unimpressed, expecting a real thick hop bomb and instead getting a heavy heavy yeast taste followed by some hoppy bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 02:47:09 | More by dsmcva00

Ranz

Texas

3.66/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A: In my chalice glass, the barleywine has an amber-brown tint with head that dissipates quickly. A nice clearness makes it

S: Incredibly sharp hop with hints of licorice, caramel, pine, and even absinthe. It's got character. Do I hint some pepper as well? One of the most unusual aromas ever here.

T: The bitterness is crazily forward here. There's some sort of spice here, too, and I can't quite place it. You could even argue that there's some vegetable hints here. It's quite unusual.

M: Since it's dry-hopped, it definitely has a quick finish, but the bitterness continues to let its presence be known.

O: Although it's not quite as great as I first remembered when I had it, this beer certainly does a lot right. It was one of the first craft beers I ever had, and it played a good role in moving me toward great beer. For that reason alone, it holds a special place in my heart.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 02:48:33 | More by Ranz

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.4/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a Surly Darkness chalice.

Appearance: Pours a deep brownish amber orange with a moderate amount of bubbles. About two fingers of off white head that slowly fade into a thin creamy layer. Leaves a lot of lacing around the glass.

Smell: A very hop forward and earthy aroma with a solid malt backing. Herbal and citrus hops upfront with hints of grapefruit, orange peel, tangerine, pineapple, and lemon. Nice floral and dank scent of pine resin and grassy hops. Light hint of burnt sugar. Big malt background with hints of caramel, biscuit, toffee, and yeast. Smells big, rich, juicy, and bitter.

Taste: Like the smell indicates, a big in your face taste of floral and juicy hops with a solid presence of sweet caramel malt. Upfront is a strong mix of floral, herbal, and citrus hops with notes of grapefruit, orange, tangerine, lemon, and pineapple. Lots of grass and spicy pine resin. Solid taste of sweet bready malts with notes of caramel, toffee, biscuit, yeast, and toast. A little burnt sugar sweetness is also detected. A very big and good taste.

Mouthfeel: Body is on the heavier side of medium with a moderate amount of carbonation. Very juicy and spicy. Fairly sweet but finishes dry. Alcohol is hidden pretty well.

Overall: A very good American style Barleywine. Very good mix of hop flavors. One of the more hop forward Barleywines out there.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 07:29:27 | More by MattyG85

MickeyBeer

Illinois

4.09/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle poured into a snifter glass- couldn't find a date on it

A- Pours a beautiful deep orange with about a finger of light tan head. Good amount of sediment can be seen. Leaves some nice lacing on the glass.

S- I get an earthy aroma from the hops up front. Can also smell sweet malt aromas along with honey.

T- A nice bitter flavor that is balanced with some sweetness. Has some nice caramelized and honey-like flavors to go with a nice hop bite. Not overly sweet in my opinion. The 9.2% alcohol is hardly present in the taste and I was surprised at how smooth this barleywine is.

M- Medium mouthfeel with little carbonation. Well balanced and tasty all the way through.

O- One of the better barleywines I have ever tried. Very smooth and well balanced. I would like to have it again.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 01:00:40 | More by MickeyBeer

JamesShoemaker

New York

3.95/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

2010 vintage poured into a snifter. My bottle shop had both 2010 and 2011 (no 2012), so I deferred to the older bottle.

A - pours a hazy amber, big head produced on a forced pour. Visible sediment, lots of foam and lacing down the sides of the glass. Pretty standard BW look, dark orange.

S - familiar smells of caramel, honey, and a little hop on the end. No evidence of the sugar or sweetness usually accompanying BW smells.

T - standard. The hop profile carries throughout the taste and dominates it. There's a little sweetness in the aftertaste, but the caramel and honey has pretty much died in the age. I can't expect that this was properly cellared, but I can't imagine that good cellaring would have improved 2010 Hog Heaven by that much.

M - really succumbs to the syrupy taste that most BWs suffer from. Strangely, this beer is ultra carbonated even after a couple years.

O - Hog Heaven is a completely decent BW, but it's not something I would seek out regularly.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 00:26:46 | More by JamesShoemaker

SerialHiker

Illinois

4.44/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Pours a dark auburn/ruby/red with a touch of caramel brown…like khaki color head formed, about a pinky thick and stayed…fairly transparent, not a lot of bubbles…nice lacing…(4/5)

Smell: Hop forward, earthy/piney hops…caramel malts also apparent…very earthy, woodsy, damp forest smell…I get a little bit of pepper spice in the background…it’s nice, but it’s not overly aromatic…(3.75/5)

Taste: Earthy, mildly citrus, mildly robust hops (Columbus) up front with a bit of peppery spice kick…kick is mild, but noticeable and adds value to overall package…I also appreciate the hops being so bold because it helps me identify that variety in the future, my tongue and brain will remember this for the future…mildly sweet, caramel malts blend effortlessly into the initial flavor, really rounding off everything nicely…some piney, floral hops bitterness in the after taste…(4.75/5)

Mouthfeel: Medium body, medium carbonation…it carbonates nice, providing a caramel fluff splash across my palate that is sweet and endearing…it’s a little watery, but I think that makes it more drinkable and works well here…it could be syrupy and I’m glad it’s not…plenty of earthy/woodsy/robust hops bitterness all over the palate, not overpowering, just a reminder of what is and was…(4.5/5)

Overall: I really like the beer…I wasn’t gonna do a review, just sit back and watch some football and enjoy a good beer, but this one brought me to the computer…it’s very flavorful, refreshing and I definitely could have more than one of these in a session, even though it’s 9.2% ABV (which there’s little to no sign of)…it’s not a heavy sipper, it’s a relaxing, watching football in the comfy chair kinda of brew…this style is perfect for cellaring and I’m definitely gonna buy at least 2 of these for later…I can imagine the caramel malts sweetening up and really changing the overall profile flavor of this brew…as it says, it’s a beer for beer aficionados…very good, very drinkable, I couldn’t recommend this more…another winner from Avery! (4.5/5)

P.S. I had to come back and give the taste score an additional .25 after about an hour of doing this review…the flavor is really good, even as it warms…this thing deserves to be in my top 10…

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2013 01:51:57 | More by SerialHiker

Hawksfan79

Washington

4.55/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Glass used: snifter

This beer is a dark amber with an energetic white creamy head.

The nose is a floral hops smell and a strong caramel aroma.

This beer has a delicious candy flavor followed by a moderate hops taste, and a sweet malty finish. Also I got alcohol warming as I breathe in through my mouth and let the air come across my tongue.

A medium to full body mouth feel with a creamy texture that coats your tongue.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 06:43:14 | More by Hawksfan79

chanokokoro

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a Avery Brewing branded snifter/short stemmed tulip

Pours amber with garnet highlights capped by a one and a half cream head. Caramel and pineapple, some floral notes make up the nose. The taste follows the nose, semi dry finish. Full bodied, low carbonation, fairly smooth and syrupy. Overall a solid American barleywine and a solid choice if you're in the mood for the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 06:39:39 | More by chanokokoro

SportsandJorts

Michigan

3.18/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Type: Bomber
Glass: Snifter
From: ml. on woodward in Birmingham, MI
Price: $8.99

appearance- deep amber color a little bit murky. starts with a two finger head that recedes to a lacing and some retention along the surface

smell- hops and lots of them, citrus and floral. maybe a tad of alcohol and some sweet malts

taste- dominated by hops again. floral first and citrus later. some caramelly malts that are masked by the hops. a touch of alcohol in the finish. very bitter and a bit too unbalanced for me.

mouthfeel- creamy and pretty full bodied. medium carbonation. warming sensation after sips.

overall- this beer isn't bad but it just doesn't do it for me. the hoppiness is a bit too much and takes away from the strong malts that i would prefer in this style. i would like to try this with a year or so of age to see how it balances out.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 20:55:07 | More by SportsandJorts

Flounder57

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle was poured into a snifter.

Appearance: This beer poured an off white head that reduced to a thin layer and left some nice lacing on the glass. It is a traditional murky orange amber color with slow moving bubbles coming up the glass.

Smell: Toffee, caramel, grapefruit, tangerine, citrus, and the super sweet malts make this beer the bomb.

Taste: All of the above with a lot of lingering bitterness due to the high IBU's and dry hopping. This takes away away the malt bomb characteristics that barleywines are known for.

Mouthfeel: Silky smooth, super malts, low to medium carbonation, full bodied, and bitterly delicious.

Overall: Pretty solid barleywine. Even though the high bitterness takes away from traditional characteristics, this was still an enjoyable brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 20:20:30 | More by Flounder57

Aaron_Ramson

California

3.86/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Purchased this along with Aleworks Old Numbskull for a beer club barleywine party. While better than some of the competition, I wasn't 'wow'ed by this. The hop bitterness seemed to actually detract from the dark, rich flavors instead of complement them. While still tasty, the clashing flavors don't do justice to how good this could have been. Maybe a different variety of hops? Fuggle or Goldings, maybe something less aggressive. I feel that this may have been a young bottle. Curious to think what a cellared bottle would mature into....

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 21:49:47 | More by Aaron_Ramson

BucannonXC5

California

4.28/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Type: 22-oz. bomber
Glass: My Firestone pint glass
From: Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido (San Diego, Calif.)
Price: $7.49
Misc.: N/A

Poured a reddish amber color with two fingers of khaki tan head. Good amount of wet, foamy and uneven lacing on the sides. Nice layer of retention that stayed throughout.

Smelled a complex mix of hops and malts, which really worked well together. Specifically got floral hops with a potent bitter bite and caramel sugary malts. Some lingering citrus hops (orange, tangerine) late.

Got floral hops up front, immediately followed by a strong alcohol bite of barleywine. Light citrus hops (tangerine).

Medium body. Creamy texture. Lively (above average) carbonation. Long, bitter, warming finish.

Just an outstanding beer. A hoppy barleywine. This will not be the last time I have one.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 07:50:50 | More by BucannonXC5

dgilks

Australia

4.33/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Bottle thanks to Dan in the Aussie BIF. Cheers!

Pours a cloudy amber colour with a small, tight, off-white head. Fair head retention.

Excellent balance of malt and hops. This is a true American Barleywine in the sense of a sweet IIPA type beer. Very nice.

Massive malt and hops with a firm but not overwhelming bitterness. Great Caramel note. Clean citrus and grapefruit. Very nice.

Medium-full body with moderately-low carbonation. Excellent.

A big, bold Barleywine. Great hop character that works with malt really well.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 08:33:28 | More by dgilks

tigg924

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had on tap @ Driftwood, Plymouth. Poured into a tulip glass

Appearance: red-brown in color, 1/2 inch head, clear, moderate carbonation

Smell: piney and citrus hops, toffee and earth

Taste: Follows the nose piney and citrus hops, toffee, earth, with caramel

Mouthfeel: medium bodied for the style, low carbonation, sweet start with bitter middle and dry bitter end

Overall: An enjoyable American barleywine. Plenty of hop flavor to go around with some stick sweet malts. Not the first American barleywine I would reach for but it is pretty tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

11-29-2012 14:39:47 | More by tigg924

TheBrewo

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

We pour a brew of rich ruby cider. It holds a head of one and a half fingers, showing a brownish, eggshell coloring. This retains only slightly, leaving stripes of lacing down the glass. Massive bubbles come back with a light swirl, giving it a voracious look. A big aggregate takes up half the surface, with spots of film bubbling off the top. Carbonation appears light, rising slowly in this somewhat syrupy brew. Haze is thick, obscuring clarity. No sediment is noted. The nose is soft but aromatic. The malts take the form of thick caramel, with hearty sweetness, and a gentle backing of souring yeast. With warmth comes nice buttery warmth, light oakiness, bittering citric hops, and sweetness to cut as guava and passion fruit sugars. Our first impression is that it tastes very much like it smells, which is nice, but the grain does take on a surprising chalkiness. As we sip, bittering hop bite comes off the bat. This is in the form of citric flesh and rind, with a significant pine and resin. There is an equally as robust balance from those same rich, caramel malts from the nose, affording an opening sugary twang to play off the initial push from the 100 IBUs. The buttery quality is also apparent from the start, adding depth to the sweetness of the malts, while simultaneously adding a seriousness. These blend to the peak, where lemon flavoring comes in, with a breakfast tea tannin quality. This adds further to the bittering hops, which also enhance, giving grapefruit, and a soap, that permeates to the finish. Here we wash with stronger citrus, grainy chalk of malts, balancing cooked caramel sweetness, with cooled, peppery booze. Butter, again, adds to the malts, making for a true finishing balance. The aftertaste breathes of bittering lemon, bittering soapy hops, chalky grain, metallics, fusel booze, and a mustiness of a cabin’s basement. The body is fuller, and the carbonation is medium. There is nice slurp, smack, cream, and froth to each sip, with a cool coating around the mouth and palate. Eventually, the mouth is dried with that same tea-like astringency. The abv is appropriate, and the beer sips rather easily.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the depth of flavoring through the nose and the following taste. There were the added niceties of butter, wood, and vanilla, all of which were highly inviting, warming, and comforting. The stark bitterness from the hops struck an interesting contrast to this great malty base, making for a truly balanced, but unique and interesting tasting.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 17:39:59 | More by TheBrewo

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.8/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap in a 10 oz chalice glass

Appearance – Served a slightly hazy honey brown color with a little bit of reddish hue. Upon serving there was a one finger cream colored head that faded to leave a decent level of lacing.

Smell – The aroma was heaviest of a caramel and toffee sweetness. Mixed with these sweeter aromas are a lighter bready smell, some citrus hop aromas and a light boozy smell.

Taste – The taste starts out with a strong biscuit and bready base with some of the caramel sweetness that was detected in the nose. As the taste advances further some of the caramel diminishes as hop flavors begin coming to the taste profile. Grapefruit and pine hop flavors begin the hop profile but are soon joined by some earthy hop flavors as well. In the end some alcohol flavors meet up with the lightly sweet and somewhat hoppy flavors of the brew to leave a warming hoppy flavor to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer was just above average in terms of creaminess with a carbonation level that was on the slightly lower side. Pretty nice for the style, the hop flavors, and the light alcohol burn at the end of the taste.

Overall – Not a bad brew. A, not too sweet or too boozy, barleywine. It isn’t a powerhouse of flavor like some barley wines, but has its place as a more subtle but pleasant barleywine.

Serving type: on-tap

11-06-2012 01:08:19 | More by Darkmagus82

PacNWDad

Washington

3.6/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 25.4oz bottle into a goblet. Rich, mahogany color; slightly cloudy. Great color overall. Dots of foam cling to the side of the glass. Not much head, just a thin bit with more at the edges. Aroma is quite herbal and floral with lots of hops leading and finishing. Caramel and malt in the middle, with some corn and molasses and some vegetal notes almost like squash or pumpkin. Quaff begins sweetly, with bitterness of the hops coming in toward the end. Very feel mouth feel, some heat from the high alcohol content. Overall, very interesting and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2012 02:56:32 | More by PacNWDad

JamesMN

Minnesota

4.35/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I've never had a Barleywine so I figured it was about time. Bought a bomber of this because the other beers in the Avery line have been very good.

Appearance: Completely opaque honey hue with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly but looks to be leaving some nice lacing.

Aroma: A nice balance here. Some citrusy/earthy hops with a touch of alcohol and malt.

Taste: Like this one from the first sip. A malt bomb of caramel and slight breadyness with an unmistakable hop presence. Citrus and pine hop profiles wash over your palate and leave you with a dry finish. I expected this one to taste similar to the American Strong Ale style and I was right. The dry-hopping gives it that great hop profile to match the huge malt bill. The 9.2% ABV is practically nonexistent until the finish when you get a nice warmth from it. I can't say I taste the 104 IBUs but I'm sure it's because dry-hopping bumped that number up without actually causing much bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied but drinks like something smaller. Not syrupy or sticky which is good. Nice carbonation and a genuinely smooth and drinkable experience.

Final Thoughts: I guess I'm not surprised, but this one really came through with great flavor. Having never had other Barleywines I can't speak for how it compares, but it is very good in its own right and makes me want to seek out others of the style. Would I drink it again? Yes, I'm planning on cellaring a bottle or two as well.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 23:44:39 | More by JamesMN