Hog Heaven Barley Wine - Avery Brewing Company

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

tdm168

North Carolina

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

A - dark ruby amber with a short-lived, soft, off white head

S - caramel, candy sugar, bread, citrus

T - caramel, bread, sweet, big hop bitterness, citrusy, warming alcohol finish

M - full bodied, well carbonated, dry, a bit boozy

This is complex, malty, hoppy, balanced, and scarily drinkable. The hops are intense and very welcomed. This is an incredibly solid beer with great complexity. It's definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 15:33:28 | More by tdm168

TTAmod

Michigan

3.78/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 oz. bomber with a March 10th, 2012 bottling date poured into a tulip.

A: Pours a ruby-tinged, slightly hazy, apple cider brown color. Head is eggshell white, one finger, with decent retention.

S: There are definitely citrus-y hops present, but the smell is mostly dominated by a super-sweet caramel malt. It smells akin to a malt-forward DIPA such as Hercules Double IPA or Unearthly.

T: The hops are a bit more pronounced in the taste. I'm guessing they used Columbus or Warrior. The hop profile is leafy and raw, yet slightly citrusy and pungent. The malt is definitely there, but not as dominant as the smell would suggest. As the smell led me to believe, this tastes more like a malty DIPA rather than a barleywine.

M: Medium bodied and slightly chewy, as one would expect from a beer like this. No real perception of alcohol at all. Drinkable for 9.2%.

O: This is a classic Avery brew. Good use of hops, even if it's a bit too much (don't believe I said that...I LOVE hops.) I know it's supposed to be a dry-hopped barleywine, but it comes off more like a malty DIPA. Even though this bottle is seven months old, the hop profile is still strong.

Great brew.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 04:18:25 | More by TTAmod

DRyan

Texas

4.13/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

10/21/11
Deep reddish-brown, has a very floral/citrusy smell from the hops. Has nice head that clings to the glass. Taste is odd, but in a good way – it’s like a barleywine mixed with an IPA. Sweet malt hits the tongue first, followed by the bitter hit of the hops. The aftertaste is much like an IPA as well, the hops dominate. Has a velvety mouth feel, and while it is strong, it does not have a strong alcohol flavor.

7/29/12
A: Dark redish brown with frothy white head that lasts, and laces very well
S: Less hops, much more barleywine malt in the nose. Smells sweet
T: Sweet and smooth, the hops are still there but not nearly as pungent as before. Much more reserved hops bitterness, much more sweet malt smoothness. The hops are still apparent in the aftertaste, but not dominant at all, very reserved.
M: Very smooth and velvety. Very light on the carbonation.
D: Much more drinkable. This could go down quick and not even notice the 9+% abv.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 00:22:53 | More by DRyan

Morey

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a nice reddish-brown. Holding this one up to the light reveals more of an red-orange beer with nice clarity. There's about one finger of cream/khaki colored foam sitting on top. It settled pretty quickly, but the retention and lacing in quite impressive!

Aroma: Smells like a big malt forward earthy DIPA. Sticky pine, grapefruit, caramel malts, sugar coated dates.

Taste: There's a nice sweetness up front, but the hops are there in force as well. I'm definitely getting the earthy notes that were present in the nose as well. Big sticky juicy hop character comes full-circle towards the back-end. Plenty of sweet malts and lingering pine-like bitterness on the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body with a sticky feel. Moderate carbonation.

Morey's Bottom Line: I've become more of an English-style Barleywine fan over the years, but this is a great example of what an American Barleywine is supposed to be. It's relatively inexpensive too. Will definitely have agian. Cheers & Happy Labor Day!

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 21:46:23 | More by Morey

tlazaroff

Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The first thing I noticed was how noticeably hoppy this was on the nose. A kind of floral citrusy hop presence is immediately noticed over the caramel backbone that you would expect to be in the forefront.

Hazy dark amber on the eyes. It has a kind of fog in the beer that is pleasant and inviting. No speakable head except around the collar and it's the lightest tan there is. Lacing is surprisingly good considering the alcohol content of the beer.

Hog Heaven is incredibly hoppy for a barley wine, and I found out why (dry hopped) by reading the bottle this time. It tastes so fresh and is bursting with citrus right up front. The caramely malts come through in the finish and aftertaste that makes you beckon for another sip. Carbonation is on the low side with a nice medium-full body. Excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 02:15:19 | More by tlazaroff

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

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

Current vintage poured in to HF stemmed tulip.

A - Murky medium brown with some orange glow around the edges. One finger of cream coloured head that reduced to a ring around the glass with some spotty lacing.

S - A huge sweet caramel and toffee aroma with some very light citrus hop notes in the background.

T - A big bitterness up front that is immediately balanced by a massive sweet malt profile that adds plenty of caramel and toffee flavours. Some citrus notes come through in the background from the hops.

M - Medium body. Light to moderate carbonation. Lots of resinous hop oils.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 16:13:15 | More by TheSevenDuffs

RoamingGnome

Wisconsin

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

From 8/8/12 tasting notes.

Poured from 22 oz bottle into CBS snifter.

A) Dark amber, with 2 fingers of off white head. The head settles to a wispy little cap. Decent lacing too.

S) Nice tropical fruit, light pine, peach syrup, a bit of grass, there's some caramel here too. Nice sweetness on the nose.

T) Pretty close to the nose, but the alcohol is noted, with a little tingle and warmth on the backend. This is a nice balance of sweetness and earthy/grassy hops. Decent aftertaste, slightly warm.

M) Pretty thick, more so as it gets to room temperature, so I'd say it's nearly full bodied. The carbonation is light. Coats the palate with a pine resin alcohol tingle, but not in a negative lingering fashion. Pretty nice...

O) Nice barley wine right here. The alcohol is pretty well hidden, and it maintains an easy drinking feel. The 22 oz bottle definitely helped me ease into the start of a well deserved four day weekend. Glad to recommend.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 17:44:55 | More by RoamingGnome

bassmantin

Illinois

4.48/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Drinking this one fresh, purchased two days ago.

Pours a dark opaque golden brown. Very cloudy. Clumpy tan head.

Smells very woody. Reminds me of the Sierra Nevada Big Foot, which is definitely a good thing.

Taste is very aggressive. Strong woody taste. Very big. Again, reminds me very much of Big Foot. I should get another one of these and age for awhile. One difference is that this one is a little less abrasive. There is a little sweetness coming through, even without any aging. There are some other interesting flavors in there, but I'm not great at picking them out. Maybe bubblegum.

Age it!

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 02:26:54 | More by bassmantin

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.88/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Review from 9/2010 notes. Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a dark orange amber with a nice two finger head that lasts for a while leaving heavy lacing. Strong hop and light malt aroma. Nice creamy body; hops, light malt some citrus. Finishes with hops. Leans towards an Imperial IPA. Could use a bit more malt for balance. A good, but not outstanding barley wine. May be worth aging this to see if it balances out over time.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 20:35:13 | More by LiquidAmber

acevenom

Louisiana

4.05/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a brandy snifter. Pours dark clear caramel brown with a big white head that dissipates very slowly. Plenty of sticky lacing is left behind. The aroma is of resinous piney hops with caramel malts. The aroma is very hop forward. The taste is malty and dank from the hops up front. The malt profile of this beer provides breadiness and some sweetness to this beer. The hop profile is very piney and resinous. It has a nice balance. The alcohol is very well hidden in the flavor. The flavors become much better as the beer warms. The body is medium to full with moderate carbonation. The finish is dry. This is a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2012 00:46:09 | More by acevenom

LeeryLeprechaun

Colorado

3.1/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The beer pours a hazy brown-red with little head. It is a not the most impressive of beers to behold.

The aroma is strongly of hops. Really piney and resin like.

Beer starts off sweet and finishes with a punch in the face of hops. The hops are a little fruity but rather over powering in the finish. Not very well balanced.

The hops kind of overtake everything else and it is hard to make out any other flavors.

Overall: The thing that I like about Barley wine is that you can sip on it for hours. You can spend time detecting each unique flavor as you begin to pull apart everything that went into the beer. Unfortunately this beer is just a mess of hops and alcohol. It is hard to make out anything distinct and the hops leave such a bitter bite in your mouth that even when you are ready for the next sip they are still on your tongue.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 02:03:55 | More by LeeryLeprechaun

DannyDan

Michigan

4.23/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours out a dark reddish orange hue with a foamy whitehead that quickly thins out into a nice lacing and retention. In the aroma i get the caramel, hops, toffee and dark fruits. The taste is a well balanced tastes of hops, alcohol, toffee, dark fruits snd citrus. This beer has a rather dry finish to it and has a thick sticky feel to it and is so far the best tasting barley wine I have tried. Thank you Avery Brewing for this heavenly brew. If there is a heaven and beer is there I know this would be one of them.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 05:55:01 | More by DannyDan

t420o

California

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

Avery Hog Heaven Barleywine

A- pour produces a bug 2-1/2 finger light tan head resting on a cloudy amber body with ruby red hues. 4

Sm- earthy hops, dark fruits, nice malt profile 4

T- earthy and dank hop taste upfront is excellent. The bild malt profile  balances it out quickly and finishes slightly with a slightly bitter hop taste. Also notes of dark fruits, mainly cherry, as well as some toffee and caramel in the background. 4

M- good body and carbonation 4

O- a well done barleywine. Leaves a little to be desired though. 3.5

B+   

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 02:29:23 | More by t420o

BilbosNuts

California

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

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a tulip glass.

A: Pours dark and cloudy while garnet in color. A thick, two fingered, creamy, off white colored head sits on top for quite a while. Spiderwebs of lacing is left behind.

S: Fruity citrus hop profile consisting of orange and grapefruit. Significant piney notes also come through. The caramelized maltiness makes it's presence known as well, providing a nice balance.

T: The taste doesn't match up to the aroma in my opinion. Everything just seems a tad bit muted from what was present in the aroma. Everything is there, just not as bold.

M: Medium bodied with an adequate amount of carbonation. A moderate bitter bite towards the end provides an acceptable crisp refreshing sensation.

O: A solid American Barleywine in just about every aspect. If the taste could match the aroma, we'd certainly have a big winner. As is, it is still significantly above average, just not outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 04:22:26 | More by BilbosNuts

warnerry

Michigan

4.03/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled purchased in June 2010; into a tulip

A - Pours a hazed amber with two fingers of creamy looking tan head. Head has nice retention and leaves spots of lacing all the way down the glass.

S - Caramel and toffee. Some citrus hops are still noticeable, despite the age.

T - Lots of caramel and toffee, and some dark fruits coming through. Similar to the nose, there are still some citrus hops present, and a decent bitterness throughout, but probably nothing like it was fresh. I don't like really hoppy barleywines (though I love DIPAs) so I let this one sit intentionally. Two years on this is definitely tasty and still has a surprisingly nice bitterness throughout the taste.

M - Medium-full mouthfeel with a nice balance of sweet and bitter. Finish is dry with a lingering bitterness. Some numbing alcohol noticeable on the finish.

O - Pretty tasty barleywine, and I am pretty sure that I enoyed this more with the age than I would have fresh, but I would still like to try this fresh, or with less time on it, to compare. While I prefer English style barleywines, if I am looking for an American style, this is a tasty one at a great price.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 01:22:48 | More by warnerry

BostonHops

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle served in a snifter.

pours a mostly clear, deep amber tone with ruby highlights and yielding 3/4" foamy beige colored head. retention is moderate; fair amount of lacing. pretty looking barleywine. strong hoppy presence dominates the nose. lot of citrus (notably grapefruit) with a touch of pine and the indication of a caramel malt backbone. going purely by the aroma i might be inclined to guess that this was a DIPA.

taste follows through with more of the same, though here there's no mistaking you're quaffing a barleywine - a good hoppy american barleywine - and a very tasty one at that with citrus and a little pint pulling through to mingle with the malt characters. a strong hoppy bittness persists through the finish - a bit too strong IMO. well hidden 9.2% ABV. medium-full bodied mouthfeel with lively carbonation.

overall a very solid BW, quite flavorful and very enjoyable. i do think this is a prime candidate for aging, reminds me a bit of SN bigfoot. will be buying this again.

(originally reviewed: 05-23-2011)

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 15:49:03 | More by BostonHops

mactrail

California

3.23/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A seriously hoppy strong ale. Wonderful nose of flowers, fresh straw, and warm barley. Hits a high note of fresh aromatic hops. Bubbly and thick bodied. Very tart on the tongue, between the alcohol and the heavy hops. Orangey amber in the wine glass.

This seems surprisingly acidic for a Barleywine. The hops are so powerful they overwhelm the malt, except for a little sweet aftertaste. Lots of sugary tastes, with caramel and toffee. Hops are more on the dank side, woody and intense. A touch of chamomile and canned peaches. Boozy and verging on the harsh.

This used to be one of my favorites years ago, but I have not tried it lately. From the 22 oz bottle.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 06:04:49 | More by mactrail

ummswimmin

New Jersey

4.43/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I have had this beer a couple times in the past. After my first experience with this barley wine, I have decided to pick it up any time I run across it in the future.

Hog Heaven smells great. You get a ton of sweetness immediately. Then you can really smell the hops coming in. This is a hop-heads dream. Of course, there is a lot of venous presence.

The balance is really impressive with that flavor combination. In general, that is why I like barley wines, and Hog Heaven is very high on my list of favorites.

I recommend picking up a bottle, or a dozen. I aged tonights bottle for two years, and I don't regret it. This beer gets better with age.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 00:25:59 | More by ummswimmin