Griffin's Bow - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

tdm168

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - pale, transparent orangish amber with a big, thick cap of off white head that has great retention

S - vanilla, oak, caramel, and something faint akin to cherry

T - oak, vanilla, alcohol, caramel, faint herbal hops

M - warm, medium to full bodied, well carbonated

This is a nice concept, but it has it's flaws. There isn't enough malt character to stand up to the alcohol or to the toasted oak chips which means the alcohol and oak dominate. The caramel is sweet and sticky, and the hops are subtle. I would have preferred something a little more malt forward and balanced.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2012 16:58:17 | More by tdm168

BucannonXC5

California

3.05/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Draft into a pint glass at Todd English PUB in Las Vegas, Nev., on July 23, 2012. One finger of head when I got it. Caramel color. Thick white lacing. Good retention all around the glass.

Smelled a sharp alcohol bite, corn, skunk, wine, bourbon or some other kind of liquor.

Tasted heavy alcohol right away. Wine and honey. Just too much of a sharp, overwhelming alcohol bite.

Medium body. Oily texture. Below average carbonation. Long liquory finish.

Very disappointed with this beer, considering I’ve liked almost every other Sam Adams beer I’ve tried. Just too much alcohol with no flavor to match it.

Serving type: on-tap

07-27-2012 01:09:20 | More by BucannonXC5

Vierenner

Ohio

4.2/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Summertime Barleywine.

Has some qualities of a Radler ... but I wouldn't recommend it to quench your thirst ... it'll take you out of commission!

The head is beautifully formed ... doesn't get much better imo.

Alcohol is remarkably well hidden.

Flavors are quite interesting to me. Achieving such complexity without adding all sorts of crazy ingredients is quite a feat.

Major bang for the buck. A bunch of these are going in my cellar.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2012 01:35:01 | More by Vierenner

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

2.95/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

From BeerAdvocate magazine Issue #59 (December 2011):

LOOK: Brassy amber and impressive, thick creamy head

SMELL: Wood, toffee, peach skins, wet cardboard, musty

TASTE: Thick, syrupy, sugary sweet, big toffee, toasty, treacle, candied fruit, golden raisins, oak, tobacco, spicy alcohol, wet cardboard

An “Oaked Blonde Barley Wine Ale,” hopped with Nelson Sauvin and Zeus, and aged in toasted oak. Complex would be an understatement. So much going on with this beer—perhaps too much? The oak becomes a bit overbearing, and oxidation permeates the palate with unpleasantries. A sipper that demands to be shared, as it's hard to drink an entire bottle alone.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2012 17:36:19 | More by BeerAdvocate

mjpolzin

Wisconsin

3.45/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The ABV on the bottle said 10% whereas on this website it says 11.5%...

I will say up front that this was not my favorite barleywine but it did have some interesting characteristics that made it still good to drink.

I read someone's review on this site that said this was a barleywine for the summer. With a slight citrus taste and the blonde color, I would have to agree with that. There was also an aftertaste with each sip. It took me most of my glass to figure out what that other taste was that I was getting and I decided that it was a mix of bread and oak. The oak obviously makes sense with it being aged in oak.

At only $5 or $6 a bottle, I may buy this again but like it said, it wasn't my favorite.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2012 02:47:20 | More by mjpolzin

GloryToTheHops

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

A - I separated the bottle into two separate drinking glasses, one goblet and half into a pint glass. Neither had an impressive head, maybe just one fingers worth and it dissipated rather quickly. Really nice color, but the head and lacing felt weak.

S - So much going on in this glass. You smells notes of the oak right up front and your nose can catch a pineapple fruity smell from the nelson sauvin hops for sure. The whole glass smells sweet almost like honey.

T - I was really surprised how much I enjoyed this beer after reading about it. I didn't think the flavors clashed with one another but rather just made for a drinkable barley wine. I felt the oak and malt did most of the work in this glass and I didn't really catch as much hop flavor as I would've liked. Tastes of oak, sweet honey, slight bready, and a little pineapple. Very dry on the finish.

M - Felt pretty light considering it is a barelywine. I would almost call this a summer barleywine. Only complaint is this thing really gave me cotton mouth. I might have to blame the oak here.

O - Overall I was very happy with beer and have enjoyed nearly all of the Sam Adams small batch collection. I think there is room for improvements here. But I would buy a bottle of this again.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2012 14:35:13 | More by GloryToTheHops

Immortale25

Florida

2.88/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a Dogfish signature snifter. No freshness date.

A- Pours a medium copper color with a 3/4 inch off white head that retains quite well before becoming an 1/8 inch head. Solid ring of trickly lacing.

S- Strong aroma of pineapple and other tropical fruits. Sharp without much malt sweetness.

T- Unorganized clash of flavors brings a wince to the face. Stinging alcohol, unattractive bitterness and very little malt to bring balance. A boozy mess indeed. Barely any trace of the somewhat nice tropical fruit in the aroma. Acerbic.

M- As said before, stinging that isn't helped much by the medium-high carbonation.

O- As one could expect from a brewery that's way past its prime, not a good barleywine. I wouldn't have even reviewed/drank it if it wasn't given to me for free.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2012 21:13:27 | More by Immortale25

Daniellobo

District of Columbia

3.9/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pleasing US barley wine, a bit monochord but the overall flow is nice.

Presentation: 22 oz brown capped custom bottle. Yellow label with the image of a badly drawn griffin holding a bow. Shows notes of ingredient, main characteristics, and intent.
Notes batch #2, and 10 Alc. by Vol. Poured into a snifter.

A - Clear amber pour, nice 1/2" creamy head, medium retention, fair surface memory and lacing.

S - Nose is fruity, with a dash of caramel, sweet hint of vanilla…

T - Softly fruity and malty with a light vanilla/oak touch, bitter dash of hops with some resin, zesty touches over an assertive yet pleasing boozy sense.

M - Medium to medium-full body with medium carbonation, and a nice sticky smoothness in the finish.

O - It flows rather nicely with a pleasing sense.

Notes: I was expecting less so this was a nice surprise. Not half as bad as I had heard. While not remarkable, the fruity sense with the fresh boozy edge felt nice. Maybe it would benefit from aging but this is pretty drinkable in this incarnation.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 23:27:00 | More by Daniellobo

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Samuel Adams Griffin's Bow
22 oz. bottle. No apparent freshness date but marked "Batch 1"
$6.37 @ State Line Liquor in December of 2011

As there's no date I'm not sure how old this is, but I know it's at least 7 months old. What that aging has done for it flavor-wise, I just don't know. On the one hand I think it could certainly use a little more cellar time to help soften it and round it out, but if you do that you'll lose some of the hops that are there. Moving forward...

It looks great in the glass. It's a crystal-clear deep-golden amber beneath a frothy head of off-white. The head retention is quite good, and it leaves remarkable sheets of lace that cover the entire glass. Kudos there.

The aroma is malty (bready and gently caramelish), fruity (tropical), and hoppy (leafy, gently citrusy) with notes of vanilla and wood. I know that there's Nelson Sauvin in there, and that's what I keep thinking I'm smelling, but I'm not sure if that's just the power of suggestion. On the other hand, I know there's Zeus in there as well and I'm not finding that specifically (there is a tropical fruit character to it, but that might also be coming from the alcohol and esters)...

In the mouth it's full bodied, but leaning more to the lighter side of it. It still remains a bit creamy. The carbonation has a little bit of a zest to it right at the start, but once it warms a touch it becomes much softer and smoother.

The flavor is the big thing here as, number one, it's a golden barleywine, and number two, it's oak aged. Do the malt and the hops and the oak work together? Let's start with the oak. It's pretty solid. No one's going to miss it, and it leaves the beer pretty drying in the finish. That dry woodiness is definitely there and lingering. Of course it's bitter as well, but the wood actually helps to dry your palate (tannins). So, is it overdone? That's hard to say, but I think a little more aging might help to smooth it. Back to the malt. There's a nice dollop of honey to it, a straightforward graininess/breadiness, and some low-level caramel notes. It's pretty nice, and it certainly allows the oak to come through as opposed to what a darker, more heavily caramelized barleywine might do. Additionally, the hops remain bright. I get some orange and grapefruit that must be coming from the Zeus, and they work pretty well with the vanilla note of the wood and the honeyish malt. Beyond that it's leafy, somewhat tea-like, and a touch minty (even slightly pine-like). Some say that Nelson Sauvin hops are "winey", and I find some of that in the finish, but I'm not sure if that's not just due to the alcohol. So where do we stand with the alcohol? Well it's noticeable. It's not overly intrusive, but it's certainly far from hidden. As I've said before, sometimes you need (or want) that alcohol as it becomes an important component within the beer. But do I think it's needed here? No, it's not really one of those times. On the other hand, for a barleywine I don't think it's really overdone.

Overall it's an interesting beer because of the oak aging and the hops chosen, but other than that I don't find it particularly compelling. I'd like to see it smoother and rounder, and perhaps some more aging will help, but as it is, it's rough around the edges.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 21:38:09 | More by NeroFiddled

barleywinefiend

Washington

3.43/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

APoured a honey color with good carbonation and a nice frothy white cap, lots of bubbles and plenty of lacing

S: Bit toasted oak,vanilla with a whiff of butterscotch

T: Holy oak! Wow. Woody with huge vanilla notes, green apples and pears, pretty nice at first and then it becomes rather cloying and abrasive, bit syrupy and too sweet. The finish is warm lingering booze and oak.

M: Medium bodied, well carbonated.

O: Not to bad but room for some improvement

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2012 05:25:16 | More by barleywinefiend

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Griffin's Bow
Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)
Style: American Barleywine
ABV: 11.50 %

LOOK: Clear, deep golden colored brew with an white, soapy head that leaves plenty of lace before it disappears. Pours a thick almost syrup like gold.

SMELL: Strong aroma of alcohol, honey, malts, wood and earthy hops. Smells like a beast of a beer but solid nose all in all.

TASTE: Sweet and strong upfront with more honey, brandied pear, toffee and burnt caramel notes. For a six month old bottle there is still plenty of hop character, with the distinct Nelson Sauvin hops blending with the newer Zeus variety, both doing a good job of being earthy, piney, mildly citric and bitter. The oak notes are very slight with some dry tannins toward the finish. Unsurprising, the beer still finishes with a big lumbering 1 -2 punch of sweetness and alcohol.

FEEL: Full bodied, chewy, and slightly syrupy. Decent carbonation, oaky dry finish.

OVERALL: A nice attempt at a blonde barley wine from Boston Beer Co. Could stand to be little less abrasive with all the estery alcohol and sugary notes. I think the hops used were a nice choice, and overall this is still a fine beverage.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 17:27:23 | More by Stinkypuss

Darkmagus82

Montana

4.05/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into snifter

Appearance – Poured a amber-orange color with a medium white head. The head faded fast to give a medium amount of lacing.

Smell – The aroma is big of biscuit with citrus and some tropical notes. There is a good presence of alcohol and some light grassy and astringent notes.

Taste – A sweet citrus and biscuit flavor greet the tongue. The citrus is largely of an orange and grapefruit nature. As the taste advances, some of the more tropical fruit flavors enter the tongue. These are of mango, pineapple, and a light banana. These start to take over the citrus flavors while the biscuit remains constant. Toward the end the alcohol that was detected in the nose comes to the tongue. This is mixed with an ever so light green/grassy flavor which with the boozy flavor, fruit and biscuit leave a nice warming feel on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is creamy and soothing while the carbonation level is on the lower side. The thickness and low carbonation allow all the fruit and boozy flavors to really be sensed by the tongue. It is very nice and appropriate for the style.

Overall – One of the easiest drinking barley wines I have ever had. It has more sweetness then the average. While the nose let on to some astringency the taste did not. It was actually a nice easy sipper.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 01:52:57 | More by Darkmagus82

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +23%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a clear amber-orange color with a finger of frothy white head. The head fades down fairly quickly leaving behind some light lace.

S - Aroma is a full of citrus and tropical hops with caramel and biscuity malts, light fruity esters, pine hops, oak, and some booze.

T - Starts off with a mix of sweet caramel malts with lots of pineapple, grapefruit, and other citrus hops with some bitterness and some light fruity esters. Through the middle, some pine and lightly spicy hops come through with some more bitterness and some biscuit malts, oak, and vanilla. The finish is a mix of tropical and spicy hops with some bitterness, oak, vanilla, fruity esters, and some booze.

M - Medium-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a warming and dry finish.

D - Very drinkable. Really nice blonde barleywine. I like the hop forward flavor and the malt profile throughout.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2012 04:21:42 | More by ngeunit1

chefhatt

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle batch 2
I poured this one into a snifter glass. It has a nice amber color body with a nice 4 finger head that hangs around a little while and goes to a nice lace. The smell has a nice storng pine/citrus smell with malt in there also. The taste is hop up front with some pine/citrus notes. Also as it warms up a little it also has a sweeter taste to it, almost like toffee. The mouth feel is nice and well carobonated. Overall this is a good beer, and i might go get another bottle to cellar and see what some age will do it.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 03:15:23 | More by chefhatt

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 650 ml bottle into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass. Batch No. 2.

Appearance: Pours a deep and clear copper amber orange with lots of rising bubbles. Huge five finger off white head with good retention considering the abv. Leaves a good amount of lacing.

Smell: A very citrus forward barleywine aroma. Sweet and bready malts with hints of caramel, toffee, and a little butterscotch. Subtle woody oak chips and vanilla. Big citrus smell with good hints of orange marmalade, pineapple, lemon, and white grapes. Also some pine resin and floral hops. Quite an interesting smell.

Taste: Tastes like a very hop forward American Barleywine, almost more like an IPA. Big citrus taste up front with notes of orange marmalade, pineapple, white grape, lemon, and peach. Bready malts with some caramel and toffee. Oak and vanilla flavors are fairly subtle. Some honey and burnt sugars. Also some floral hops and pine. Pretty tasty.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with a moderate level of carbonation. Creamy, chewy, and slick. Alcohol can be tasted but the heat is fairly low considering the abv.

Overall: A pretty good take on the American Barleywine style. It is very American with lots of citrus, but it balances out well.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2012 05:06:30 | More by MattyG85

Vixie

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The bottle says Batch No 2 on it, and the ABV is listed as 10%

Pours a very nice looking copper color with a hint of red. Forms a huge white head that sticks around for a bit.

Fairly strong aroma. Citrus, pine, and fresh mowed grass are present, and I can smell the alcohol as well.

Caramel, toffee, and bit of citrus. Fairly strong hop flavor, the hops seem to be adding both citrus and pine notes.

The feel is fairly solid on this one.

This beer is nearly an IPA, tastes more like one than a barleywine to me. It is an in your face beer, nothing to subtle about it. It is a fairly complex brew, the only thing keeping me from scoring it higher is that I am not a fan of a lot of hops, but if you like IPAs, give this one a try.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 01:13:30 | More by Vixie

RyanGoodman

Bolivia

4.13/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Tasting at Krugel's Georgetown Deli

A - Deep golden

S - You can tell this is a big beer. Malty, yet hops in the nose.

T - Delivers everything in the scent and more. Complex flavor layers. Almost as if this beer already had some time on it. Wonder what age would do to it.

M - Luscious as it crosses the palate.

O - Excellent, possibly one of the best beers from the BBC I've had to date. Well done!

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 02:52:16 | More by RyanGoodman

BMoney575

Michigan

3.1/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Sampled on 5-27-12
Batch no. 2

Appearance: a clear, golden amber color, with an immense white head that settles to a thin layer of bubbles, leaving thick rings of lacing behind.

Smell: very sweet and buttery, with a bit of piney hops poking through. The hops are subdued and the malt is light, making for a rather boring beer.

Taste: just like the smell, except with a metallic quality at the end that ruins any good points. What is there is sweet and all over the place. Not very enjoyable.

Mouthfeel: Seems good, but it's hard to gauge against the unpleasant flavors.

Overall: a miss.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2012 22:21:30 | More by BMoney575

FlemingVSKing

Florida

4.68/5  rDev +33%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

This brew was extremely satisfying and while it is a barley wine and Sam Adams other product, the Imperial White, is witbier, I have the same basic opinion of both.

They are each strong brews with bold fruity notes accented by floral hops that finish clean and refreshing.

Griffin's Bow does pour with a much richer and very satisfying head and it's substantial alchohol content is not as prominent.

While it does have bold flavor it likely would appeal most to fans of wheat beers and hoff weizens. And if you're looking to move toward darker varieties a brew this rich might be a good way to experiment with big bold flavors that are still within your range.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 19:30:09 | More by FlemingVSKing

EkimGram

New York

3.7/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Entry from my beer journal dated Feb. 19, 2012

Appearance: 22oz bottle poured into a standard pint glass. Colour is a mellow brown with a nice garnet/ruby quality to it. Finger-thick head fades quickly leaving a thin, sticky lacing. No visible carbonation.

Smell: Sweet, citrus hops with a nice oaky twinge. Finishes with some bready malts.

Taste: Not as hoppy as I had guessed. It's very sweet in an alcoholic manner with a nice balanced malty-brady character.

Mouthfeel: Medium body, syrupy, silky, and barely any carbonation.

Overall: This brew is amazingly balanced. Sweet alcoholic hops are rounded out with bready malts and a nice hearty body. Bravo to Sam Adams!

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 03:37:43 | More by EkimGram

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Interesting beer...an oaked, blonde barleywine...good combination and enjoyable. It's a clear, brazed-golden color with a moderately stable white head. It's an attractive beer for sure. The aroma is of hot alcohol, pale malt, earth. There is a woody, oak-like character as well, but it sits behind the other flavors. Some hops in the aroma, but they're restrained. The taste is quite good, however...powerful, sweet, woody, bitter, and mouth-numbing. It's not subtle, but is balanced and enjoyable. The alcohol is notable, but not distracting. Bitterness begins in the foretaste, and doesn't really end. Full in body and extraordinarily heavy. This beer is more heavy-handed than it's appearance foretells.

Serving type: on-tap

05-17-2012 13:58:08 | More by WoodBrew

Reaper16

Alabama

2.68/5  rDev -23.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

served on-tap @ The Alcove, Tuscaloosa, AL into a tasting glass

Pours way, way lighter than I would expect a Barleywine to pour. It's a translucent, honey-gold color. Lager blonde. It's crazy how light this beer's color is. So much clarity too! It's sort of a trip. a decent, one-finger sized off-white head sits on top (also to my surprise).

Whoo. There's some... aromas here to deal with. It's quite boozy, for starters. Quite. Beyond that alcohol, I pick up on honey, dense biscuits, and white grapeskin. Those white grapeskin notes are a tell-tale for New Zealand hops.

The taste follows the nose pretty well. Lots of booze; it spreads all over my tongue and makes me literally frown. Some beers hide their alcohol; this beer embraces it. Honeycomb and grape flavors. Then there is the oak. It's soggy tasting, like it was soaked in grain alcohol until that natural vanilla flavor was just a ghost of what it could be. A lot of awkward and disjointed sips. Unpleasant.

It's slick and heavy on the mouth, and does little but exacerbate the beer's problem with perceptible alcohol. Overall, this is not a good take on the Barleywine style. Too boozy and too awkward.

Serving type: on-tap

05-16-2012 05:31:51 | More by Reaper16

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.6/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Batch#2 pours an effervescent honey color with 3 fingers of cream colored head. Great head retention & lacing

S: Faint butterscotch, breadyness, oakyness

T: Follows the nose, some booze heat, some honey notes up front, along with some grapefruittyness. Dryness, some piney notes, slight oakyness & whisky notes as this warms, more grapefruit as well. Finishes dry, grapefruitty, & boozey & a little too oaky, some toffee sweetness

MF: Chewy, slightly over carbonated, okay balance

A rough hewn American Barley Wine. This perhaps one of Sammy's weaker offerings, but not horrible by any means

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 03:49:27 | More by russpowell

asabreed

New York

3.95/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 oz. bottle. Batch #2. 10% ABV (I'm assuming 11.5% was Batch #1?). Poured into a Brooklyn Brewery tulip.

Appearance: A nice lighter peach and orange color, with a nice semi-frothy white head that leaves moderate lacing and a good 1/2" head above the body of the brew.

Smell: Heavy on the sweetness, with a lot of candied citrus, orange marmalade or citrus-type jam, some sweet toffee notes, and some vanilla and wood aromas from the toasted oak.

Taste: More like a Belgian Strong Pale than a barley wine in my opinion, with a lot of sweetness and some interesting nuance of sweet flavors with the citrus side, the wood and vanilla characteristics, and the marmalade and jam notes going on, along with a dose of honey coming through also, and maybe some candi sugar. I would've been pressed to say it's a BSP without knowing the style, but I'm not disappointed because the beer's doing things that I like -- it's just not your average barley wine.

Mouthfeel: A little heavy, and a little cloying. It's evident, but not really unexpected, and it doesn't detract.

Drinkability: Certainly a sipper at 10%, this probably could've been a little less sweet in the end with more hops or something else to balance it out, but for around $6 it's nice to get a Sam Adams beer that's more adventurous and isn't out of a 12-pack. I enjoyed it and will try and grab the other styles to try most likely that are in the non-standard 22 oz. bottles.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 22:15:23 | More by asabreed

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.3/5  rDev +22.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bottle poured into a snifter.
11.5% ABV, "Enjoy now or age it to further develop rich and unique flavors." Batch #1

A - Golden amber in color, this blonde barleywine pours with a pillowy ivory head that's well-retained and decorates the snifter in spotty lacing.

S - Griffin's Bow exudes bold complexity right off the bat. There's exemplary underlying malt sweetness of toasted bread and toffee slivers with bitter, resiny hops laying on top. Great depth and character, but what I keep coming back to is the awkward burnt rubber aroma that lingers throughout the beer. Toasted oak spirals and phenolic alcohol continue the depth nicely; bits of white grape skin finish out.

T - Toasted oak spirals really spring forward throughout this beer! They add great depth to the caramelized sugar and deep malty base. Hops develop low but persistent citrus characteristics that resemble lemon zest and grapefruit emerge. Complexity, thy name is Griffin's Bow.

M - Full, rich-bodied, and very smooth, with a well-carbonated bubble base gives Griffin's Bow a well-balanced finish of lightly dry, citrusy hop bitterness and lingering, warming alcohol.

O - Besides the odd but rubber component to the aroma, this is a very complex, unique Barleywine with great repeat drinkability despite the thin, mildly solvent, phenolic alcohol characteristics of the 11.5%. At a measly $6, it's easily worth grabbing a few of these bottles, one for now, a few for aging. I know I will be!

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 16:34:03 | More by BeerFMAndy